Poetry Postcard Fest

An annual 56 day self-guided workshop in spontaneous composition and community-building.

Poetry Postcard Fest 2025 Event Registration Banner

Poetry Postcard Fest

An annual 56 day self-guided workshop in spontaneous composition and community-building.

Poetry Postcard Fest 2025 Event Registration Banner

A five week online (Zoom) workshop for first-time and continuing participants in the online 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 the first of three, five week courses to happen before next postcard season. Click to learn more.

Thursdays 3-5:00 PM Pacific Time
January 9 – February 6, 2025

Poetics As Cosmology Workshop

Web Banner Poetics As Cosmology Cascadian Zen Basket Four

Poetics As Cosmology Workshop

A five week online (Zoom) workshop for first-time and continuing participants in the online 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 the first of three, five week courses to happen before next postcard season. Click to learn more.

Thursdays 3-5:00 PM Pacific Time
January 9 – February 6, 2025

Web Banner Poetics As Cosmology Cascadian Zen Basket Four

Life as Rehearsal for the Poem Workshop

Web banner Life as Rehearsal for the Poem Cascadian Zen Basket 4

A five week online (Zoom) workshop for first-time and continuing participants in the online 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 the first of three, five week courses to happen before next postcard season. Click to learn more.

Sundays 3-5:00 PM Pacific Time
January 5 – February 2, 2025

Life as Rehearsal for the Poem Workshop

A five week online (Zoom) workshop for first-time and continuing participants in the online 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 the first of three, five week courses to happen before next postcard season. Click to learn more.

Sundays 3-5:00 PM Pacific Time
January 5 – February 2, 2025

Web banner Life as Rehearsal for the Poem Cascadian Zen Basket 4

Poet, translator, editor, Zen Buddhist, co-founder of Copper Canyon Press, and activist for Poets Against (the)War, Sam Hamill devoted his whole life to the practice of writing poetry. The following topics are foundational for this generative workshop: how ancient poetic traditions still define quality poetry, the Beat poets, the long poetic sequence, poetry as political, and the role of reflection and emotion. Facilitator Katie Sarah Zale is writing a biography on Hamill’s life and legacy.

Click to learn more.

Saturdays 2-4:00 PM Pacific Time
February 8 – March 8, 2025

Sam Hamill’s Narrow Road to the Interior

Workshop Banner Sam Hamill's Narrow Road to the Interior

Sam Hamill’s Narrow Road to the Interior

Poet, translator, editor, Zen Buddhist, co-founder of Copper Canyon Press, and activist for Poets Against (the)War, Sam Hamill devoted his whole life to the practice of writing poetry. The following topics are foundational for this generative workshop: how ancient poetic traditions still define quality poetry, the Beat poets, the long poetic sequence, poetry as political, and the role of reflection and emotion. Facilitator Katie Sarah Zale is writing a biography on Hamill’s life and legacy.

Click to learn more.

Saturdays 2-4:00 PM Pacific Time
February 8 – March 8, 2025

Workshop Banner Sam Hamill's Narrow Road to the Interior

Thinkingwith: writing strategies for reconnecting to earth

Thinkingwith Workshop banner

Our current media landscape seems hooked on a doom loop, an apocalyptic dream of human self-annihilation from collapsing nation states and anarchy to climate change to AI terminators, to genocidal warmongering. In order to avoid going down with that ship, we, as humans, are going to need to flip the script, to learn to think differently.

This lab will focus on writing strategies, applicable for poetry or prose, for breaking the spell that objectifies and cuts us off from the earth and from place and all the living beings that we (often) obliviously live in relationship with. We’ll do that by intentionally widening the socially-imposed conventions of “normal” perception via some minor alterations to our daily writing practices.

Click to learn more.

Sundays 3-5:00 PM Pacific Time
February 23 – March 23, 2025

Thinkingwith: writing strategies for reconnecting to earth

Our current media landscape seems hooked on a doom loop, an apocalyptic dream of human self-annihilation from collapsing nation states and anarchy to climate change to AI terminators, to genocidal warmongering. In order to avoid going down with that ship, we, as humans, are going to need to flip the script, to learn to think differently.

This lab will focus on writing strategies, applicable for poetry or prose, for breaking the spell that objectifies and cuts us off from the earth and from place and all the living beings that we (often) obliviously live in relationship with. We’ll do that by intentionally widening the socially-imposed conventions of “normal” perception via some minor alterations to our daily writing practices.

Click to learn more.

Sundays 3-5:00 PM Pacific Time
February 23 – March 23, 2025

Thinkingwith Workshop banner

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 Carbonation Press! The description of the book comes from Carbonation...

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 and photos from the festival will be shared on the Cascadia Poetics...

Poetry Postcard Certificates!

Share your postcard poems for a PPF certificate!  Thank you so much to every postcard poet that has already shared their postcard art and poems! Postcard poets that share 3 images of their postcard art with the accompanying poems get a certificate as a thank you for...

Rest in Poetry Richard Osler

Postcard poet Richard Osler died last night. Huge thanks to all postcard poets who wrote & sent a postcard poem to this fine human and poet. He accepted death like no one I have ever known. A book, his last love letter to life entitled What Holiness Will I Bring,...

Poetry Postcard Fest News

DaySong 2024

DaySong 2024

DaySong 2024 on September 1 The DaySong is a poem written in a 24 hour period (or the 16 or so hours you’re awake during a 24 hour period). The DaySong was originally envisioned as an attempt to...

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Zach Charles Mid ’24 PPF

Zach Charles Mid ’24 PPF

From PPF Committee Member Zach Charles: Yet again, while reflecting on the Poetry Postcard Fest, I am drawn to the way the project can reveal the power of the accident. This year, unrelated to the...

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This Fest is For the Birds

This Fest is For the Birds

This Fest is For the Birds From PPF committee member Margaret Lee: I arose this morning before the full moon had set. Driving west and then south en route to Deep Fork, my shifting vantage showed me...

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REGISTER NOW FOR PPF 2025!

REGISTER NOW FOR PPF 2025!

Early bird registration for PPF 2025 is open now! We sincerely hope every postcard poet had an enjoyable 2024 Poetry Postcard Fest. Early bird registration for the 2025 Poetry Postcard Fest is open...

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The Poetry Postcard Fest, initiated by poets Paul Nelson and Lana Ayers in 2007, invites participants to create and send 31 original poems on postcards throughout August. The fest emphasizes spontaneity, with poems written in one take directly onto postcards for recipients worldwide. Registration opens annually on September 1, and participants receive a list of fellow poets to exchange cards with. A $15 contribution supports the Cascadia Poetics LAB, and scholarships are available. For more details and resources on postcard poetry, visit How it Works or check out related essays and wrap-ups from past participants.

How the Poetry Postcard Fest Works

Abhaya Thomas Postcard

How the Poetry Postcard Fest Works

The Poetry Postcard Fest, initiated by poets Paul Nelson and Lana Ayers in 2007, invites participants to create and send 31 original poems on postcards throughout August. The fest emphasizes spontaneity, with poems written in one take directly onto postcards for recipients worldwide. Registration opens annually on September 1, and participants receive a list of fellow poets to exchange cards with. A $15 contribution supports the Cascadia Poetics LAB, and scholarships are available. For more details and resources on postcard poetry, visit How it Works or check out related essays and wrap-ups from past participants.

Abhaya Thomas Postcard