July 15, 2020, DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA — Palm Beach Poetry Festival Director, Susan R. Williamson, today announced that the 2021 festival, which for 16 years has been a South Florida event in Delray Beach, will hold its 17th Annual Festival virtually. “Poetry brings us together, whether in the flesh or in cyberspace. The festival’s purpose is to provide nationally recognized learning opportunities for writers of poetry and a world-class, life-enriching series of cultural events for our audiences,” said Miles Coon, Founder & Director.

“Our festival is all about light … the light that we reach for from darkness, and find in poetry … together. So we will not succumb to the uncertainties of the pandemic and go dark in 2021,” said Director, Susan R. Williamson.

As a Florida nonprofit corporation, part of the festival’s mission is to organize educational outreach programs that bring the pleasures of poetry to the community. We are a proud member of the Palm Beach County Cultural Council. But for January 2021, our community promises to grow beyond the bounds of the much loved location we have enjoyed for the past 16 years. “We are hard at work on the technical aspects of presenting the festival and once again, offering the workshops led by some of America’s most award-winning and engaging poets, also renowned for their teaching,” said Assistant Director, Jennifer Litt.

2021 readings, craft talks, special events, and poetry workshops feature another stellar faculty lineup: David Baker, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Traci Brimhall, Eduardo C. Corral, Vievee Francis, Kevin Prufer, Martha Rhodes, and Tim Seibles; Special Guest Poet Gregory Orr, who will present The Beloved, a poetry-song cycle created in collaboration with the extraordinary Parkington Sisters; and Poet-at-Large Brian Turner. Details forthcoming via the festival website, Twitter and Facebook.

“In January, we we will once again listen to each other’s words and see each other’s faces, even if we cannot be together in Delray Beach,” said Founder Miles Coon. “The festival staff are working on ways to also present the social events we all look forward to in a virtual format,” said Coon. These virtual opportunities promise to once again create a one-of-a-kind festival experience in January 2021.