Kalamazoo Poetry Festival

"Funeral Parade of Roses" - A film screening in partnership with Monoform Cinema
2025-06-12 19:45 (America/Detroit) | Doormouse Theatre, 1030 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, MI, 49001, United States
*During the pre-show of this event, you can listen to four local performers share their poetry and music as they represent The Kalamazoo Poetry Festival. There will also be a collaborative poem being written during the run time of this event that will be published on our website after the event! Come and add your voice! Funeral Parade of Roses
Welcome to an unapologetically queer and dizzying pop-art fantasia that evades categorization. Through a rapid-fire combination of melodrama, comedy, horror, documentary and experimental film, director Toshio Matsumoto’s freewheeling approach to both genre and form results in a film that gleefully disorientates without ever feeling disjointed. Made at a point in cinema history when radically-minded filmmakers were testing, breaking and redefining the limits of good filmmaking and taste, Matsumoto’s movie attacks on both fronts with an irrepressible fervor, creating a film that has retained its power to surprise, delight and shock 55 years later. An unknown club dancer at the time, trans actor Peter (from Kurosawa’s Ran) gives an astonishing Edie Sedgwick/Warhol superstar-like performance as Eddie, hostess at Bar Genet—where she’s ignited a violent love triangle with reigning drag queen Leda (Osamu Ogasawara) for the attentions of club owner Gonda (Yoshio Tsuchiya, from Seven Samurai and Yojimbo). Director Toshio Matsumoto’s shattering, kaleidoscopic masterpiece is a key work of the Japanese New Wave and of queer cinema, and one of the most subversive and intoxicating films of the late 1960s.

1969
1h 45min
Director: Toshio Matsumoto
Writer: Toshio Matsumoto
Cast: Peter (Shinnosuke Ikehata), Osamu Ogasawara, Yoshio Tsuchiya
Doors and Pre-show at 7:45pm, Show around 8:45pm PURCHASE TICKETS USING WEBSITE LINK BELOW

Featured Readers Finale & Reception
2025-04-26 17:00 - 19:00 | First Congregational Church, 345 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, United States
Featured Poets Aaron Coleman and Denise Miller will each read their work for 25 minutes. The Finale Read will be followed by a reception catered by Kalamazoo local JaRay Reese. Come down, hear some beautiful poetry, and partake in some merry-making and networking after the event.
Accessibility:
– This even strives to be SCENT-FREE. Please consider leaving perfumes and fragrances at home.

Craft Talk
2025-04-26 15:30 - 16:30 | First Congregational Church, 345 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, United States
Craft Talk
Featured Poets Denise Miller and Aaron Coleman participate in a Craft Talk moderated by KPF board member Nancy Nott. The poets will discuss their writing process and thoughts on poetry and writing in general. There is no way to describe where the conversation will lead, so come check it out!
Accessibility:
– This even strives to be SCENT-FREE. Please consider leaving perfumes and fragrances at home.

Featured Reader Workshop: Denise Miller
2025-04-26 11:30 - 13:00 | First Congregational Church, 345 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, United States
REGISTER HERE
Sounding the Heart of the poem
Sounding the Heart of the poem is a workshop by The Institute of Public Scholarship poet, playwright, and fiction writer, Denise Miller, that is focused on sound devices like assonance, alliteration, and consonance, combined with the concept of echolocation, to explore how poets can use sound to navigate the emotional and thematic depths of their work. Participants will examine how repeated vowel sounds (assonance), initial consonant sounds (alliteration), and recurring consonant sounds (consonance) create echoes within a poem, much like echolocation helps non-human animals orient themselves in spaceThe workshop emphasizes how these sound devices resonate to reveal the “heart” of a poem—its core meaning or emotional truth. Activities include:

Analyzing Poems: Studying examples where sound devices enhance mood, rhythm, or imagery.
Sound Mapping: Participants create “sound maps” by identifying patterns of assonance, alliteration, and consonance in their own or others’ poems.
Writing Exercises: Revising one of their poems that isn’t quite there yet to identify where sound can be deliberately used to evoke feelings or guide readers toward the poem’s heart.
Echolocation Concept: Drawing parallels between the way sound waves bounce back to reveal unseen spaces and how poetic sounds uncover hidden layers of meaning.

