Cascadia Poetics LAB
Poetry Postcard Fest
Watershed Press
Cascadian Prophets Podcast
Cascadia Poetry Festival 8
2024 Poetry Postcard Fest Banner

PPF Open House Video and Q&A!

June 18, 2024
Veronica Martinez

PPF Open House Video and FAQ!

On June 16, 2024, CPL hosted a Zoom open house for the Poetry Postcard Fest, where the PPF committee answered any questions regarding the fest and postcard poems were shared! If you missed it, you can now watch the full Zoom below! Below, you can also read the FAQ that was discussed in the Zoom chat during the meeting.

Resources shared during the Open House: 
PPF Facebook 
Poetry Postcard Inspiration on the CPL website
Zach’s PPF 2023 wrap up 
2024 Daysong
USPS Postcard Info 
56 Days of August 
Mapes Creek Radiance, for more info contact Lou Cabeen at loucabeenart.com  

Zoom Chat FAQ:
Q: When does the festival really start (and end)?
A: People can start when the finalized address goes out — in theory, everyone writes 1 a day for 31, but of course life does happen, so for some people going more slowly works. A few people also send postcards to people not on their list, like people they wrote with in previous years, so they go on into the fall or more.
A2: Technically, July 4-August 31. We try to encourage everyone to send them between that time, but if you need to take a little while longer that’s okay!

Q: Can folks register right up to July?
A: Yes!

Q: My address has changed (radically) since I signed up. Should I wait to hear from the captains before sending in my changes?
A: Please send address changes to Paul as soon as you can!

Q: Do the cards need to be standard 4”x6” size? Or can they be larger? Will a postcard stamp work with a 5 x7, for example?
A: 5×7 requires a standard non-postcard stamp. (Letter stamp.)
A2: They can be any size! Just keep in mind that the postage changes depending on the size. I think you could get by with a 5×7, but I’ve gotten ones even bigger than that!

Q: When can we expect the list? Or rather, when should I be worried that the list hasn’t come!
A: You will receive the list on or around July 4! Email your List Captain if you don’t receive it a few days after July 4 because they might have the incorrect email for you!
A2: We generally wait to send out lists until everyone who can sign up has signed up.

Q: I have a wild and random collection of postcards that I’ll be making use of, so I don’t plan on making any (perhaps a handful)…but I will be sure to attend to place and present in filling them with words!
A: No need to make them at all! It can be lots of fun to write ekphrastically from the art on the card. \

Q: Do most people use an envelope?
A: I do for some of the collages, just to keep ’em safer. By no means necessary, though.

3 Comments

  1. Jennifer Haggerty

    Greetings Paul!
    This is Jennifer Haggerty.
    I would like to join The Postcard Fest. (I don’t think I have participated since the 1st or 2nd year!)
    I don’t have I.G./messenger so I thought it best to email you here.
    Please let me the who & how.
    Guns are loaded.
    Ha Ha!

    Jennifer

  2. Weld Champneys

    I am assuming I am properly registered, as I’m receiving these emails, but would you please verify for me? It takes a lot of time & effort to prepare these cards, & I certainly won’t have a use for them if I’m not on the list! Thank you.

  3. Melissa Shockey

    oh dear oh my…somehow I am on a list and I am not sure why the mistake but I am unable to participate this year…I just started to receive postcards this week…! I feel awful! I miss the fest but have much to much happening ..how can I get word out to my group?!

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

dashed cool colors line

You May Also Like

Andrew Schelling on Forests, Temples, Glacial Rivers

Andrew Schelling on Forests, Temples, Glacial Rivers

Sanskrit translations, a deep bioregional sense of place and homages to dead (mostly) poet friends makes Andrew Schelling’s new book a compelling distillation of subjects he’s been tracking for over 40 years. Author of “Tracks Along The Left Coast: Jaime D’Angulo & Pacific Coast Culture” and “From the Arapaho Songbook” and many other titles, he lives in the mountains outside of Boulder, Colorado, and teaches poetry and Sanskrit at Naropa University. The new book is Forests, Temples and Glacial Rivers, published by Empty Bowl.

Winter in America (Again Reading at Seattle University

Winter in America (Again Reading at Seattle University

Join us in marking the publication of Winter in America (Again: Poets Respond to 2024 with a reading from some of the contributing poets and editors. The reading will take place February 4, 2025, 7 P.M. PST at the Seattle University Sinegal Center for Science and...

Winter in America (Again Poets Respond to the Nov 2024 Election

Winter in America (Again Poets Respond to the Nov 2024 Election

In the call, we stated: “We are looking for words that come from thoughtful reflection and compassion for the loss we feel for ourselves and this country. (Please no screeds.)” Still, we got many poems that were filled with righteous anger, on which we passed. The book features many poems that offer suggestions, pathways and even self-care tips for the new Winter in America. That very phrase “Winter in America” comes from Gil Scott-Heron, and was used by the editors as a sort-of invocation to Gil’s spirit and legacy. I