Kalamazoo Poetry Festival

Mapping your way into the Future- Facilitated by Elizabeth Kerlikowske
2026-01-05 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Detroit) | KNAC, 315 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007-5007, United States
Explore your past and future through writing and mark-making. Two-part workshop with materials provided. Learn something new about yourself.
Elizabeth Kerlikowske facilitates a 2- part poetry workshop in partnership with The Kalamazoo Poetry Festival. This workshop is free of charge.
This is a 2-part workshop, please do not sign up unless you can make both dates!
January 5, 12, 2025 6-7:30pm
Description:
Recognizing and placing significant moments helps us to see our past and plan our future. This workshop involves writing and basic mark-making. The second half builds on the first. Materials provided. Expect to learn something new about yourself.
Bio:
Elizabeth Kerlikowske is the author of four full-length books and eleven chapbooks. Her poems appeared most recently in Cereal City Review, New Verse News, New World Writing, and Dunes Review. She was awarded the Kalamazoo Community Medal for the Arts in 2017 and currently teaches Ekphrastic Writing at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.
SIGN UP AT THE WEBSITE BELOW!

8 Part Poetry Workshop Series With Scott Bade
2026-01-14 17:30 - 19:30 | KNAC, 315 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007-5007, United States
Join poet Scott Bade for an 8-part KPF workshop series Jan–Apr 2026. Write, learn, and grow in community. In partnership with KPF.

Kalamazoo educator and published poet, Scott Bade, facilitates a poetry writing workshop in partnership with The Kalamazoo Poetry Festival.
This workshop is capped at 10 participants. Please only register if you are able to attend all eight sessions, as signing up and not attending may prevent someone else from joining
The dates of the sessions are as follows, and all sessions go from 5:30-7:30pm:
January 14&28, February 11&25, March 4&18, April 1&15
Do you have work sitting in your head that’s ready to move onto the page? Are you looking for thoughtful feedback from a supportive group, or hoping to learn new poetic tools to take your writing to the next level? Maybe you simply want to explore poetry in community with others who feel the same pull toward the craft.
This 8-part workshop series meets twice a month from January through April 2026, hosted in the new Kalamazoo Poetry Festival space at the Kalamazoo Nonprofit Advocacy Coalition in downtown Kalamazoo. Sessions run 5:30–7:30pm.
The series is facilitated by writer Scott Bade, who will use teaching, prompts and auxiliary materials to help you shape your own work. You can read more about him below.
PLEASE NOTE: Scott has requested that if you have taken any of his workshops in the past year, please refrain from signing up. We want to make sure new community members have the chance to participate.
Scott Bade is the author of Preemptive Elegy (2024 – Kelsay Books) and the chapbook My Favorite Thing About Desire, co-winner of the 2018 Celery City Chapbook contest. He teaches at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and Kalamazoo College. Scott Bade’s award-winning poetry has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and his poems have appeared in Fugue, Shadowgraph, Reed Magazine, Foothill and elsewhere.

Concomitant: Reflections on Grief and Loss Through Monoprinting and Poetry
2026-02-12 18:00 - 19:30 | KNAC, 315 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007-5007, United States
SIGN UP USING THE EVENTBRITE LINK:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1980838197371?aff=oddtdtcreator

Printmaking + tanka poetry to explore grief, loss, and intimacy through guided prompts, reflection, and structured creative practice.

This 2-part workshop series meets twice- February 12 & 19, 2026, hosted in the new Kalamazoo Poetry Festival space at the Kalamazoo Nonprofit Advocacy Coalition in downtown Kalamazoo. Sessions run 6pm–7:30pm.
*PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP IF YOU CANNOT MAKE BOTH SESSIONS.
February 12, 2026 at 6pm, doors at 5:30pm
February 19, 2026 at 6pm, doors at 5:30pm
This workshop will focus on the roles poetry and printmaking can play in processing complex emotions related to grief, loss, and intimacy. I focused on post-modern models of grief like the Dual Process Model and meaning reconstruction theory. Each model suggests that grief is always present, occupying varying amounts of space in our lives. I will have participants create monotypes for a prompt on silicone mats and we will print them onto paper. Then we will write corresponding tanka poems while reflecting on the artwork. During the art-making process, we will focus on specific questions like: What emotions, words, ideas, and sensations arise when thinking of the prompt? How do these ideas connect to my experience of grief? I chose the specific processes of printmaking and poetry because they both have defined structures that may help individuals who struggle with interoception and alexithymia. I think this workshop very clearly correlates to the theme of beyond resilience.
Bio:
Hali is a papermaker and printmaker based in Southwest Michigan. Their creative work, driven by a passion for fiber and book arts, explores themes of storytelling, liminality, folk life, and the environment, often utilizing natural and found materials.
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/bunzine/?hl=en