This approach encourages poets to think of sound not just as ornamentation but as a tool for discovery and connection within their work
REGISTER HERE

Featured Reader Workshop: Aaron Coleman
2025-04-26 10:00 - 11:30 | First Congregational Church, 345 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, United States
REGISTER HERE
How We Attune to Gratitude
In this workshop we will explore how poets cultivate an intimate sense of attention: attuning to the complexity of the world around us and the worlds within us. We’ll dwell together with poems and writing prompts that cultivate our sense of careful attention and we’ll contemplate together what that attention makes possible, especially gratitude, especially communal connection and maybe even joy.
REGISTER HERE

Your Turn Open Mic
2025-04-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative, 1249 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, MI, 49001, United States
Your Turn Open Mic
Join Fire and Kalamazoo Poetry Festival for The Magic Open Mic, hosted by Great Dane. Come early if you think you want to read!
Accessibility:
– This even strives to be SCENT-FREE. Please consider leaving perfumes and fragrances at home.
– Wheelchair access through the entrance on Portage Street.

Celebration of Community Poets
2025-04-24 18:30 - 20:00 | Northside Association for Community Development, 612 N Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, United States
The Celebration of Community Poets
The Celebration of Community Poets is a yearly event hosted by the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival as a part of our National Poetry Month Festival Week. The Celebration combines multiple organization partnerships, and ten plus local poets and musicians who share one original piece each. The Celebration is also where the KPF Community Poem is performed. The Community Poem is written by the Kalamazoo Friends of Poetry, and represents dozens of pieces of visual art generated around our 2024/2025 theme of “Gratitude” at our February Ekphrastic Poetry Event. The event will offer light refreshments.
Accessibility:
– This even strives to be SCENT-FREE. Please consider leaving perfumes and fragrances at home.

RAWK and KPF Youth Poetry Workshop
2025-04-05 10:00 - 11:30 | Read and Write Kalamazoo, 802 S Westnedge Ave, KALAMAZOO, MI, 49008, United States
KPF and RAWK join forces to offer a youth poetry workshop based on the theme of “Gratitude”. Details about facilitator coming soon!

This workshop will be facilitated by WMU Graduate Student Hannah Arvanigian, with help from KPF Executive Director Casey Grooten.
Hannah Seelman is a student at Western Michigan University, where she is both earning anMFA in creative writing while teaching writing composition. Her passion for writing extendsbeyond the classroom, as she has been published for her insightful and thought-provoking work.Although she loves writing, her favorite time of day is when she can simply read a book with herdog sleeping on her lap. Her poetry has been published in Wingless Dreamer, Thistle Magazine,and other small journals. She is currently working on a collection of scary short stories shehopes to finish and publish by the end of the year.
Please use the sign up link below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2SDMwKYVAImGFCzbWugjkkfrg3UIbjijRb0zS-tLzM5Hxmg/viewform

March Workshop: Markeva Love, Worth The Detour
2025-03-11 18:30 - 20:00 | First Congregational Church, 345 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, United States
Workshop details and facilitator are forthcoming.

March Workshop
Facilitator:
Markeva Love
Workshop Name:
Worth The Detour
Workshop Description:
“Hindsight is 20/20 and it’s easy to get caught up in the things we think we want/ desire or deserve. “ Attendees will discuss/ write about a time or an event where they did not get what they wanted, but it actually worked in their favor… either to have not received it at all or just received it later. (Ex. First time experiencing love, even though it was toxic, you still wanted it, only to later realize it was never really love). The facilitator will instruct the attendees in how they have turned a situation like this into something constructive through writing. The attendees will have time to write, and will have an opportunity to read their work to the group at the end of the workshop.
Note:
This is an in-person workshop. Writing utensils and paper will be provided. Water and Coffee will also be available at the event. Please arrive several minutes early, so the workshop can start promptly on time.
Accessibility:
– This even strives to be SCENT-FREE. Please consider leaving perfumes and fragrances at home.

