News
Sunday, May 22nd, 2022

May 22, 2022 – Palm Beach — It is with deep sadness that we report that Festival Founder & President, Miles Coon, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 21, 2022 in Palm Beach. He leaves behind his loving family, including his wife Mimi, son Matthew, daughter Jennifer, and grandson Elias. Miles was a brilliant student, lawyer, writer, and poet. His sense of humor and wit were always at the ready, especially in the puns he shared with delight. He graduated with highest honors from the University of Virginia in 1959 and Harvard law school in 1962. He practiced law for … Read more >

Thursday, May 19th, 2022

We are pleased to announce that the festival has created a Guestbook! We invite all past participants, faculty, interns and friends of the festival to share memories of past festivals or their recent poetry news related to the festival. We also hope participants will also join us in the Past Participants Facebook Group to share photos, stories, memories and connect with other past participants, faculty, interns and friends of the festival. We continue to believe that poetry will always bring us together. Read more >

Thursday, May 19th, 2022

  May 20, 2022 — The Festival Archive contains descriptions and images from past festivals has been updated in May 2022. The archive includes descriptions by year of each of the eighteen festivals that began with the first in January 2005 at Lynn University. You can visit the Festival Archive as well as the Faculty & Featured Poets pages to find out more and enjoy some of the recordings that are available. (Note: Not all festival events have been recorded.) Updates are ongoing. Read more >

Monday, December 27th, 2021 12:01am

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is pleased to announce the 2022 fellowships and scholarships for the 18th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival. Fellowships included the Langston Hughes Fellowships for African-American Poets; Kundiman Fellowships for Asian-American Poets; Canto-Mundo Fellowships for Latinx Poets, and the Thomas Lux Scholarship specifically for first time festival participants who would not otherwise be able to attend. A total of 18 fellowships and scholarships were awarded. These fellowships and scholarships are funded through the generosity of several donors who wish to remain anonymous. “All of us at the Palm Beach Poetry Festival thought for sure we would be … Read more >

Sunday, December 26th, 2021

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival believes in nurturing the creativity of the community’s young writers. Listening to their voices could not come at a better time for all of us. We have published their winning poems below. Here’s an opportunity to read some outstanding work. The winners of our Virtual High School Poetry Contest were selected from numerous entries submitted by students who attend Palm Beach County High Schools, Grades 9-12 – Public, Private Charter Schools, and Home-School. Our distinguished judge for this annual contest was Dr. Jeff Morgan, Professor, English and Dialogues of Learning, College of Arts and Sciences, Lynn University, … Read more >

Tuesday, November 30th, 2021

Tickets to public events during our 18th Annual Festival, January 10-15, 2022 — craft talks, poetry readings, Special Guest Poet interview, and Beloved Poems panel are on sale now! Visit our 2022 SCHEDULE and click on individual events for a description and to purchase tickets online. Six days and evenings of workshops, readings, interview, craft talks, panel discussion, social events, and so much more. Featured poets include: Kim Addonizio, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Chard deNiord, Mark Doty, Yona Harvey, John Murillo, Matthew Olzmann and Diane Seuss. One-On-One Conferences with Lorna Blake, Sally Bliumis Dunn, Nickole Brown, Jessica Jacobs, and Angela Narciso Torres. … Read more >

Tuesday, August 10th, 2021

Applications are now closed. The deadline to apply for these fellowships was November 15, 2021. The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is pleased to announce it will offer three fellowships that provide full workshop tuition and admission to all festival events for the upcoming 18th Annual Virtual Palm Beach Poetry Festival, January 10-15, 2022. The fellowships are offered to open the festival workshop doors widely to qualified poets and to ensure the festival’s workshops provide enriching experiences through working with poets from a wide variety of cultures. The three fellowships are the Palm Beach Poetry Festival Langston Hughes Fellowship, the CantoMundo … Read more >

Sunday, August 8th, 2021 1:00am

Applications for the 2022 Thomas Lux Scholarship are now closed. The deadline to apply was November 15, 2021. Through the generosity of some very special donors, we are offering a Thomas Lux Scholarship to provide one full workshop tuition scholarship for the upcoming 18th Annual Virtual Palm Beach Poetry Festival to a poet who has not previously attended a festival workshop. The scholarship covers full participant tuition and admission to all festival events. This fellowship is intended for a poet of promise who would benefit from the festival week events and workshop and would not otherwise be able to attend. A statement of … Read more >

Friday, June 11th, 2021

18th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival Virtual Workshop Applications are now open on Submittable! Our line-up features Workshop Faculty Poets: Kim Addonizio, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Chard deNiord, Mark Doty, Yona Harvey, John Murillo, Matthew Olzmann, & Diane Seuss. Our Special Guest is Yusef Komunakaa; Poet-at-Large Aimee Nezhukumatathil; and Conference Faculty: Lorna Knowles Blake, Sally Bliumis-Dunn, Nickole Brown, Jessica Jacobs, and Angela Narciso Torres. A Special Craft Talk will be presented by Kwame Dawes. Applications open soon  for this extraordinary opportunity to attend the festival virtually. Workshop admission is by application. To apply, visit our Faculty & Featured Poets page, review the … Read more >

Friday, June 11th, 2021

June 15, 2021, DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA — Palm Beach Poetry Festival Director, Susan R. Williamson, today announced that the 2022 festival, which for 17 years has been a South Florida event in Delray Beach, will hold its 18th 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. “We have done just that for the past 17 years at Old School Square.”We wish the extensive … Read more >

