Pen + Brush will be on the The Blackbird Stage: Saturday, July 12th @ 4:00 pm featuring Annie Finch and Paola Fiterre!

 Every July, The Poetry Society of New York (PSNY) transforms Governors Island into a sprawling, sun-drenched poetry wonderland known as The New York City Poetry Festival (NYC PoFest). For fourteen years, poets, poetry lovers, and poets-to-be have flocked from far and wide to frolic on the island’s lush green lawns and shout poetry to the skyline; to snack on Smorgasburg-worthy treats with new and old poetry besties; to scribble odes to Victorian mansions beneath a canopy of century-old trees. 

But NYC PoFest is more than a celebration—it’s a site of transformation, a verdant sanctuary of creative expression in a chaotic world. At a time of political unrest and rampant divisive rhetoric, PSNY believes poetry is a blueprint for possibility, a practice of reimagining a more inclusive, equitable world. Foraging for wildflowers amidst proverbial sidewalk cracks, NYC PoFest 2025—July 12th and 13th from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Nolan Park, Governors Island—introduces Poetopia: Reimagining Poetic Futures. This year’s festival poses a timely question to its audience of approximately 15,000+ arts 

enthusiasts: What’s your Poetopia? What magic can participants and attendees alike co-create when hierarchy dissolves, language is free, and art is a communal resource? 

You might be wondering: What can attendees expect at NYC PoFest 2025? As Poetopia suggests—everything your little poetry heart can dream of, and more! NYC PoFest promises a little something for everyone, no matter where they are along their poetry journey. PSNY is rooted in the belief that poetry belongs to everyone, and as such, The New York City Poetry Festival is completely free to attend. Beyond the $2.75 ferry fare, there are no barriers to entry or, in fact, to perform! More than 100 non-hierarchically curated collectives and literary organizations will bring their voices to five stages—The Brinkley, The Blackbird, The White Horse, The Beckett, and The Algonquin—in back-to-back, 30-minute readings. With no in-house poetry style, festival-goers can expect everything from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe’s snaps-worthy spoken word to interdisciplinary performances from Poets House’s literary powerhouses. 

Each afternoon, from 3:00–4:00 PM, every stage besides The Brinkley will go dark for NYC PoFest’s highly anticipated headliner readings. This year’s lineup of literary legends will feature Naomi Shihab Nye (19 Varieties of Gazelle, The Tiny Journalist), Eileen Myles (Chelsea Girls, a “Working Life”), Sam Sax (Bury It, Madness), and a duo we didn’t know we needed but now can’t live without: Anne Waldman (Fast Speaking Woman, Trickster Feminism) and Andrew Whiteman (Broken Social Scene) as they celebrate the release of their new sonic poetry collaboration, Your Devotee in Rags. Spanning genres, generations, and poetic traditions, our headliners all challenge the notion that poetry is an artifact of the past. Rather, it is a living force with the power to shape the future! 

No Poetopia is possible without a new generation of poets to take up the mantle. NYC PoFest is thrilled to announce that for the first time, the festival will introduce the Youth Poetry Festival Stage, a space dedicated to platforming—literally and figuratively—poets under 18. Bold, brilliant, emerging voices from organizations like Writopia and Teachers & Writers Collaborative will take center stage. The Youth Poetry Festival Stage will also feature its own headliners: 2025’s National and State Youth Poet Laureates, to be announced later this year. 

You might be wondering: Will I have fun at NYC PoFest if I don’t consider myself a poet? To this we say: Of course! When not actively steeping yourself in stanzas, attendees can wander through Poetopia’s outdoor market, featuring 100+ independent artisans. This year’s Vendor Village and Youth Vendor Village are brimming with vibrant treasures, including hand-drawn poetry maps from Lyric Realms, feminist poetry collections by Belladonna Collaborative, handmade jewelry from eden’s harvest, cozy loungewear by Furkat & Robbie, and natural hair and body care from A Little Bit of 

Love. You’ll also find vintage gems in Colby’s Clothesmobile, live typewriter poems by Melody Rose Serra, beautifully crafted ceramics from Rolly Poly Studios, “blind date with a book” surprises from mysteriousbookdate, Folin & Ford’s stationery, zines and watercolor paintings by 404 Page Found Arts Collective, and so much more. 

If hearing poetry hailing from every corner of NYC stirs up in you a deep desire to share your work, have no fear: The Ring of Daisies Open Mic is here! Devised to bring together as many poets as possible to foster community and collaboration, this beloved festival tradition provides a safe space for any artist—even those completely new to the poetry world—to perform inside a giant, literal ring of daisies. Many festival-goers read their own poetry for the first time at The Ring of Daisies. Sign up to perform on a first-come, first-served basis on Saturday and Sunday from 12:00–2:30 PM and 4:30–5:30 PM. 

Think this festival isn’t interdisciplinary enough? Think again. Beyond our stages, the festival itself will become a living, breathing work of art. Rooted in Poetopia’s Core Principles—such as poetry as liberation, radical inclusivity, collective imagination, and embodied resistance and joy—our interactive art installations will push the boundaries of poetry’s intersection with technology, sustainability, music, movement, and visual art. One of the festival’s most immersive experiences is PSNY’s legendary Poetry Brothel, a literary cabaret that blends the sultry glamour of the 1920s with the bodily autonomy of the 2020s. Expect lavish poetry performances and private one-on-one readings that will leave your soul feeling seen. No art form will be left unexplored in Poetopia! 

So, future residents of Poetopia—mark your calendars. Bring a poem in your pocket. Poetopia awaits! 

For more details and to RSVP, visit newyorkcitypoetryfestival.com or check out our Eventbrite page.