People's Poetry Gathering - In Conjunction with "OF THE PEOPLE: THE SMITHSONIAN FESTIVAL OF FESTIVALS"

Sunday, October 18 through Sunday, November 1
Various Locations, New York
Presented by City Lore

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October 18, 2026 - November 1, 2026

Poetry, Music, Workshops, Open Mics

Iconic Downtown Venues

In Conjunction with

“OF THE PEOPLE: THE SMITHSONIAN FESTIVAL OF FESTIVALS”

With a program encompassing 47 events at 13 venues, the People’s Poetry Gathering features over 120 poets and 40 musicians and transforms lower Manhattan into a poetry village.

Click here for a full calendar of events!

Highlights from the People’s Poetry Gathering:

10/18 - “Alabanza! A Tribute to the Nuyorican Poets Cafe," hosted by La Bruja, dedicated to Café legend Sandra Maria Estevez w/ Kinto Zona bomba y plena & more @ Clemente Soto Vélez Center

10/22 – “Masquerade of Metaphors: Embody Your Favorite Poem Costume Party” hosted by The Illustrious Pearl @ Howl Gallery

10/23 – “Praise Day for Sonia Sanchez!" with Sweet Honey in the Rock, Tracy K. Smith, Danez Smith, Jessica Care Moore and more @ The Great Hall at Cooper Union

10/25 - Indigenous Rock Jazz w/ The Joy Harjo Band & Contemporary Blues w/ The Cornelius Eady Group @ St. Marks Church in-the-Bowery 

10/27 - “Flying Words: American Sign Language Poetry” @ Bowery Poetry Club

10/29 - Poetry, Song & Rumi: Naomi Shihab Nye & Haleh Liza Gafori @ Loreto Theater at the Sheen Center

10/30 - “In Isolation, Language Dies on the Tongue”: Poet as Witness. Kwame Dawes, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, Camonghne Felix, Anselm Berrigan, and others read poems of persecuted poets @ Poets House

10/31 - “Poe Rises from the Grave: The Raven Recites the Tell-Tale Heart” @ the Marble Cemetery

11/1 - “Ukrainian Outburst" w/ Serhiy Zhadan (live from Kharkiv), Eugene Hutz, Julian Kytasty @ Ukrainian National Home

11/1 - “Saints and Scoundrels: Patti Smith, Anne Waldman, Lenny Kaye, Gerard Malanga, Oliver Ray, and Janet Hamill” @ St. Marks Church in-the-Bowery

Supported by the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, The People’s Poetry Gathering returns to Lower Manhattan for the first time in 20 years. It features performances and workshops by Indigenous, folk, youth, slam, literary, and endangered language poets and free writing workshops. This big-tent gathering is built on the conviction that there is no one poetry, but many poetries.

Music Community Art Exhibitions Dance Special Events: Festivals

Schedule & Tickets

Sunday, October 18 through Sunday, November 1 · tickets local_activity · add to calendar today 2026-10-18 09:00:00 2026-11-01 17:00:00 America/New_York People's Poetry Gathering - In Conjunction with "OF THE PEOPLE: THE SMITHSONIAN FESTIVAL OF FESTIVALS" https://harlemonestop.com/event/35259/peoples-poetry-gathering-in-conjunction-with-of-the-people-the-smithsonian-festival-of-festivals Various Locations, New York, NY