Friday, June 11th, 2021

The 18th Annual Virtual Palm Beach Poetry Festival invites all Palm Beach County High School Students to send in original poems. The winner will receive $200 and a pair of tickets to the virtual Friday night reading event featuring Poet-At -Large Aimee Nezhukumatathil. The four runners up will each receive $100 and a pair of tickets to the virtual Friday night reading event All winners receive a one-year subscription to Poets and Writers Literary Journal All of the prize-winning poems will be posted on the festival website: palmbeachpoetryfestival.org and will be included in press releases ELIGIBILITY: All Palm Beach County … Read more >

Friday, June 11th, 2021

The Festival Celebrated National Poetry Month with a Reprise of the 17th Annual Virtual Palm Beach Poetry Festival events on our YouTube Channel, 2021 Festival Reprise Events Playlist, throughout April 2021. Our First Virtual Festival was held January 18-23, 2021 on Zoom due to the global pandemic. The festival featured workshops, readings, craft talks, manuscript consultations, panel discussions, and social events for poets and the public. Workshop faculty included poets: David Baker, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Traci Brimhall, Eduardo C. Corral, Vievee Francis, Kevin Prufer, Martha Rhodes & Tim Seibles. Additional Faculty included: Lorna Knowles Blake, Sally Bliumis-Dunn, Nickole Brown, Jessica Jacobs, … Read more >

Saturday, April 17th, 2021 12:01am

Delray Beach, FL – June 11, 2021 — The Palm Beach Poetry Festival presented Brian Turner Live and At Large with the Palm Beach County Schools on Friday, April 23, 2021 at 1:45 pm in a virtual reading, talk and Q&A on YouTube. The Festival has sponsored an annual poet-at-large in the Palm Beach County High Schools as part of the annual week long festival in January. In 2021 during the first virtual festival, Brian Turner gave an extraordinary evening reading, but his in-person readings in the schools were postponed due to the global pandemic. Brian Turner’s landscape of writing is … Read more >

Friday, April 2nd, 2021

The Festival is pleased to announce that we will Celebrate National Poetry Month with a Reprise of the 17th Annual Virtual Palm Beach Poetry Festival events on our YouTube Channel, 2021 Festival Reprise Events Playlist, throughout April 2021. The 17th Annual Virtual Palm Beach Poetry Festival was held in January for the first time on Zoom due to the global pandemic. The festival featured workshops, readings, craft talks, manuscript consultations, panel discussions, and social events for poets and the public. Workshop faculty included poets: David Baker, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Traci Brimhall, Eduardo C. Corral, Vievee Francis, Kevin Prufer, Martha Rhodes & … Read more >

Monday, February 1st, 2021

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is pleased to announce a record-number of workshop fellowships and scholarships for the 17th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival. Fellowships included the Langston Hughes Fellowships for African-American Poets; Kundiman Fellowships for Asian-American Poets; Canto-Mundo Fellowships for Latinx Poets, and the Thomas Lux Scholarship specifically for first time festival participants who would not otherwise be able to attend. A total of thirty fellowships and scholarships were awarded. These fellowships and scholarships are funded through the generosity of several donors who wish to remain anonymous. “Though the Covid-19 pandemic prevented us from holding the festival in Delray … Read more >

Saturday, January 16th, 2021

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival believes in nurturing the creativity of the community’s young writers. Listening to their voices could not come at a better time for all of us. Click on their poems to read their outstanding work. The winners of our Virtual High School Poetry Contest were selected from numerous entries submitted by students who attend Palm Beach County High Schools, Grades 9-12 – Public, Private Charter Schools, and Home-School. Our distinguished judge for this annual contest was Dr. Jeff Morgan, Professor, English and Dialogues of Learning, College of Arts and Sciences, Lynn University, Boca Raton, Florida. The winner received … Read more >

Friday, January 1st, 2021

The 17th Annual Festival, took place January 18-23, 2021–our first virtual festival and included six days and evenings of workshops, readings, interview, craft talks, panel discussion, social events, and so much more. Featured poets were: David Baker, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Traci Brimhall, Eduardo C. Corral, Vievee Francis, Kevin Prufer, Martha Rhodes, and Tim Seibles. Featured Poets: Lorna Knowles Blake, Sally Bliumis-Dunn, Nickole Brown, Jessica Jacobs, Angela Narciso Torres, Karin De Weille and Brian Turner. Special Guest: Gregory Orr and the Parkington Sisters performed The Beloved: A Poetry & Song Cycle in three parts.     Read more >

Sunday, November 15th, 2020

The 17th Annual Virtual Palm Beach Poetry Festival invites all Palm Beach County High School Students to send in one original poem. The winner will receive $200 and a pair of tickets to the virtual Friday night reading event featuring Poet At Large Brian Turner The four runners up will each receive $100 and a pair of tickets to the virtual Friday night reading event All winners receive a one-year subscription to Poets and Writers Literary Journal All of the prize-winning poems will be posted on the festival website: palmbeachpoetryfestival.org and will be included in press releases ELIGIBILITY: All Palm … Read more >