Ekphrastic Art Event
2026-02-21 13:00 - 16:00 | Move With Joy, 1103 Portage St, Kalamazoo, MI, 49001, United States
We are thrilled to welcome you to our third annual Ekphrastic Art Event, presented in partnership with Move With Joy!
This is a relaxed, come-as-you-please gathering, with doors open for three hours. We invite you to drop in, create, and explore. All participants are encouraged to make their own visual artwork inspired by our 2025–2026 festival theme, “Beyond Resilience.” Art supplies will be provided, and local artist Aerick Burton will be on site to guide and facilitate.
Expect music, poetry readings, art-making, and snacks, a warm, creative space to connect, unwind, and show us what “Beyond Resilience” means to you.
After the event, you’ll have the option to donate your artwork to inspire the 2026 Community Poem, written by Friends of Poetry. They will reflect on your pieces and craft a collective poem that will be performed at our 2026 Celebration of Community Poets in April.
Come make art, be in community, and help shape the poetry of next year’s festival!

Roots & Wings: Stories of Survival and Soaring
2026-03-05 18:00 - 19:30 | KNAC, 315 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007-5007, United States
SIGN UP USING THE EVENTBRITE LINK BELOW:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/roots-wings-stories-of-survival-and-soaring-tickets-1980840583508?aff=oddtdtcreator

Paint + write poems on “Beyond Resilience,” creating a split-canvas of roots (strength) and wings (future growth).

This 2-part workshop series meets twice- March 5 &19, 2026, hosted in the new Kalamazoo Poetry Festival space at the Kalamazoo Nonprofit Advocacy Coalition in downtown Kalamazoo. Sessions run 6pm–7:30pm.
*PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP IF YOU CANNOT MAKE BOTH SESSIONS.
March 5, 2026 at 6pm, doors at 5:30pm
March 19, 2026 at 6pm, doors at 5:30pm
This workshop blends painting and poetry to explore the theme of ‘Beyond Resilience.’ Participants will reflect on their personal journeys, creating poems that capture their ‘roots’ (sources of grounding and strength) and their ‘wings’ (aspirations and thriving futures). Through guided writing prompts and painting, each person will design a split-canvas artwork that visually represents both resilience and growth beyond it. The session closes with an optional share-circle where participants can read excerpts of their poems or describe their artwork, fostering community connection and collective inspiration. By the end, participants will leave with both a written and visual representation of their journey from survival toward soaring.
Bio:
Erica Smith is a creative wellness practitioner and founder of Fortunate Fourth Creations & Media, where art meets healing. She empowers communities through therapeutic art, storytelling, and transformative art experiences.
Headshot Photo Credit:
Hananiah Harden, Black Magic Media
Social Media (with space for clickable links):

Facebook: Fortunate Fourth Creations — https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560172731523
Instagram: @fortunatefourthcreations — https://www.instagram.com/fortunatefourthcreations/
TikTok: @fortunatefourthcreations — https://www.tiktok.com/@fortunatefourthcreations
LinkedIn: Erica Smith — https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-smith-67038a362/

Son of The White Mare Film Screening
2026-03-12 19:00 - 22:00 | Doormouse Theatre, 1030 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, MI, 49001, United States
Thanks to Kalamazoo Poetry Festival for sponsoring this film!
Arrive when doors open for a pre-show that mixes poetry and film, just like Son of the White Mare! Thanks to our collaboration with Kalamazoo Poetry Festival, we’ll have a celebration of both art forms, including live performances and collaborative writing of poems by attendees.
Purchase tickets using the link.

Readers:
Mia Hawkins
Bio: Hello, I am Mimi Hawkins, a poet and writer, who weaves the dramatic lens of life I live into everything I write. My style is a stream of consciousness style, jumping through vivid daydreams as a way of understanding, which is paired with bluntness that rips through the figurative language, grounding everything.

Elizabeth Bullmer
Bio: Elizabeth Bullmer is a poet/writer/spoken word and visual artist working as a self-employed, licensed massage and sound therapist, in Kalamazoo. She also facilitates writing workshops and small sharing circles for all ages. Bullmer’s most recent publication is a poetry chapbook, Skipping Stones on the River Styx.