Register Here

March Workshop in Partnership With Fire: Tasleem Jamila, Gratitude Through the Divine Lens: Exploring Sacred Poetry
2025-03-08 13:00 - 15:00 | Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative, 1249 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, MI, 49001, United States
March Workshop in Partnership With Fire
*The event is meant for individuals 18-25 years of age.
Register for free
Facilitator:
Tasleem Jamila
Workshop Name:
Gratitude Through the Divine Lens: Exploring Sacred Poetry
Workshop Description:
In this workshop, participants will explore gratitude as a spiritual practice by drawing inspiration from writers who view the world through a sacred lens. Through poetry, they will express thankfulness for the divine and sacred aspects of life. The session will encourage participants to craft poems inspired by the mystical poets they are introduced to, with a focus on recognizing the divine both within themselves and in everyday moments.
Activity: Begin with a brief introduction to the theme of gratitude as a spiritual practice. Then, a short grounding exercise.
Introduce participants to a few mystical poets who write from a sacred perspective.
Read several selected poems aloud and discuss how these poets’ express gratitude and spirituality in their work.
Provide participants with several creative prompts inspired by the mystical poets you introduced earlier.
Participants will share their poems.
Note:
This is an in-person workshop. Writing utensils and paper will be provided. Water and Coffee will also be available at the event. Please arrive several minutes early, so the workshop can start promptly on time.
Accessibility:
– This even strives to be SCENT-FREE. Please consider leaving perfumes and fragrances at home.

February Workshop: Sarah Steele, For Those Who Have Walked Beside Us
2025-02-11 18:30 - 20:00 | Northside Association for Community Development, 612 N Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, United States
February Workshop
FREE Tickets are first come first serve, they can be reserved once the Eventbrite page becomes available in late November.
Facilitator:
Sarah Steele
Workshop Name:
For Those Who Have Walked Beside Us
Workshop Description:
Who walked beside you when life felt heavy? Who made you feel seen, heard, or understood in ways that changed your heart? Who guided your steps, or simply stood with you in silence?
In this workshop, we will explore the power of gratitude through poetry, reflecting on those who have been our support in times of need. Through a process of personal writing, we’ll uncover the metaphors that best capture the impact of these pivotal relationships. This experience will invite you to express your appreciation in a deeply personal way, tapping into emotions of gratitude and connection. Together, we’ll transform these reflections into poems, and then bring them to life by writing them out on beautiful cards—so that you can share your words of thanks with the person who has made a difference in your life. Come prepared to honor the past, celebrate the present, and create something meaningful to share with someone who matters.
Note:
This is an in-person workshop. Writing utensils and paper will be provided. Water and Coffee will also be available at the event. Please arrive several minutes early, so the workshop can start promptly on time.
Accessibility:
– This even strives to be SCENT-FREE. Please consider leaving perfumes and fragrances at home.

Register Here

Ekphrastic Poetry and Art Making Event
2025-02-08 15:00 - 18:00 | Move With Joy, 1103 Portage St, Kalamazoo, MI, 49001, United States
Ekphrastic Poetry Event
Come make artwork inspired by the theme “Gratitude”. KPF is so grateful for our Kalamazoo community, and is excited to see what you create! This event is hosted by Dream Scene Placemaking of Kalamazoo at Move With Joy Studio, and sponsored by Kalamazoo Poetry Festival.
Dreamscene will be facilitating art making, and will be providing the art making materials. Once the artwork is made, the pieces will be scanned or photographed and sent to a community poetry organization in Kalamazoo called Friend of Poetry to inspire their writing of our Community Poem. This poem will be read at the Celebration of Community Poets in April. The artwork (from those who consent) will be displayed at the same event. The event will offer light refreshments.
Accessibility:
– This even strives to be SCENT-FREE. Please consider leaving perfumes and fragrances at home.
Co-Hosted By:
Dreamscene Placemaking and Move With Joy