Thursday, October 1st, 2020

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is pleased to announce it will offer three fellowships that provide full workshop tuition and admission to all festival events for the upcoming 17th Annual Virtual Palm Beach Poetry Festival, January 18-23, 2021. The fellowships are offered to open the festival workshop doors widely to qualified poets and to ensure the festival’s workshops provide enriching experiences through working with poets from a wide variety of cultures. The three fellowships are the Palm Beach Poetry Festival Langston Hughes Fellowship, the CantoMundo Palm Beach Poetry Festival Fellowship, and the Kundiman Palm Beach Poetry Festival Fellowship. Each fellowship … Read more >

Saturday, August 29th, 2020

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is pleased to announce that applications for the 2021 Thomas Lux Scholarship and the 2021 Langston Hughes Fellowship are now open. The deadline to apply is December 15, 2020. Through the generosity of some very special donors, we are offering a Thomas Lux Scholarship to provide one full workshop tuition scholarship for the upcoming 17th Annual Virtual Palm Beach Poetry Festival to a poet who has not previously attended a festival workshop. The scholarship covers full participant tuition and admission to all festival events. This fellowship is intended for a poet of promise who would benefit from … Read more >

Wednesday, July 15th, 2020

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 … Read more >

Saturday, April 18th, 2020 12:05am

DELRAY BEACH, FL — April 17, 2020 – Five cash prizes and five honorable mentions were selected by our contest judge, the distinguished poet, Stephen Gibson. The First Place Winner receives $100, and winners of Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Places each receive $25.00. The winners are: FIRST PLACE: Erika Michael, “Schtick, A Riff on Adhesif” inspired by Caroline Dechambay’s Adhesif  SECOND PLACE: Vivian Shipley, “An Old Husband’s Tale” inspired by Rick Lazes’ Meghan THIRD PLACE: Sheila Kelly, “Skin” inspired by Becky Ross’s Expensive Taste FOURTH PLACE: Michelle Winkler, “Sonnet for 2020” inspired by Sonia Sanchez Arias’ Dorian Gray FIFTH PLACE: Django … Read more >

Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019

Deadline to Submit is February 28, 2020. Winners will be announced in April. The Palm Beach Poetry Festival invites you to submit an original poem inspired by the Art Couture Exhibition at the Cornell Art Museum at Old School Square! Five cash prizes and five honorable mentions will be selected by contest judge, Stephen Gibson. First Prize: $100.00; Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth Prizes: 4 awards of $25.00 each; Five Honorable Mentions. All five prize-winning poems will be featured in the May issue of South Florida Poetry Journal. All winning poems including honorable mention poems will be published on the website … Read more >

Monday, December 2nd, 2019

The festival, through its program of Community Outreach, offers special events and 1-day workshops throughout the year. We welcome the community to join us for informal round-robin readings at Green Cay Nature Center; readings with the Alzheimer Poetry Project; a series of Saturday 1-day workshops, held at Old School Square; the annual High School Poetry Contest, open to high school students throughout Palm Beach County; and the annual Morikami Haiku event, held at the wonderful Morikami Museum with walks and writing in the gardens. Join us for community outreach programming and other special events throughout the year. And consider joining us for … Read more >

Monday, December 2nd, 2019

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival has awarded three 2020 Fellowships, the Langston Hughes Fellowship, the Kundiman Fellowship, and the CantoMundo Fellowship for the 16th Annual Festival workshops. “The fellowships cover full workshop tuition and lodging during the festival,” said Susan R. Williamson, Festival Director. These fellowships represent a substantial investment in education focused on the craft of writing poetry. We have been working toward opening the doors widely to the festival workshops and offer participants the opportunity to work together with these exceptionally talented fellows who were selected from the largest applicant pool in our 16 year history,” said Miles … Read more >

Tuesday, October 15th, 2019

Tickets to public events during our 16th Annual Festival, January 20-25, 2020–all craft talks, poetry readings, Special Guest Poet interview, and Beloved Poems panel discussion are on sale now. Visit our 2020 Schedule and click on individual events for a description and to purchase tickets. Or, to order tickets, visit Old School Square, Crest Theatre Box Office, 51 North Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33444, or call 561-243-7922, Extension 1. You can also order tickets online. Six days and evenings of workshops, readings, interview, craft talks, panel discussion, social events, and so much more. Featured poets include: Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Nickole … Read more >

Thursday, August 1st, 2019

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is pleased to announce that through the generosity of some very special donors, we are offering a Thomas Lux Scholarship, to provide one full workshop tuition scholarship for the upcoming 16th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival to a poet who has not previously attended a festival workshop. The scholarship covers full participant tuition in the amount of $950.00. Travel, lodging, and meals, are the responsibility of the individual applicant. This fellowship is intended for a poet of promise who would benefit from the festival week events and workshop and would not otherwise be able to … Read more >

Friday, July 12th, 2019

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is pleased to announce it will offer three fellowships that provide full workshop tuition and lodging in Delray Beach for the upcoming 16th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival, January 20-25, 2020. The fellowships are offered to open the festival workshop doors widely to qualified poets and to ensure the festival’s workshops provide enriching experiences through working with poets from a wide variety of cultures. The three fellowships are the Palm Beach Poetry Festival Langston Hughes Fellowship, the CantoMundo Palm Beach Poetry Festival Fellowship, and the Kundiman Palm Beach Poetry Festival Fellowship. Each fellowship recipient will … Read more >

