Welcome students and teachers!
Welcome to the Student Day Planning Page! We are so glad you are here. The Skagit River Poetry Festival was originally conceived of as a capstone experience for students who had experienced our Poets in Schools program. We welcome High School students from all the school districts that we work with, and want you to have an unforgettable experience learning from, speaking to, and creating with the phenomenal poets who come to our Festival. They have designed the Friday sessions especially for you, and we want you to have the chance to learn about them, too!
Step 1: Preview the sessions to attend
Notes:
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All students start together at Maple Hall for a welcome session and Poetry Sampler. Read some of the poems from the featured poets here: Kelli Russell Agodon, Jory Mickelson, Jeremy Voigt, Joe Wilkins
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Lunch – Bring a sack lunch. You may eat lunch outside, or in Maple Hall for the student Open Mic hosted by local poet Jeffrey Morgan and spoken word performance artist Roberto Carlos Ascalon! Read some poetry by these poets here: Jeffrey Morgan, Roberto Carlos Ascalon
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Back together – Attend the final session together again. This session, featuring Irish Poet Tony Curtis, Festival headliner Naomi Shihab Nye, and 6th Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest, will be a rousing end to a wonderful day. Read some poems by these acclaimed poets here: Tony Curtis, Naomi Shihab Nye, Rena Priest.
Step 2: Choose Sessions 2 & 3
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For sessions 2 & 3, choose the sessions you want to attend! Start by reading the titles – which ones stand out to you? Then follow this link to read about the poets who will be presenting their craft: Read Poet Bios here!
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Choose two or three different sessions that you would like to attend for each time slot. Students will be spread out over all the sessions and your teacher will guide you through the sign-up process. For now, pick your top three!
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To learn more, click on the poets’ names here to read some of their poetry: Samar Abulhassan, Gary Copeland Lilley, Jane Wong, Janée J. Baugher, Sam Green, Lorraine Healy, Jill McCabe Johnson, Derek Sheffield, Jeannine Gailey, Paul Hlava Ceballos, Ed Harkenss, Susan Rich, Kara Briggs, Ching-In Chen, Subhaga Crystal Bacon, Matthew Nienow, Tess Gallagher, Sati Mookherjee, Danusha Laméris, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, Tina Schumann, Jed Myers, Blas Falconer, Caitlin Scarano.
Step 3: Figure out your route!
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The sessions for the Skagit River Poetry Festival take place all over La Conner. Once you have decided on your sessions, look up where to find them on this map. You will have a copy of this map on the day of the Festival as well.
Student Expectations
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Be on time to your sessions. A few of the venues are a bit of a walk so plan accordingly and look at your map ahead of time. All venues have their addresses listed in the program.
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Turn off cell phones during sessions – not just on silent. Give your attention to the presenters and participate.
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Read about the poets ahead of time and preview some of their poetry. Be engaged and ask questions.
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Festival volunteers will be stationed at each venue and are there to help if you need anything.
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After the Festival fill out a feedback form.
Daily Schedule
Give us Feedback!
Didn’t get a chance to fill out a feedback form after the festival? We still would like your input! Use this QR code or the link below to let us know what you thought about the 13th Biennial Skagit River Poetry Festival!
This Form will go live on Friday, October 23rd.