Seattle-based nonprofit Cascadia Poetics Lab will host the 10th Anniversary Cascadia Poetry Festival from October 9-11, 2026, at the Rainier Beach Community Club and Kubota Garden. The festival, which brings together poets and bioregionalists, will examine how poetry can engage with environmental, political, historical, and sociological concerns within the Cascadia bioregion. Organizers emphasize that prioritizing natural and cultural boundaries over arbitrary political ones can offer new perspectives on climate change and other pressing issues.
The event will feature a lineup of prominent poets and academics, including allia abdullah-matta, Greg Bem, Amaranth Borsuk, Bill Carty, Xavier Cavazos, Zach Charles, Ching-in Chen, Stephen Collis, Gary Copeland Lilley, Tess Gallagher, Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, Geneviève Hicks, Alicia Hokanson, Nadine Maestas, Dion O'Reilly, Roxi Power, Mateo Quispe, Linda Russo, Sharon Thesen, Miriam Tobin, Rodrigo Toscano, Matt Trease, and Terri Witek. Workshops will delve into bioregional poetics, poetry as politics, lyric and form, the connection between internal and external worlds, and poetry in times of crisis. Evening afterparties will be held nearby on Friday and Saturday nights.
This year's festival marks a decade of exploring the relationship between poetry and place. As the Cascadia bioregion faces environmental challenges, the festival's focus on bioregionalism is particularly timely. By fostering dialogue between poets and environmentalists, the festival aims to inspire creative solutions to the climate crisis. The workshops, such as “Cascadia as a Field of Action (Poetry as Politics)” and “The Green Being,” are designed to equip participants with tools to integrate ecological awareness into their artistic practice.
Sponsors include 4Culture Sustained Support and 4Culture Public Free Access, Creative West, the Vogt Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, ArtsFund, La Sala, and CPL Supporters. Registration for gold passes, workshop packages, reading packages, and student passes is now open via the festival website at https://cascadiapoeticslab.org/2026-cascadia-poetry-festival-10/. A complete schedule is available at https://cascadiapoeticslab.org/2026-cascadia-poetry-festival-10-schedule/.
Founded in Auburn, Washington, on December 14, 1993, Cascadia Poetics Lab has been a hub for poetic exploration in the region. The festival's tenth anniversary underscores the enduring relevance of its mission to connect poetry with the natural world and community. As the event approaches, it promises to be a significant gathering for anyone interested in the role of the arts in addressing ecological and social challenges.