Wednesday, June 19th, 2019

The Festival congratulates Joy Harjo, our Special Guest Poet at the 16th annual festival, for her being named the 23rd United States Poet Laureate. We announced earlier that Harjo would be Special Guest Poet at the upcoming festival, where she will be interviewed by faculty poet Laure-Anne Bosselaar, and will deliver the annual Thomas Lux Memorial Reading following the festival gala. “This is the second time that the Palm Beach Poetry Festival will host a sitting poet laureate of the United States, though we have featured many others before they were named or after they served,” said Williamson. “We could … Read more >

Saturday, June 1st, 2019

16th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival Workshop Applications are open now! Faculty includes Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Nickole Brown, Reginald Gibbons, Major Jackson, Jessica Jacobs, Ilya Kaminsky, David Kirby, Dana Levin, Adrian Matejka, and Maggie Smith. Our Special Guest is Joy Harjo, U.S. Poet Laureate, and Poet At Large is Patricia Smith. Conference faculty include Lorna Blake, Sally Bliumis-Dunn, and Angela Narciso Torres. Workshop admission is by application. To apply, visit our Faculty & Featured Poets page, review the application guidelines, and apply online, using Submittable. The November 10th deadline has passed and applications are now closed. A full week of extraordinary … Read more >

Wednesday, May 15th, 2019

Lake Worth, Florida—National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter has approved more than $80 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019.  Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $10,000  to Palm Beach Poetry Festival in support of the 16th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival, January 20-25, 2020 at Old School Square in Delray Beach, FL. Art Works is the Arts Endowment’s principal grantmaking program. The agency received 1,592 Art Works applications for this round of grantmaking, and will award 977 grants in this category. “These awards, reaching … Read more >

Wednesday, April 10th, 2019

Five cash prizes and five honorable mentions were selected by our contest judge, the distinguished poet, Stephen Gibson. The First Place Winner receives $100, and winners of Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Places each receive $25.00. The winners are: FIRST PLACE: “Yorick, circa 1980” by Sean Keck, Christiansburg, VA SECOND PLACE: “The Cornell Art Museum” by Liam Lawlor, Pembroke Pines, FL THIRD PLACE: “Last-Minute Temptation” by Phyllis St. George, Springfield, MA FOURTH PLACE: “If She Had Known” by Michele Parker Randall, Sanford, FL FIFTH PLACE: “The Way the Music Died” by Mike Lewis-Beck, Iowa City, IA Five HONORABLE MENTIONS were … Read more >

Monday, January 14th, 2019

Winners of the High School Poetry Contest were celebrated at the Annual Palm Beach County High School Poetry Contest Award Ceremony, in the Crest Theatre, at Old School Square in Delray Beach, January 20th. Open to Palm Beach County public and private high school students, five winners were selected from over 300 entries by Dr. Jeff Morgan, Lynn University, contest judge. In addition to cash prizes, all winners received a pair of tickets to “A Special Evening of Poetry with Tyehimba Jess, winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for his masterwork, Olio. Jess visited Palm Beach County High … Read more >

Thursday, November 29th, 2018

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival has awarded three 2019 Fellowships, the Langston Hughes Fellowship, the Kundiman Fellowship, and the CantoMundo Fellowship for the 15th Annual Festival workshops. “The fellowships cover full workshop tuition and lodging during the festival,” said Susan R. Williamson, Festival Director. These fellowships represent a substantial investment in education focused on the craft of writing poetry. We have been working toward opening the doors widely to the festival workshops and offer participants the opportunity to work together with these exceptionally talented fellows who were selected from the largest applicant pool in our 15 year history,” said Miles … Read more >

Thursday, November 15th, 2018

Every year we work to bring poetry, in its every aspect, to our audiences, and fill a whole week with poetry events that feature America’s most extraordinary poets–at the festival. As we celebrate 18 years of presenting these extraordinary poets, an archive of amazing events and featured poets has been built. No matter what is happening in the world, as readers and writers of poetry, we are all engaged in a poetry conversation. We know that poetry can take chaos and make it understandable; can deepen our sense of empathy and humanity, and infuse life with beauty and meaning, on … Read more >

Saturday, October 20th, 2018

Poem submissions are now closed. Winners will be announced in April. The Palm Beach Poetry Festival invites you to submit an original poem inspired by the TECH EFFECT Exhibition at Old School Square’s Cornell Art Museum! Five cash prizes and five honorable mentions will be selected by contest judge, Stephen Gibson. First Prize: $100.00; Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth Prizes: 4 awards of $25.00 each; Five Honorable Mentions. Entries that win cash prizes and honorable mention will be published online and announced in press releases. The works in the Tech Effect explore the complex influences of technology on the human experience … Read more >

Wednesday, August 1st, 2018

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is pleased to announce that through the generosity of some very special donors, we are offering a Thomas Lux Scholarship, to provide one full workshop tuition scholarship for the upcoming 15th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival to a poet who has not previously attended a festival workshop. The scholarship covers full participant tuition in the amount of $895.00. Travel, lodging, and meals, are the responsibility of the individual applicant. This fellowship is intended for a poet of promise who would benefit from the festival week events and workshop and would not otherwise be able to … Read more >

Saturday, July 14th, 2018

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is pleased to announce it will offer three fellowships that provide full workshop tuition and lodging in Delray Beach for the upcoming 15th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival, January 21-26, 2019. The fellowships are offered to open the festival workshop doors widely to qualified poets and to ensure the festival’s workshops provide enriching experiences through working with poets from a wide variety of cultures. The three fellowships are the Palm Beach Poetry Festival Langston Hughes Fellowship, the CantoMundo Palm Beach Poetry Festival Fellowship, and the Kundiman Palm Beach Poetry Festival Fellowship. Each fellowship recipient will … Read more >

