Mass Poetry Festival 2023

Hosted by Mass Poetry, this year’s Festival will feature headline poets Cameron Awkward-Rich, Mahogany L. Browne, Franny Choi, Katie Farris, Kimiko Hahn, Ilya Kaminsky, Matthew Olzmann, January Gill O’Neil, Mosab Abu Toha, and more. The Festival will offer poetry readings, workshops, panels, multi-genre performances, and a special performance by the Boston Typewriter Orchestra. From May 5-7th, this year’s in-person Festival will feature more than 75 events and 150 poets. The Festival will stake place at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) and a host of other Salem venues in partnership with Salem State University, the City of Salem, and other key partners.

At the PEM, we will display a poetry quilt created by artist, activist, and poet L’Merchie Frazier. L’Merchie’s quilt will feature lines from more than 200 poets, who contributed to Mass Poetry’s “Hard Work of Hope” series. This year’s Festival will host a first-ever Teen Poetry Track. This will include several interactive and multigenre events, such as creating a mural, as well as a poetry showcase and a teen slam series featuring several Massachusetts teams. Stand by for the full calendar of events, soon-to-be-released on Sched. Registration is open now at festival.masspoetry.org.  Tickets can also be purchased in-person at the Festival headquarters at the Peabody Essex Museum. Want to get involved? Have questions? Email festival@masspoetry.org.