The Cascadia Poetics Lab is delighted to participate in ScribFest, June 20 & 21, 2026, at Town Hall. From the ScribLab website: “ScribFest brings PNW performance writers together for a weekend of professional development, artistic sharing, community building, and networking. Started in 2024 as a playwriting conference, this annual event has quickly become THE landmark […]
Ever wanted to write a poem, but were intimidated to get started? Or maybe you had an idea you thought would make for an interesting poem, but when you went to put the pen to the page, you weren't sure how to take your idea and transform it into something real?
In my experience, in conversations with friends, family, and acquaintances, I have often been asked what seems to me a very simple question. “Well, how do I write a poem?” The snarky answer is, “Well, you get a pen and a paper and start writing.” While true, the sarcasm there is not helpful to get anyone actually writing, and what I want people to understand is that writing a poem really is not as mysterious and difficult as it’s cracked up to be. Writing a deeply energetic poem that gets remembered in history textbooks is, I would argue, a little more difficult, but really it is the result of practice and luck more than anything. So, in order to demystify this process, and, as the CPL and Cascadia 2050 missions say, “empower people to practice poetry…” we are hosting this workshop that will get into the first steps that can get any person writing poems they can be proud of. Brenda Hillman says that, “to be a poet you only need 3 readers, and one of them can be a tree.” And that is the energy we will be trying to capture and share at this workshop, which will hopefully be the first of many.
The Poetry Postcard Fest is an annual 56-day experiment in spontaneity and community building. This literary event is a self-guided workshop in spontaneous composition where people sign up to send 31 original poems on postcards to folks on a participation list before the end of August. The fest was initiated in 2007 by poets Paul […]
Gathering and workshop for postcard collages at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. July 12, 2026 Time TBA
Venue Beaver Point Community Hall 1361 Beaver Point Road, Salt Spring Island, BC Schedule Friday, August 14, 4-8 PM Reading: 4:30-6 PM Followed by a community potluck Featured Readers Robert Michael Pyle James Dott With Local Contributors to the Cascadian Zen Anthology Peter Levitt Shirley Graham Adelia MacWilliam Briony Penn Lorin Medley Ann Graham Walker […]
Venue The Masonic Lodge 2687 Dunsmuir Ave, Cumberland, BC Schedule Saturday 8/15/2026 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM | Talk by Jason Wirth on the poetry of Jan Zwicky. Jan Zwicky and Garth Martens will read “Say It” followed by a question period. 7 PM - 9:00 PM | Warm up readings by local contributors to […]
Venue The Masonic Lodge 2687 Dunsmuir Ave, Cumberland, BC Schedule Saturday 8/15/2026 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM | Talk by Jason Wirth on the poetry of Jan Zwicky. Jan Zwicky and Garth Martens will read “Say It” followed by a question period. 7 PM - 9:00 PM | Warm up readings by local contributors to […]
The Cascadia Poetry Festival is a gathering of poets and bioregionalists, exploring poetry and its connection to environmental, political, historical, and sociological pursuits within Cascadia bioregion. The festival aims to consider how prioritizing natural and cultural boundaries, rather than arbitrary political ones, can address climate change and other issues. Registration coming soon LEARN MORE HERE […]