Poetry Festivals - celebrating one of the oldest of the art forms
by Nancy Sackheim
April, National Poetry Month, has been in the rear view mirror now for a month. If you think you missed your only chance to celebrate one of the oldest art forms during National Poetry Month, think again. Poetry festivals or gatherings as they are sometimes called are held throughout the year. Poetry festivals range from small local events to national festivals that welcome poets from all 50 states. Poetry festivals can be annual, but many are biennial or even triennial. The two oldest poetry gatherings/festivals, as well as the youngest poetry festival are all built around a specific theme and are held annually.
The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, held annually in Elko, Nevada, is the oldest continuous national poetry gathering in the U.S. It began in 1985 and celebrates the cowboy tradition of poetry, music, and storytelling. The Gathering attracts a diverse audience, including cowboys, ranchers, and urbanites interested in the American West's creative spirit. The 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering will be held is Elko, Nevada January 26-31, 2026. It’s a mid-winter, week-long multigenerational, merrymaking event full of ranch-y folk and ranch-y food, art, gear, film, discussions, dance, music, verse, and more. It is the place to talk cowboy poetry. And, it’s a darn good time for all!
The FisherPoets Gathering, a celebration of the commercial fishing industry in poetry, prose and song celebrated its 27th year. Originally conceived as a modest cultural reunion for far-flung friends in the commercial fishing fleet, the FisherPoets Gathering, held in Astoria, Oregon, now attracts nearly a hundred poets, songwriters and storytellers from both the west and east coasts’ commercial fishing communities. The dates for the 2026 Festival are Friday, February 27th – Sunday, March 1st They gather in Astoria’s pubs, restaurants and galleries to read for each other and for the hundreds of fisherpoetry fans who come to hear the authentic, creative voices of deckhands and skippers, cannery workers and shipwrights, young greenhorns and old timers, strong women and good-looking men.
The National Baseball Poetry Festival is a celebration of poetry (and other short written and spoken-word pieces) whose themes focus on Baseball—our National Pastime! The Festival also punctuates National Poetry Month, during which the nation pays homage to the world’s oldest and, arguably, most powerful art form! Furthermore, the Festival’s contests aim both to connect us all, and serve as lifelines for the love and appreciation of the Fine Arts and Humanities!Over the course of three days, the Festival welcomes Baseball lovers of all ages, and features Baseball poets young and old… budding and professional! Festival highlights include two WooSox games, a Polar Park tour, a sunset catch on the field for all (bring your glove!), a Poet-to-Poet Reading at The Worcester Pop Up , a Youth Reading at the ballpark, and an Open-Mic Night at Electric Haze in Worcester’s famed Canal District.
The themes of these festivals could not be more diverse, but the uniting element is poetry and the love of poetry. Once you decide whether you want to hang out with cowboy poets, fisherpoets, baseball poets, or all three, it's not too early to begin planning for 2026!
