The West End Poetry Festival is sponsored by the Town of Carrboro and is planned by the Carrboro Poets Council (currently comprised of Carrboro Poet Laureate Liza Wolff-Francis, Gideon Young, Susan Spalt, Jay Bryan, Fred Joiner, Abigail Browning, Chad Knuth and Paul Jones, with the assistance of the staff of Carrboro’s Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Resources Department and the support of the Carrboro Arts Committee and the Carrboro Tourism Development Authority.

Carrboro held its first poetry festival, organized by then Carrboro Poet Laureate Patrick Herron, in 2006.

Since 2006, many poets from North Carolina and beyond have participated. Participants have included finalists for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize; winners of the Kingsley Tufts Award, the Los Angeles Book Prize, the Oregon Book Award, and the Pushcart Prize; recipients of fellowships Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts; and too many other accolades to easily list here.

Participants have also included poets at the beginning of their writing career with few, if any, publishing credits. The festival aims to be broadly representative of poets and poetry. You don't have to be a poet to attend and attendance is free.

The West End Poetry Festival welcomes all poets and all people curious about or interested in poetry. There are opportunities to meet people, hang out, listen to poetry, share poetry, and celebrate poetry and those who love it.

Schedule Of Events:

Thursday, October 19, 2023

5:45pm-8:00pm:  Carrboro Poets Council Feature and Open Mic

-Fred Joiner, Former Carrboro Poet Laureate

-Gideon Young

-Chad Knuth

-Susan Spalt

-Liza Wolff-Francis, Carrboro Poet Laureate, as MC

Friday, October 20, 2023

4:30pm-5:30pm: Youth Workshop with Jaki Shelton Green

7:00pm-8:00pm: Carrboro Poet Laureate, Liza Wolff-Francis in poetic conversation with Ina Carino and Len Lawson

8:00pm-8:30pm: Open Mic

8:30pm-9:30pm: Wine Reception (cash bar)

Saturday, October 21, 2023

Carrboro Century Center

10:00am-11:15am: Coffee, biscuits and Poetry in the Round

11:15am-12:45pm: Break for lunch. Go explore the many delicious restaurants around downtown Carrboro!

12:45pm: Welcome from Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils

1:00pm: Poets Laureate Reading

-Carrboro Poet Laureate Liza Wolff-Francis

-Chapel Hill Poet Laureate Cortland Gilliam

-Piedmont Poet Laureate Dasan Ahanu

-Durham Poet Laureate DJ Rogers

-Charlotte Poet Laureate Jay Ward

-North Carolina Poet Laureate: Jaki Shelton Green

2:45pm-3:45pm: Poetry Writing Generative Workshop with Ross White

3:45pm-4:30pm: Coffee and snacks provided

4:30pm-5:30pm: New Book Poets Reading

-Corrie Lynn White

-Ross White

-Len Lawson

-Ina Carino

-Jan Harington

5:45pm: Light dinner fare provided by Carrburritos

6:45pm: Community Poem Reading: We need your words to help create the 2023 Carrboro Community Poem! This year's theme is COMMUNITY.

Steel String Brewery

7:00pm-9:00pm  Poetry Slam hosted by Dasan Ahanu

Date: October 19-21, 2023

Locations:

Luna Rotisserie and Taproom, 307 E Main St, Carrboro, NC 27510

The ArtsCenter, 400 Roberson St, Carrboro, NC 27510

Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St. Carrboro, NC 27510

Steel String Brewery, 106A S. Greensboro St. Carrboro, NC 27510

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