Massachusetts Statewide Poetry Calendar

Five Award-Winning Massachusetts poets grace the stage at the Arts at the Stone Church Cafe on Tuesday, May 21st. Join us for an evening of unparalleled literary exploration as these poets delve into the mystic moments of contemporary life with a Poetry Round Robin. Engage in a dynamic exchange of verse as each poet brings their unique perspective to the forefront. From poignant reflections to stirring narratives, immerse yourself in the richness of their well-honed craft. Feel the heartbeat of poetry come alive as these esteemed poets share their masterpieces with passion and precision. Let their words transport you to realms both familiar and fantastical.

Arts at the Stone Church Cafe, a program of First Congregational Church of Wareham UCC, is a free monthly coffee-house style event (donations welcome) on the third Tuesday of the month. The café begins with a light meal at 6:30, followed by a performance at 7:30. Doors open at 6:15pm.

Lisken Van Pelt Dus is a poet, teacher, and martial artist, raised in England, the US, and Mexico, and now living in Massachusetts. Her work can be found in such journals as Conduit, The South Carolina Review, qarrtsiluni, and upstreet, and has earned awards and honors from The Comstock Review, The Atlanta Review, and Cider Press Review. Her chapbook, Everywhere at Once, was published by Pudding House Press in 2009, and her first full-length book, What We’re Made Of, is due out from Word Tech Publications’ Cherry Grove imprint in May 2016.

The Boston Poetry Slam holds a weekly show every Wednesday downstairs at the Cantab Lounge. This is the flagship show of the Boston Poetry Slam and the entire night is devoted to the craft, performance, and enjoyment of poetry.
The cover charge is $4, cash or credit. No tickets are sold in advance. The poetry show is 21+, with a photo ID and Vaccination Card required to enter the venue. No outside drink is allowed— please patronize the bar— but you may bring food and eat it in the venue. Regrettably, the basement of the Cantab is not wheelchair-accessible; please email us to learn more about the space and to discuss accessibility options.
Doors open at approximately 7:15 for an 8:00 poetry-only open mic. The venue has a capacity of 75 persons with seating for approximately 60; if you want to sit down for the first part of the show, you will need to arrive before 8:00 PM. Large parties are strongly advised to arrive in a timely manner, as the show frequently sells out. If you want to read, come early, and be sure to read our Entry Line & Sign Up Rules.
There is a short break after the open mic at approximately 9:45, during which some seats usually free up for incoming crowd. (If the feature is popular, do not expect seats to become available.) After the break, the featured poet or event begins. Standard features last for 30 minutes and featured slams last about 60 minutes, after which our featured poets vend their product and chat with fans. As of 2023, the full show is usually over by 11:00.
For directions and parking, click here. For more information about how to ensure yourself a seat or a spot on the open mic, see our FAQ.

The Boston Poetry Slam holds a weekly show every Wednesday downstairs at the Cantab Lounge. This is the flagship show of the Boston Poetry Slam and the entire night is devoted to the craft, performance, and enjoyment of poetry.
The cover charge is $4, cash or credit. No tickets are sold in advance. The poetry show is 21+, with a photo ID and Vaccination Card required to enter the venue. No outside drink is allowed— please patronize the bar— but you may bring food and eat it in the venue. Regrettably, the basement of the Cantab is not wheelchair-accessible; please email us to learn more about the space and to discuss accessibility options.
Doors open at approximately 7:15 for an 8:00 poetry-only open mic. The venue has a capacity of 75 persons with seating for approximately 60; if you want to sit down for the first part of the show, you will need to arrive before 8:00 PM. Large parties are strongly advised to arrive in a timely manner, as the show frequently sells out. If you want to read, come early, and be sure to read our Entry Line & Sign Up Rules.
There is a short break after the open mic at approximately 9:45, during which some seats usually free up for incoming crowd. (If the feature is popular, do not expect seats to become available.) After the break, the featured poet or event begins. Standard features last for 30 minutes and featured slams last about 60 minutes, after which our featured poets vend their product and chat with fans. As of 2023, the full show is usually over by 11:00.
For directions and parking, click here. For more information about how to ensure yourself a seat or a spot on the open mic, see our FAQ.

Join the New England Poetry Club outdoors in the open air tent at the Old Manse for free poetry readings on select Sunday afternoons.
Extend your visit by signing up for a tour of the historic house prior to or following the reading. Learn more about tour offerings and pre-register for house tours here. Plan to come early or stay late for a stroll around the orchard and along the banks of the Concord River.

May poets:
Dr. Sara Epstein is a clinical psychologist who integrates mindfulness practices, including writing, in her psychotherapy work with children and adults. She also facilitates and teaches generative writing groups and classes. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Poetry Quarterly, Amethyst Review, Chest Journal, Nixes Mate Review, Plainsongs, museum of americana, among others. Her book reviews have been published in Mom Egg Review.  Bar of Rest is her first book of poetry.

