Every year on the last weekend in July, the New York City Poetry Festival unites the vast and diverse New York City poetry community on the idyllic summer paradise of Governors Island. The festival invites poetry organizations and collectives of all shapes and sizes to bring their unique formats, aesthetics, and personalities to the festival grounds, which are ringed with a collection of beautiful Victorian houses and tucked beneath the wide, green canopies of dozens of century old trees.

Fostering an approachable, engaging, diverse, progressive, lively, and culturally prominent literary community lies at the core of the festival’s mission. Poets bring to light issues of vital importance; they create avenues of intellect, introspection, political awareness, and artistic communication for anyone to enjoy. The purpose of the New York City Poetry Festival is to liberate New York’s poets and their work from the dark corners of bars, bookstores, and universities and to bring together as many poets as possible, in the bright light of day, to meet, read, teach, learn, listen, perform, and collaborate in the festival’s very own poetry village.

By uniting the largest community of poets in the country and offering a unique setting for literary activity, the New York City Poetry Festival electrifies arts and literature and brings poetry to new light in the public eye.

The 10th Annual New York City Poetry Festival will feature more poets than ever before, including our headliners: Terrance Hayes, Deborah Landau, Ariana Reines, and more! We are now accepting sponsor, vendor, art installation, and volunteer applications.

Become a PSNY Member today for free access to our VIP tent at the festival! You can learn about our different membership levels here.

For more details about the 2021 New York City Poetry Festival, visit newyorkcitypoetryfestival.com.