2024 Camden Festival of Poetry

May 17–18, 2024

Featuring keynote Pádraig Ó Tuama, Irish poet, peace activist and host of the popular poetry podcast Poetry Unbound.

“Pádraig Ó Tuama is an extraordinary person, whose influence extends quietly and gracefully across the world. His poetry bears these same qualities and brings him close. It is a gift to us all.”

—Krista Tippett, Creator of On Being

Register to attend the 2024 Camden Festival of Poetry

Jump to:

Friday, May 17th, 2024
(Friday events are new this year!)

A CRAFT TALK WITH PÁDRAIG Ó TUAMA: You You You: the address of poetry

2:00-4:00 pm at the Camden Public Library

REGISTRATION REQUIRED WITH FEE OF $50. Our in-person event is full, if you want to get on a wait-list email: thepoetscornermaine@gmail.com. You can still sign up to attend virtually over Zoom.

A poem is a word-event going in many directions at once. Sometimes the “you” of a poem is a specific person, at other times it’s the poet, or a general audience, and at times there’s no you at all so the poem addresses itself to the world. Join celebrated poet, theologian, mediator and author Pádraig Ó Tuama for this special craft talk to kick off the 2024 Camden Festival of Poetry.

Register early, as space is limited. If you prefer to attend virtually, you can register here.

(Write to thepoetscornermaine@gmail.com to request a fee waiver if your financial circumstances prevent you for paying this amount.) This event will be held at the Camden Public Library.

FRIDAY NIGHT OPEN MIC!

7:00-9:00 pm at the First Congregational Church in Camden

Join fellow poets and poetry lovers for an evening of sharing the spoken word. This event is free and open to all. We will cap our registrations at 30 readers, but also reserve 5 spaces for those who come and register at the door. If you sign up and change your mind, please let us know. We now have 30 readers signed up. Please come and we’ll include 5 others who register at the door.

Saturday, May 18th, 2024

MORNING POEMS ON WINDOWS WALK

10:00am–12:00pm in Downtown Camden

Join young poets from the Camden Rockport Middle School on a walk around town, where they will show the group the poetry they wrote and displayed on windows around the village. Open for submissions from Middle School poets until May 3rd.

SATURDAY FESTIVAL EVENTS

1:00–5:00pm at the First Congregational Church in Camden

This year’s Saturday events will include readings, music, workshops, a book fair, and a keynote with Pádraig Ó Tuama. Stay tuned for the full Festival program! If you already know you’re going to attend, please register here - the Festival is free, but we’d like to know how many people to expect.

News & Updates

Ekphrastic events

PRE FESTIVAL EVENTS IN 2024

Poetry / Talk from The Courier-Gazette 2023:

'Opening the World' by Margaret Haberman

Who Likes Poetry? by Mark Burrows

'Finding América' by Meg Weston

'Bring All Your Experience' by Dave Morrison

'What in the World is Ecopoetry?' by John Paul Caponigro

'Chortle to Your Heart’s Content' by Maya Stein

More News:

“Blanco to keynote first Camden Festival of Poetry”
The Courier-Gazette

Enjoy the art of writing poetry about art with these ekphrastic events. While visiting Maine museum collections, John Paul Caponigro will share famous ekphrastic works and guide you through exercises sure to deepen your appreciation of art now and in the future. Events will be held across Maine: Colby College on May 4; Farnsworth Museum May 8; CMCA May 11. Register early, space is limited.

https://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/44778/enjoy-the-2024-camden-festival-of-poetry/

Camden Festival of Poetry Sponsorship

The Camden Festival of Poetry will be an annual event, brought to you by a dedicated organizing committee of individuals active in the arts in our community and by The Poets Corner. Sponsorships help to offset expenses for venue, recording, advertising, our website, refreshments, and a modest honorarium for participating poets and musicians. Please consider becoming a sponsor today.

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