Saturday, June 16th, 2018

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is pleased to announce three fellowships that provide full workshop tuition and lodging in Delray Beach for the upcoming 15th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival, January 21-26, 2019.  The three fellowships are the Palm Beach Poetry Festival – Langston Hughes Fellowship; the CantoMundo Palm Beach Poetry Festival Fellowship; and the Kundiman Palm Beach Poetry Festival Fellowship. Please visit our Festival Fellowship page for more information. In addition to the fellowships, the festival does offer a limited number of partial tuition scholarships to applicants who might otherwise be unable to attend. To inquire, email news@palmbeachpoetryfestival.org. Partial scholarships … Read more >

Monday, April 23rd, 2018 6:00pm

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 “Looking Glass Ekphrastic Poetry Contest,” held in partnership with the Cornell Art Museum at Old School Square. Five cash prizes and five honorable mentions were selected by our distinguished contest judge, poet, Stephen Gibson. First Place award is $100, and four awards for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th place will receive $25.00 each. The winners are: FIRST PLACE: “The Muses” by Linda Flaherty Haltmaier SECOND PLACE: “phantoms” by Dmitry Blizniuk THIRD PLACE: “Elsa’s Staircase” by Jen Karetnick FOURTH PLACE: “French Existentialist Bulldog” by Stefan David Martin FIFTH PLACE: “Covering Up” by Blake Mason Five HONORABLE MENTIONS were selected and recognized: “Personified … Read more >

Thursday, March 1st, 2018 1:00pm

Join us for the 15th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival: January 21-26, 2019, presented in partnership with Old School Square in Delray Beach, Florida. Six days and evenings with America’s most engaging and award-winning poets. Join us for workshops, readings, talks on craft, individual manuscript conferences, interviews, an all-faculty panel, annual gala, and more . . . Workshops with: Ellen Bass, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Stuart Dischell, Araclis Girmay, Campbell McGrath, Gregory Pardlo, Matthew Olzmann, Eleanor Wilner Special Guest Poet: Sharon Olds Poet At Large: Tyehimba Jess Manuscript Conference Faculty: Lorna Blake, Sally Bliumis-Dunn, Nickole Brown Additional Craft Talk by: Stephen Gibson, Professor Emeritus … Read more >

Tuesday, January 23rd, 2018

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival applauds the inners of the 2018 High School Poetry Contest! First Place goes to Sophia Upshaw, Junior at Wellington High School, for ‘Here Lies the Girl in the Wildflowers’ Four Runners-Up include Katherine Oung from Dreyfoos School of the Art, and Jannard Jackson, Lindy Lichtman and Julie Petit Frere, all  from Wellington High School Our first place winner was awarded a $200 prize. The four runners-up were each awarded a $100 prize. All five winning high school poets read their poems at the Festival’s Award Ceremony on Monday, January 15 where they each had the … Read more >

Sunday, December 31st, 2017

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival invites you to submit an original poem inspired by the LOOKING GLASS Exhibition at Old School Square’s Cornell Museum at Old School Square! Five cash prizes and five honorable mentions will be selected by contest judge, Stephen Gibson. First Prize: $100.00; Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth Prizes: 4 awards of $25.00 each; Five Honorable Mentions. Entries that win cash prizes and honorable mention will be published online and announced in press releases. The works in the Looking Glass exhibition delve into ways in which visual artists approach ideas of reflection and perception. The unique artworks on … Read more >

Tuesday, December 19th, 2017

(Delray Beach, FL – December 19, 2017) Susan R. Williamson, Director of the Palm Beach Poetry Festival (PBPF), today announced the fellowship and scholarship awards for the 14th Annual Festival workshops. “The fellowships we offer cover full tuition and lodging,” says Williamson, “which represents a substantial investment in education focused on the craft of writing poetry. Also, because of the generosity of some very special donors, for the first time, we have been able to offer the first Thomas Lux Scholarship which honors the famous poet and long-time Festival supporter and in whose memory the upcoming Festival is being presented.” … Read more >

Saturday, November 18th, 2017

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is pleased to announce that through the generosity of some very special donors, we are offering a Thomas Lux Scholarship, to provide one full workshop tuition scholarship for the upcoming 14th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival to a poet who has not previously attended a festival workshop. The scholarship covers full participant tuition in the amount of $895.00. Travel, lodging, and meals, are the responsibility of the individual applicant. This fellowship is intended for a poet of promise who would benefit from the festival week events and workshop and would not otherwise be able to attend. … Read more >

Thursday, September 21st, 2017

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival invites all Palm Beach County High School Students to send in one original poem. The winner will receive $200 and a pair of tickets to the Sizzling Spoken Word Performance Event featuring Elizabeth Acevedo and G Yamazawa The four runners up will each receive $100 and a pair of tickets to Sizzling Spoken Word Performance Event All winners receive a one-year subscription to Poets and Writers Literary Journal All of the prize-winning poems will be posted on the festival website: palmbeachpoetryfestival.org and will be included in press releases Prize winners will be invited to participate … Read more >

