Spoken word in every form is celebrated at the Dodge Poetry Festival on October 15-17, 2026 in Downtown Newark.
Meet your favorite poets including Elizabeth Acevedo, Tyehimba Jess, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Aja Monet, Danez Smith, Jive Poetic, Mayde del Valle, José Olivarez and more. Discover new voices, speak your mind, call for change and mix rhyme with rhythm.
Events include:
7 simultaneous stages of events in a walkable village in downtown Newark
Network and socialize at Thursday night’s mixer and open mic hosted by EvoluCulture
Fine-tune your craft on Thursday, a day for writers created in partnership with the Academy of American Poets
Pop-up bookstore and book signings curated and hosted by Source of Knowledge
Special readings by Cave Canem, CantoMundo, Lampblack and Kundiman and New Jeru Slam Team
And Saturday free outdoor Family Fun Day on Chambers Plaza
Festival passes DO NOT include special ticketed events which must be purchased separately: Patti Smith, Do the Write Thing and Def Poetry Reunion.
11:00-12:10 PM Academy of American Poets: What We Do With Grief with Kimiko Hahn, Ilya Kaminsky, and Afaa Michael Weaver - NJPAC Victoria Theater
12:30-1:40 PM Academy of American Poets: The Art of Revision with Jericho Brown, Cornelius Eady, and Patricia Smith - NJPAC Victoria Theater
2:00-3:10 PM Academy of American Poets: Poetry Ancestors with Natalie Diaz and Ed Roberson - NJPAC Victoria Theater
3:30-4:50 PM Making a Life in Poetry: Patricia Smith, Glenis Redmond, Diamond Forde, Peter E. - Murphy NJPAC Victoria Theater
7:00-10:00 PM EvoluCulture’s Open Mic & Mixer - NICO Kitchen + Bar
THEME: Poetry Festival
HOST: NJPAC
FEATURES: See Line-up on website below
PRICE: $47.40 - $117.35 - https://www.njpac.org/series/dodge-poetry-festival/?utm_source=priority_notice&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dodge_poetry
CONTACT: FB - NJPAC / 1.888.696.5722