Denise Provost has published two poetry collections: Curious Peach (Ibbetson Street Press, 2019) and City of Stories (Červená Barva Press, 2021).  Her poems have appeared in such journals as Ibbetson Street, Constellations, Muddy River Poetry Review, qarrtsiluni, Quadrille, Poetry Porch, Red Eft, Sonnet Scroll, Sanctuary, Light Quarterly, and in Bagel Bards anthologies. Twice Pushcart-nominated, Provost received the 2012 Best Love Sonnet award from the 2012 Maria C. Faust Sonnet Competition, and the New England Poetry Club’s 2021 Samuel Washington Allen Prize. She was elected co-president of the New England Poetry Club in 2022. Provost served from 2006-2021 in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Gary Whited is a poet, philosopher and psychotherapist. His first book titled, Having Listened, won the 2013 Homebound Publications Poetry Contest. In 2014 it received a Benjamin Franklin Silver Book Award, and in 2015 was translated into Russian and a bilingual edition was published. His new book, Being, There includes new poems along with his translation of the ancient Greek fragments of Parmenides from the 5th century BCE. This book dances between the poetic voice of Parmenides and the poetic remembrances of a young life on a prairie cattle ranch. His poems have appeared in journals, including Salamander, Plainsongs, The Aurorean, Atlanta Review, Comstock Review, The Wayfarer, Poetry Daily and The Red Letters.

Elisabeth Weiss teaches writing and literature at Salem State University. She’s
taught poetry in preschools, prisons, and nursing homes and as well as to the
intellectually disabled. She’s worked at Harper and Row Publishers (HarperCollins)
and has an MFA from The University of Iowa Writers Workshop. She’s published
poems in London’s Poetry Review, Porch, Crazyhorse, Lily Poetry Review and
Birmingham Poetry Review. Lis won the Talking Writing Hybrid Poetry Prize for
2016 and was a runner up in the 2013 Boston Review poetry contest and the 2023
Small Harbor Hybrid Chapbook Prize. Her chapbook, The Caretaker’s Lament, was
published by Finishing Line Press in 2016. Lis runs a refugee resettlement
organization, North Shore Friends of Refugees, and works as a docent in a house
built by a shipping merchant in 1768.

The Boston Poetry Slam holds a weekly show every Wednesday downstairs at the Cantab Lounge. This is the flagship show of the Boston Poetry Slam and the entire night is devoted to the craft, performance, and enjoyment of poetry.
The cover charge is $4, cash or credit. No tickets are sold in advance. The poetry show is 21+, with a photo ID and Vaccination Card required to enter the venue. No outside drink is allowed— please patronize the bar— but you may bring food and eat it in the venue. Regrettably, the basement of the Cantab is not wheelchair-accessible; please email us to learn more about the space and to discuss accessibility options.
Doors open at approximately 7:15 for an 8:00 poetry-only open mic. The venue has a capacity of 75 persons with seating for approximately 60; if you want to sit down for the first part of the show, you will need to arrive before 8:00 PM. Large parties are strongly advised to arrive in a timely manner, as the show frequently sells out. If you want to read, come early, and be sure to read our Entry Line & Sign Up Rules.
There is a short break after the open mic at approximately 9:45, during which some seats usually free up for incoming crowd. (If the feature is popular, do not expect seats to become available.) After the break, the featured poet or event begins. Standard features last for 30 minutes and featured slams last about 60 minutes, after which our featured poets vend their product and chat with fans. As of 2023, the full show is usually over by 11:00.
For directions and parking, click here. For more information about how to ensure yourself a seat or a spot on the open mic, see our FAQ.

Please join us for a special double feature edition of our monthly open mic and featured poetry reading series The Poetorium at Starlite hosted by Paul Szlosek and Ron Whittle. It will be a full evening of poetry and spoken word starting with a brief interview on stage with our two featured poets Jovonna Van Pelt (Author of Unrelated Questions) and Jonathan Andersen (Author of Augur and Stomp and Sing), followed by poetry readings by our features, a 10-minute tribute to a dead poet by a guest reader, a short intermission, and then an open mic (with 5-minute slots for each reader). Admission is free, but a hat will be passed for donations to pay our features and compensate Starlite for the use of their space.

The Boston Poetry Slam holds a weekly show every Wednesday downstairs at the Cantab Lounge. This is the flagship show of the Boston Poetry Slam and the entire night is devoted to the craft, performance, and enjoyment of poetry.
The cover charge is $4, cash or credit. No tickets are sold in advance. The poetry show is 21+, with a photo ID and Vaccination Card required to enter the venue. No outside drink is allowed— please patronize the bar— but you may bring food and eat it in the venue. Regrettably, the basement of the Cantab is not wheelchair-accessible; please email us to learn more about the space and to discuss accessibility options.
Doors open at approximately 7:15 for an 8:00 poetry-only open mic. The venue has a capacity of 75 persons with seating for approximately 60; if you want to sit down for the first part of the show, you will need to arrive before 8:00 PM. Large parties are strongly advised to arrive in a timely manner, as the show frequently sells out. If you want to read, come early, and be sure to read our Entry Line & Sign Up Rules.
There is a short break after the open mic at approximately 9:45, during which some seats usually free up for incoming crowd. (If the feature is popular, do not expect seats to become available.) After the break, the featured poet or event begins. Standard features last for 30 minutes and featured slams last about 60 minutes, after which our featured poets vend their product and chat with fans. As of 2023, the full show is usually over by 11:00.
For directions and parking, click here. For more information about how to ensure yourself a seat or a spot on the open mic, see our FAQ.

Poets Wayne-Daniel Berard and Sara Letourneau are hosting the Pour Me a Poem open mic on the second Thursday of each month at 51 Park Street (Wayne-Daniel's home) in Mansfield, MA, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Eric Petersen (aka ESP) of Gardner, MA will be our feature poet on Thursday, June 13.After the featured poet, there will be a quick break, followed by the main open mic. You can sign up for your time slot upon arrival. The event is free, but please bring a few bucks for when we "pass the hat" for the featured poet.
Please ensure you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 before attending. Also, make sure you park on the even-numbered side of the street, opposite from Wayne-Daniel's house. Please note that the venue may not be accessible to everyone.