Thursday, April 27th, 2017

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2017 “Fish Tales Poetry Contest,” held in partnership with the Delray Beach Historical Society! Five cash prizes and five honorable mentions were selected by our distinguished contest judge, poet, Stephen Gibson. First Place award is $100, and four awards for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th place will receive $25.00 each. The winners are: FIRST PLACE: “Meager Catch,” by Zoë Stephan; SECOND PLACE: Fishing with Family: A Small Tale of Seasickness, by Jen Karetnick; THIRD PLACE: “Hooked,” by Bill Newby; FOURTH PLACE: “Catch of the Day,” by Sarah Brown Weitzman; and FIFTH PLACE: “First Catch,” by Shenu … Read more >

Saturday, March 25th, 2017

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is pleased to support, in partnership with our friends, Palm Beach International Film Festival and O,Miami, the Florida premiere screenings of the feature documentary film, A Late Style of Fire, about the life and work of poet Larry Levis who died abruptly at the age of 49. Featuring conversations with his poet friends, colleagues, an original score by Iron and Wine, and film excerpts by award-winning Spanish filmmaker Lois Patiño, this innovative documentary explores Levis’s childhood working alongside Mexican-American field hands, three marriages, friendships with America’s greatest poets, and his own words and poems for answers. … Read more >

Friday, February 24th, 2017

The death of Thomas Lux on Sunday, February 5, 2017, has left all of us bereft. In addition to Tom’s biographical history, his 14 collections of poems, his well-earned prizes, awards and accolades, his teaching and reading at every festival, his service as chair of the Poets Advisory Board, and his boundless and enduring friendship, our Founder has addressed Thomas Lux’s role of fatherhood of the Palm Beach Poetry Festival in his Note From Miles Coon. The 14th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival will be an homage and celebrate our friend, including A Tribute to Thomas Lux, on Saturday, January … Read more >

Monday, January 23rd, 2017

The 13th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival welcomed participants, auditors, local audiences, and faculty from over 23 states in the U.S., and three foreign countries. Poets traveled from as far away as Minnesota and Israel, and as nearby as Boynton Beach to be a part of this annual Delray Beach event: six days and nights of the most extraordinary poetry events featuring past poet laureate & special guest, Charles Simic, winners of the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, National Book Critic’s Circle and more. PHOTOS Read more >

Monday, January 16th, 2017

WINNERS WILL SOON BE ANNOUNCED! The Palm Beach Poetry Festival invites you to submit an original poem inspired by the “FISH TALES Exhibit at the Delray Beach Historical Society! As anglers cast into the mysterious lake of possibility seeking perfectly scaled gems, writers cast into the sea of language seeking the perfect word or phrase. Those quests are sometimes frustrating and often challenging, but regardless of results, they are always rewarding: having examined our deepest worries and wonders while writing or fishing, poets and anglers alike often produce memorable tales. from: The Poetry of Fishing, by Chris Justice, in “The … Read more >

Monday, January 16th, 2017

Winners of the High School Poetry Contest were celebrated at the Annual Palm Beach County High School Poetry Contest Award Ceremony, in the Crest Theatre, at Old School Square in Delray Beach, January 16th. Open to Palm Beach County public and private high school students, five winners were selected from over 400 entries by Dr. Jeff Morgan, Lynn University, contest judge. In addition to cash prizes, all winners received a pair of tickets to Sizzling Spoken Word!, the Festival’s Performance Poetry Event on Saturday night featuring Mayhem Poets: Mason Granger & Scott Nason, who also visited Palm Beach County High … Read more >

Sunday, October 30th, 2016

Workshop Applications closed in November. However, openings may be available due to last minute cancellation. You may waitlist to be in a workshop by completing the waitlist application. Focus on your poems in a workshop with one of America’s most celebrated poets. This year’s workshop faculty includes: David Baker, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Tina Chang, Lynn Emanuel, Daisy Fried, Terrance Hayes, Dorianne Laux, Carl Phillips, Martha Rhodes. Conference Faculty are Sally Bliumis-Dunn, Nickole Brown, and Ginger Murchison. Our Special Guest will be Charles Simic, and this year’s Performance Poets are The Mayhem Poets. Join us for six days of extraordinary poetry events, … Read more >

Tuesday, October 11th, 2016

Palm Beach Poetry Festival Tickets for events featuring America’s most engaging and award-winning poets are on sale now! For a Complete Schedule of Public Events, and to order tickets, visit Old School Square, Crest Theatre Box Office, 51 North Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33444, or call 561-243-7922, Extension 1, or you may purchase tickets online. Individual Event Ticket Prices are: $18 General Admission, $15 for seniors, and $12 for students. Student Group discounts available for groups of ten or more. Service charges apply for tickets purchased online. Visit the Faculty & Featured Poets page, or the 2020 Schedule of … Read more >

Tuesday, August 16th, 2016

Congratulations to current and future Faculty Poet Tim Seibles who in July 2016 was appointed poet laureate of Virginia by Governor Terry McAuliffe. Seibles, who is the author of five collections of poetry, including 2012’s Fast Animal which won the Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Prize and was a National Book Award nominee, was a Festival Faculty Poet in 2014 and will be joining us again in 2018! Tim Seibles currently lives in Norfolk, VA and teaches at Old Dominion University. His two-year tenure as Virginia’s Poet Laureate began in July 15, 2016. Visit Poetry Foundation and the Academy of American Poets to … Read more >

