You can relax with a wide range of poetry at annual festival on Governors Island (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
NEW YORK CITY POETRY FESTIVAL 2023
Governors Island
Colonels Row
July 29-30, free with RSVP (donation suggested), 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
newyorkcitypoetryfestival.com
new york city poetry festival slideshow
Hosted by the Poetry Society of New York, the twelfth annual New York City Poetry Festival returns to Governors Island this weekend, honoring Gotham’s literary heritage with stages named after such iconic landmarks as the Algonquin, the White Horse, and Chumley’s. Poets from dozens of publishing houses, university presses, and nonprofit organizations read their works, in addition to the Ring of Daisies open mic and other places where poetry just pops up. There should be lots of booths, with food and drink.
Walking across the big Colonels Row field, you can listen as one poem from one location morphs into one from another and then one from another in a kind of audio rainbow of words and expression. The 2023 headliners are Danez Smith, Franny Choi, Saeed Jones, and torrin a. greathouse. The festival also comes with a content warning, which reads in part: “We at the Poetry Society of New York want to acknowledge that the content of this festival may potentially cover triggering and graphic topics ranging from mental illness to imagery of painful human experiences. We have asked our readers to give content warnings before their readings. . . . We aim to create a safe space for both our readers and our attendees, so please be mindful that you may encounter themes that are uncomfortable to engage with.” The lineup should be posted here any time now.