Poetry Postcard Fest 2026
Early Bird Registration
The Poetry Postcard Fest is an annual 56-day experiment in spontaneity and community building. This literarary 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 E. Nelson and Lana Ayers, and has grown to include poets participating worldwide. Registration opens annually on September 1.
How it Works
The fest is a self-guided 56 day workshop in spontaneous composition and community. Click to learn more about How it Works.
Poetry Postcard Fest News
PPF Open House Video and Q&A!
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...
Bonus for Non-U.S. Poetry Postcard Fest Participants
Bonus for non-USA Poetry Postcard Fest participants in 2024 for the 18th iteration of the event which starts July 4, 2024.
PPF ZOOM OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY JUNE 16!
PPF ZOOM OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY JUNE 16! Join the Poetry Postcard Fest project board on Sunday, June 6, 2024 at 1 P.M. PDT for a PPF Zoom open house! Now that we are less than a month away from the...
Press Release: Cascadia Poetics LAB to Host 18th Poetry Postcard Fest and Postcards From Here Event
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 8, 2024 Contact: Paul E. Nelson pen@cascadiapoeticslab.org CASCADIA POETICS LAB TO HOST 18TH POETRY POSTCARD FEST AND POSTCARDS FROM HERE EVENT By Veronica Martinez,...
Less Than One Month
18th Poetry Postcard Fest Registration Update with 13 groups already formed with less than a month to go.
The Power of PPF by Margaret Lee
From PPF Board Member Margaret Lee, June 1, 2024 Early in May I received a card in the mail on turquoise, marbled paper in a handmade envelope. I knew from the handwriting that it came from my poet...
Postcard Poet Maureen Kane Publishes Poetry Collection
Mycelium: Poetry of Connection published by postcard poet Maureen Kane Postcard poet Maureen Sandra Kane has published a new poetry collection, Mycelium: Poetry of Connection through Gray Matter...
Zach Charles Releases First Book With Carbonation Press
Zach Charles releases first book of poetry, 24 Portraits at 24! Cascadia Poetics Lab volunteer and audio assistant Zach Charles has released their first book of poetry, 24 Portraits at 24, through...
Celebrate Cascadia Poetics Lab on Giving Tuesday!
Celebrate CPL on Giving Tuesday Dec. 3! We thank all participants and attendees at the recent 8th Cascadia Poetry Festival. We hope to stage this at the Hugo House annually for years to come. Videos...
A 5-week online poetry workshop designed for folks with a wide variety of experience with poetry and with a keen interest in spirituality and the occult. This course is more than a workshop; it’s a journey into the unknown, where you’ll discover hidden messages and ideas both from within yourself and the outside world. Through chance, divination, games, and ritual, you’ll learn to trust your intuition and let your spontaneity guide your writing.
Sundays 3-5:00 PM Pacific Time
September 7 – October 5, 2025
Poet as Radio: Writing from Intuition
Poet as Radio: Writing from Intuition
A 5-week online poetry workshop designed for folks with a wide variety of experience with poetry and with a keen interest in spirituality and the occult. This course is more than a workshop; it’s a journey into the unknown, where you’ll discover hidden messages and ideas both from within yourself and the outside world. Through chance, divination, games, and ritual, you’ll learn to trust your intuition and let your spontaneity guide your writing.
Sundays 3-5:00 PM Pacific Time
September 7 – October 5, 2025
Robert Duncan’s H.D. Book: The Roots of Modernism with Michael Boughn
We will read The H.D. Book together over 5 weeks. It’s a big book, so that’s a lot of reading, but he’s a joy to read, so it’s not exactly onerous. I will probably talk a bit at the beginning of each session and then open it up to the participants. I wrote the introduction. You should read it first. We can talk about that as well. The goal here is to let Duncan lead us into an encounter with the marvelous as we follow his encounter with H.D. as it led him into the depths of history, mind, and soul.
Wednesdays 5:30-7:30 PM Pacific Time
September 17 – October 15, 2025
Robert Duncan’s H.D. Book: The Roots of Modernism with Michael Boughn
We will read The H.D. Book together over 5 weeks. It’s a big book, so that’s a lot of reading, but he’s a joy to read, so it’s not exactly onerous. I will probably talk a bit at the beginning of each session and then open it up to the participants. I wrote the introduction. You should read it first. We can talk about that as well. The goal here is to let Duncan lead us into an encounter with the marvelous as we follow his encounter with H.D. as it led him into the depths of history, mind, and soul.
Wednesdays 5:30-7:30 PM Pacific Time
September 17 – October 15, 2025
Life as Rehearsal for the Poem and Poetics as Cosmology 2025 Workshops
A five week online (Zoom) workshop best suited for continuing participants and more experienced poets (open to open form) in workshops facilitated by Cascadia Poetics Lab and Poetry Postcard Fest Co-Founder Paul E Nelson. Participate in reading and discussion of foundational essays, interviews, listening and other assignments, as well as spontaneous poetry composition exercises. In Fall 2025, we’ll explore a short history of Projective/Outside North American Poetry, focused on:
Whitman & Dickinson
- Whitman & Dickinson
- WCW & Lorine Niedecker
- Olson & Levertov
- McClure & di Prima
- Daphne Marlatt, Brenda Hillman, & Nate Mackey
Life as Rehearsal for the Poem (LARFP)
- Sundays, 3-5 PM PDT
- November 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2025
Poetics as Cosmology (PAC)
- Thursdays, 3-5 PM PDT
- October 30, November 6, 13, 20, and December 4, 2025
How the Poetry Postcard Fest Works
Abhaya Thomas Postcard
How the Poetry Postcard Fest Works
Abhaya Thomas Postcard