Monday, August 1st, 2016

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is pleased to announce it will offer three fellowships that provide full workshop tuition and lodging in Delray Beach for the upcoming 13th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival, January 16-21, 2017. The fellowships are offered to open the festival workshop doors widely to qualified poets and to insure the festival’s workshops provide an enriching variety of experiences through working with poets from a wide variety of cultures. The three fellowships are: the Palm Beach Poetry Festival African American Fellowship; the CantoMundo Palm Beach Poetry Festival Fellowship; and the Kundiman Palm Beach Poetry Festival Fellowship. Each … Read more >

Thursday, May 12th, 2016

        Thank you to National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu, who approved an Art Works award of $10,000 to the Palm Beach Poetry Festival (PBPF) to support the nonprofit organization’s 13th annual festival next January 16-21 in Delray Beach. The Festival’s award is among more than $82 million that will fund local arts projects and partnerships in the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2016. “We are very grateful to the NEA for their incredible support of the arts in general and of the Palm Beach Poetry Festival in particular,” says PBPF Director … Read more >

Monday, May 2nd, 2016

“It is with greatest pleasure that we announce the winning poems for the WILD Ekphrastic Poetry Contest. Announcing and presenting the accomplishments of the poets, in collaboration with the wonderful Plein Air Palm Beach artists is a grand finale to the festival’s celebration of National Poetry Month,” said Director, Susan R. Williamson. Judge Stephen Gibson said, “Judging this year’s contest was a difficult delight, …  the quality of the work was such a delight that it made deciding so difficult. My congratulations to these fine poets and to all of those poets who submitted their works, though not mentioned in … Read more >

Monday, March 14th, 2016 8:00am

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival invites you to submit a poem to the WILD EKPHRASTIC POETRY CONTEST, inspired by the Cornell Art Museum’s “WILD” Exhibit at Old School Square. The WILD Ekphrastic Poetry Contest seeks original poems of up to 30 lines inspired by one of ten selections from the “WILD” Exhibit, which runs through April 17, 2016 at the Cornell Museum of Art in Delray Beach. The contest runs through April 17, 2016. Results will be announced in April, 2016, after the deadline. To submit use this link to our Submittable site: https://palmbeachpoetryfestival.submittable.com/submit/51801. Visit the “WILD” Exhibit at the … Read more >

Monday, March 14th, 2016

Submit an original poem inspired by the Cornell Art Museum’s “WILD” Exhibit at Old School Square. Write a poem of up to 30 lines inspired by one of ten paintings. Deadline to submit is April 17, 2016. First Prize: $100, Second, Third, Fourth Prizes: 4 awards of $25 each, 5 Honorable Mentions. Entries that win cash prizes and honorable mention will be published online and announced in press releases. To submit use our Submittable link. Visit the “WILD” Exhibit at the Cornell Art Museum, Delray Beach, Florida and be inspired by the selected award-winning plein air art, or visit the … Read more >

Friday, January 29th, 2016

  The 12th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival welcomed participants, auditors, local audiences and faculty from over 22 states in the U.S., and three foreign countries. Poets travelled from as far away as North Dakota and Ireland, and as nearby as Boynton Beach to be a part of this annual Delray Beach event: six days and nights of the most extraordinary poetry events featuring past poet laureate & special guest, Robert Hass, winners of the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, National Book Critic’s Circle and more. Special Guest, Robert Hass, U.S. Poet Laureate (1995-1997), National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize … Read more >

Wednesday, January 27th, 2016

The festival, through its program of Community Outreach, offers special events and 1-day workshops throughout the year. We welcome the community to join us for informal round-robin readings at Green Cay Nature Center; readings with the Alzheimer Poetry Project; a series of Saturday 1-day workshops, held at Old School Square; the annual High School Poetry Contest, open to high school students throughout Palm Beach County; and the annual Morikami Haiku event, held at the wonderful Morikami Museum with walks and writing in the gardens. Join us for community outreach programming and other special events throughout the year and especially in April, National … Read more >

Monday, January 18th, 2016 5:00pm

                  Winners of the High School Poetry Contest were celebrated at the Annual Palm Beach County High School Poetry Contest Award Ceremony, kicking off the festival in the Crest Theatre, at Old School Square in Delray Beach. Open to Palm Beach County public and private high school students, the five winners were selected from over 300 entries by Dr. Jeff Morgan of Lynn University who served as judge of the contest. In addition to cash prizes, all five winners received a pair of tickets to Sizzling Spoken Word!, the Festival’s Performance Poetry … Read more >

Monday, December 7th, 2015

Talks on the craft of writing poetry with some of America’s most engaging and award-winning poets, January 19-24, 2016. Consult the full schedule of public events to purchase tickets. Craft Talks are every afternoon at 2:00 pm Tuesday-Friday. Two poets will speak for 1/2 hour each, followed by an informal Q&A. Titles for the talk: Tuesday, January 19, 2016 Mary Szybist: Repetition and Resonance Kevin Young:  Throw Your Voice Wednesday, January 20, 2016 Carl Dennis:  “Four Virtues” Laure-Anne Bosselaar:  Conveying Emotion through Imagery, Address, Personification and Pathetic Fallacy (A Close Read of “Two Trees” by Larry Levis) Thursday, January 21, … Read more >

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2015

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is pleased to announce it will partner with three very special organizations, Cave Canem, CantoMundo and Kundiman, to offer three fellowships for the upcoming 12th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival, January 18-23, 2016 in Delray Beach Florida. Each of three fellowships include application fee, tuition, and lodging near the venue. The recipient will be an outstanding poet who will benefit from and contribute to participation in the workshop. A writing sample, letter of introduction, and description of need are an integral part of the application and selection process. Fellowships are open by application to past … Read more >

