Poets Inspire for the 12th Biennial Skagit River Poetry Festival
Presented by the Skagit R
iver Poetry Foundation
LA CONNER, WA – This year’s 12th Biennial Skagit River Poetry Festival returns in-person and brings transformative poetic voices to the town of La Conner, WA on the beautiful Swinomish Channel. Located just 60 minutes north of Seattle and 60 minutes south of Vancouver, BC and is set on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish Peoples. Art and poetry has flourished in the historic village of La Conner since the Northwest Mystics founded an art movement in the 1950s. This celebrated three-day event on October 3 – 5, 2024 will feature performances, readings, workshops, and discussions, featuring some of the most renowned and diverse names in poetry, including the award winning poet, Ellen Bass. The festival opens Thursday evening with a reading, “Finding Cascadia,” featuring poets Elizabeth Bradfield, CMarie Fuhrman, Tim McNulty and Derek Sheffield and explores the richness of our Northwest. Over the three days, the festival presents some of the most thoughtful voices in contemporary poetry, reflecting cultures from around the world. The lineup includes these poets and more: Ellen Bass, Chen Chen, Robert Wrigley, Ilya Kaminsky, Tony Curtis, Arthur Sze, M.L. Smoker, and Elizabeth Bradfield. Top Northwest poets on the bill include former Washington State Poets Laureate, Elizabeth Austen, Claudia Castro Luna and Samuel Green plus Canadian poet Lorna Crozier, Idaho poet CMarie Fuhrman and former Montana State Poet Laureate, M.L. Smoker. We will also welcome our vital teaching poets from the Poets in Schools Program this past school year, Bellingham poet Jeffrey Morgan and Seattle poet Samar Abulhassan.
Students attend free with a student ID. Unless sold out, tickets will also be available at the door. The festival takes place in venues throughout La Conner, which is transformed into a Poet Village for three days. “The festival turns La Conner into a town filled with poetry, from its churches to its museums, its community center, and its bed and breakfasts,” says Seattle poet Susan Rich. “Where else can a person sleep, eat, live, and breathe poetry for a fall weekend?” The festival, one of the largest celebrations of poetry on the West Coast, is hosted by the Skagit River Poetry Foundation, a non-profit organization that brings poets into school classrooms to promote literacy, an appreciation of language, and youth participation in culturally diverse communities. All proceeds benefit the foundation’s mission to support lifelong literacy and cultural diversity.
For tickets and volunteer information, visit the festival website at SkagitRiverPoetry.org. For questions, contact Molly McNulty, Executive Director at directorsrpp@gmail.com or call 360-840-1452.
BRIEF
Who: Skagit River Poetry Festival
When: October 3-5, 2024
What: A celebration of poetry and access to internationally famous poets through intimate venues and workshop sessions, discussions, and readings
Where: Check-in: Maple Hall, 104 Commercial Street, La Conner, WA 98257 – Sessions will be held in venues throughout La Conner
Tickets: Available through Brown Paper Tickets: tinyurl.com/SRPFestTix24
Lodging Information: SkagitRiverPoetry.org/Festival-Lodging
General Information and Press Contact: SkagitRiverPoetry.org, Molly McNulty, directorsrpp@gmail.com, 360-840-1452
Festival Volunteer Information: SkagitRiverPoetry.org/About/Volunteer