Community Read and Mixer
2025-01-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Northside Association for Community Development, 612 N Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, United States
Community Read and Mixer
This event functions similar to an open mic in the way that there will be a sign-up sheet at the beginning of the event, and each reader will have 3-5 minutes to read a piece. The catch is that this piece must be a work in progress. The Emcee will introduce every reader by their name, and the reader will be instructed to give no preface to the work. The works in progress that are read will be the attendees only introduction to each other for the mixer portion. There will be light refreshments, and a DJ at this event.The sign-up to read will be in-person at the event. Doors open at 5:30pm. Come early if you want to sign up! There is a strict 3.5 minute reading time, so please do not preface your work. Choose your piece (or portion of piece) carefully! Show us what you got!
Emcees:Casey Grooten and Elizabeth KerlikowskeHosted by: BACC, NACD, and KPF
Accessibility:– This even strives to be SCENT-FREE. Please consider leaving perfumes and fragrances at home.

RSVP For The Event

January Workshop: Tasleem Jamila, Echoes of Abundance: A Journey Through Sound and Poetic Affirmation
2025-01-07 18:30 - 20:00 | First Congregational Church, 345 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, United States
January Workshop
FREE Tickets are first come first serve, they can be reserved once the Eventbrite page becomes available in late November.
Facilitator:
Tasleem Jamila
Workshop Title:
Echoes of Abundance: A Journey Through Sound and Poetic Affirmation
Workshop Description:
Echoes of Abundance invites participants to immerse themselves in the healing frequencies of gratitude through sound, voice, and poetic affirmation. Using rhythmic breathwork, vocal toning, and guided soundscapes, we’ll explore how gratitude, expressed through words and music, amplifies abundance and raises our energetic vibration. Participants will create and share their poetic affirmation songs, embracing how the power of repetitive, gratitude-infused chants can foster inner healing and connection. We’ll harmonize our voices in communal chants, cultivating a resonant space for personal and collective transformation.
Note:
This is an in-person workshop. Writing utensils and paper will be provided. Water and Coffee will also be available at the event. Please arrive several minutes early, so the workshop can start promptly on time.
Accessibility:
– This even strives to be SCENT-FREE. Please consider leaving perfumes and fragrances at home.

Register Here

Workshop: Susan Blackwell Ramsey- There’s More Where That Came From: An Enthusiastic Approach to Revision
2024-11-08 18:30 - 20:00 | First Congregational Church, 345 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, United States
FREE Tickets are first come first serve, they can be reserved here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1042507507017?aff=oddtdtcreator
Facilitator:
Susan Blackwell Ramsey
Workshop Description:
There’s nothing greater than the feeling of having finished a poem, yet we’re often disappointed on rereading it. This workshop argues that this moment is where the real fun begins, that we should be grateful for first drafts because they provide us with the raw materials for exploration and discovery. Using approaches from detailed checklists and major surgery and recombination, participants will have a chance to experience approaches to revision wildly different from the notion of “fixing” the poem.
The facilitator asks that each participant bring a “dead poem”, or a poem that has been left behind.
Note: This is an in-person workshop. Writing utensils and paper will be provided. Water and Coffee will also be available at the event. Please arrive several minutes early, so the workshop can start promptly on time.
Accessibility:
– This even strives to be SCENT-FREE. Please consider leaving perfumes and fragrances at home.

Fall Open Mic
2024-10-10 18:00 - 20:00 | First Congregational Church, 345 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, United States
The Kalamazoo Poetry Festival is hosting an Open Mic on October 10, 2024 in downtown Kalamazoo, at the First Congregational Church. The event takes place from 6-8pm.
Although we are (obviously) going for a spooky theme, the work you share does not need to be spooky in nature! However, costumes are greatly encouraged!
Come along, bring a friend, read your own work, or one of your favorite poems!
The event is FREE and open to the public. Sign up is in person. Get your spot while they last.
PLEASE RSVP and share widely!
*No hate speech of any kind will be tolerated*