Monday, September 14th, 2015

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival invites all Palm Beach County High School Students to send in one original poem. The winner will receive $100 and a pair of tickets to the Coffee House Performance event, featuring Dominique Christina and Marc Kelly Smith The four runners up will each receive $25 and a pair of tickets to the Coffee House Performance Event All winners receive a one-year subscription to Poets and Writers Literary Journal All of the prize-winning poems will be posted on the festival website: palmbeachpoetryfestival.org and will be included in press releases Prize winners will be invited to participate … Read more >

Monday, August 31st, 2015

Workshops are limited to 12 qualified participants and three auditors to provide a meaningful level of discussion, and careful, informed attention to your work. You may apply online to attend a workshop as a participant. Beginning poets, or those shy about sharing their poems, should consider auditing a workshop as a great way to learn by observing and listening. Review our Application Guidelines for more details and the workshop descriptions that follow below. Faculty includes: Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Carl Dennis, Denise Duhamel, Carol Frost, Thomas Lux, Tom Sleigh, Mary Szybist and Kevin Young, eight of America’s most celebrated poets. Special Guest, … Read more >

Saturday, June 27th, 2015

An Archive of Festival Readings, Talks, and Interviews is available on our Youtube Channel. And you can see inside the festival in some special short videos on the playlists, full recordings of talks on craft and readings that captured some of the festival’s special events. You can also find the PBS feature in which our founder, Miles Coon, speaks to the question, What is the festival? Or simply take a moment to see some wonderful moments captured at the Festival. (Photography and montage by Owen McGoldrick) Read more >

Friday, June 26th, 2015

We are pleased to announce the 2016 workshop faculty! Apply for a 2016 workshop today. Visit our Faculty & Featured Poets page for details.                 Read more >

Thursday, May 28th, 2015

We’re pleased to announce that the interview of Natasha Trethewey by Chard deNiord has been published at World Literature Today. A video of the interview is available on YouTube or see the link below. Ms. Trethewey was our special guest for the 10th Annual Festival, January 2014.   Read more >

Wednesday, April 15th, 2015

The “Plein Air Poetry Contest,” in collaboration with Delray Beach Center for the Arts, The Cornell Museum, and Plein Air Palm Beach, invited poets to submit original poems inspired by the “En Plein Air” Exhibit at the Cornell Museum of Art in Delray Beach. About the winning selections, Mr. Gibson said, “Judging the Plein Air Poetry Contest was both a pleasure and a task, a pleasure because of the overall high quality of the poems submitted, and a task for this same reason—a task made the more challenging because of the high quality of the poems submitted.” About the First … Read more >

Wednesday, April 1st, 2015

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is presented in partnership with Old School Square and is generously sponsored by Art Works of the National Endowment for the Arts, Morgan Stanley, The Legacy Group of Atlanta, GA, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, The Tourist Development Council of Palm Beach County; the Board of Commissioners of Palm Beach County, The Palm Beach Post, a grant from Visit Florida, WLRN-FM, and Murder on the Beach, Delray Beach’s independent bookseller. The Palm Beach Poetry Festival in 2010 received an Arts Challenge Grant from the The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and … Read more >

David Baker, Tina Chang, Lynn Emanuel, Daisy Fried, Terrance Hayes, Dorianne Laux, Thomas Lux, Carl Phillips, and Martha Rhodes, will lead workshops. Applications are open now.   Special Guest Charles Simic, and performance poets are The Mayhem Poets. Conference Faculty: Sally Bliumis-Dunn, Nickole Brown, and Ginger Murchison. The 13th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival will take place in Delray Beach, Florida, January 16-21, 2017. Focus on your work with America’s most celebrated poets. Apply to attend a workshop today! Join us for six days of extraordinary poetry events: workshops, readings, talks on the craft of writing poems, manuscript conferences, panel … Read more >

Pulitzer Prize winner and former United States Poet Laureate Charles Simic is announced as Palm Beach Poetry Festival’s Special Guest Poet in 2017. Charles Simic will be interviewed by fellow poet and Festival Faculty David Baker. Simic will also headline the Festival’s Gala Reading. Find out more about our very Special Guest here. Read more >

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival takes place during peak travel season to South Florida. Visit our Travel & Lodging page and begin making travel plans now! Read more >

Join us in January for six days of workshops, readings, talks on the craft of writing poems, manuscript conferences, panel discussion, social events and so much more. For specific workshop and faculty details, visit Faculty & Featured Poets. Or, Apply today! OUR POETRY WORKSHOPS Festival workshops offer participants a perfect opportunity to focus on their work with other serious writers of poetry in a small group setting. The festival schedule includes afternoon craft talks and nightly readings, which are planned to support your writing and expand your experience of poetry with poets who are not only highly acclaimed, but also … Read more >

Winners of the High School Poetry Contest were celebrated at the Annual Palm Beach County High School Poetry Contest Award Ceremony, in the Crest Theatre, at Old School Square in Delray Beach, January 20th. Open to Palm Beach County public and private high school students, five winners and three honorable mentions were selected from over 300 entries by Dr. Jeff Morgan, Lynn University, contest judge. In addition to cash prizes, all winners received a pair of tickets to “An Evening of Poetry with Patricia Smith.” Smith is the author of eight books of poetry, including Incendiary Art, winner of the 2018 … Read more >