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Poetry

From traditional readings to eclectic combinations of lecture, conversation, and performance, we present poetry that is to be experienced.
The Emily Dickinson Birthday Tribute 2023

The Emily Dickinson Birthday Tribute 2023

Our annual reading is co-sponsored with The Emily Dickinson Museum. This year's reader is poet Evie Shockley.
Tue, Dec 05, 2023 7:30 pm
Virtual - Zoom
Not Just Another Day Off 2024: A Poetic Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday

Not Just Another Day Off

Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday with us! Hear historic speeches from King, Frederick Douglass, Fannie Lou Hamer, and more, alongside work from contemporary poets.
Mon, Jan 15, 2024, 11am
Folger Theatre
BLOOM with Camille Dungy
Poet smiles looking off camera.

BLOOM with Camille Dungy

Acclaimed poet and essayist Camille T. Dungy leads this virtual workshop with a horticulturalist from the United States Botanic Garden.
Mon, Feb 26, 2024, 6:30pm
Virtual - Zoom
Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize 2024

Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize

Celebrate Waywiser Press’s 18th annual prize with a reading from this year’s judge, Linda Gregerson, and this year’s winner, Hannah Louise Poston.
Tue, Mar 12, 2024, 7:30pm
Folger Theatre
Eudora Welty Lecture: Natasha Trethewey

Eudora Welty Lecture: Natasha Trethewey

Pulitzer Prize-winner Natasha Trethewey served two terms as the 19th Poet Laureate of the United States.
Thu, Mar 21, 2024, 7:30pm
National Press Club
O.B. Hardison Series Finale Reading: Edward Hirsch

O.B. Hardison Series Finale Reading: Edward Hirsch

Edward Hirsch will read from his own poetry and from the work of poets who have influenced him.
Thu, Apr 25, 2024, 7:30pm
Folger Theatre