One of the great psychedelic masterpieces of world animation, Son of the White Mare is a swirling, color-mad maelstrom of mythic monsters and Scythian heroes, lit by jagged bolts of lightning and drenched in rivers of blue, red, gold and green. A massive cosmic oak stands at the gates of the Underworld, holding seventy-seven dragons in its roots; to combat these monsters, a dazzling white mare goddess gives birth to three heroes – Treeshaker and his brothers – who embark on an epic journey to save the universe. Directed by Hungarian animator Marcell Jankovics (famed for his 1974 Oscar-nominated short Sisyphus), Son of the White Mare has been restored in 4K using the original 35mm camera negative and sound elements by Arbelos in collaboration with the Hungarian National Film Institute.
“Once upon a time, at the doors of Hell, there stood a tall turkey oak. It had 77 roots and 77 branches. On the 77 roots stood 77 dragons. On the 77 branches sat 77 crows. Let the one who doesn’t listen to this tale have their soul stolen by the 77 dragons, and their eyes pecked by the 77 crows!”
Son of the White Mare
1981
1h 26min
Director: Marcell Jankovics
Writer: Laszlo Gyorgy, Marcell Jankovics
Cast: Gyorgy Cserhalmi, Vera Pap, Gyula Szabo

Celebration of Community Poets
2026-04-09 18:30 - 20:30 | Crawlspace Theatre, 315 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007-5007, United States
The Kalamazoo Poetry Festival Celebration of Community Poets is back for 2026! We are excited to welcome the public to this FREE event.
Doors open at 6pm, and show starts promptly at 6:30pm.
Come hear local poets and musicians perform their own work at The Crawlspace Theatre, located inside the KNAC in downtown Kalamazoo.
There will be light refreshments and a DJ for some socializing afterward. Please come out and support local art! Bring a friend or ten, and make an evening of it.
Hope to see you there!
Click the event website link below to be directed to our Facebook event.

Your Turn Open Mic
2026-04-10 19:00 - 21:00 | Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative, 1249 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, MI, 49001, United States
Emcee Dane joins us again for the Your Turn Open Mic at Fire on Portage Road. We are splitting the open mic up into two weeks this year, because of how popular it was last year! Sign up will be in person at the event, and we welcome all poetry, acoustic music, micro fiction, and fiction excerpts. Each performer will have five minutes on the mic.
There will be refreshments, and good company. Come on out and show Kalamazoo your creativity!
Doors and sign up open: 6:30pm
Show starts:7pm

Finale Poetry Reading and Reception
2026-04-11 17:00 - 19:00 | Epic Center, 359 S Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, United States
RSVP IS NOT REQUIRED BUT IT IS APPRECIATED! RSVP HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/finale-reception-kalamazoo-poetry-festival-tickets-1981453153722?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

YOU CAN ALSO FIND THE FACEBOOK EVENT HERE: https://www.facebook.com/share/17sdo9JWH2/

Help the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival welcome our 2026 featured poets jessica Care moore and Alen Hamza. This year, we will be hosted by the wonderful folks at the Wellspring Dance Company, in their Cori Terry Theatre. The theatre will house our Finale Reading, and then we will head downstairs to the Black Arts and Cultural Center for the catered reception.
The Finale poetry reading will be ASL interpreted, please spread the word!
Parking information has been made available in the information section of this event. Please read it carefully, yes, it is possible to park downtown! The Epic Center is conveniently located near two parking structures, and there is street parking available.
You can read more about our poets below.
jessica Care moore:
jessica Care moore is an award-winning poet, recording artist, book publisher, activist, cultural arts curator, and filmmaker who has become one of the leading voices of her generation; she is Detroit’s Poet Laureate (appointed in 2024), the Executive Producer and Founder of the 20-year-old rock & roll concert and empowerment weekend Daughters of Betty – Powered by Black WOMEN Rock!, founder of The Moore Art House 501(c)(3), and the founder of Moore Black Press, which has published poets including Saul Williams, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, asha bandele, and Danny Simmons; she has recorded her poetry with Hip Hop legends like Common, Nas, Jeezy, Talib Kweli, Karriem Riggins, Jeff Mills, The Last Poets, Jose James, and Roy Ayers, is the author of *The Words Don’t Fit in My Mouth*, *The Alphabet Verses The Ghetto*, *God is Not an American*, *Sunlight Through Bullet Holes* and *We Want Our Bodies Back*, and her poetry and voice are featured on the 4th floor of the Smithsonian’s New National Museum of African American History.
Alen Hamza:
Alen Hamza immigrated to the United States from Bosnia-Herzegovina as a refugee at the age of fifteen. He is the author of Twice There Was a Country, chosen by Brenda Hillman as the winner of the CSU Poetry Center First Book Award. His poems have appeared widely in literary journals, including AGNI, The Southern Review, Waxwing, Fence, and The Missouri Review. He has an MFA from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin and a PhD in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Utah. He has received fellowships from the Michener Center for Writers, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and the University of Utah. Hamza lives in Kalamazoo, where he is an assistant professor of English and Creative Writing at Western Michigan University.
