In celebration of National Poetry Month, Albany Poets is proud to present the 2018 Albany Word Fest featuring the poetry and spoken word of upstate New York. This year’s event will take place Monday, April 16 – Saturday, April 21, 2018.
Whether you would like to take in a featured performance, celebrate the launch of the sixth edition of Up The River, or be part of the 24-hour Readings Against the End of the World open mic, the Albany Word Fest is the place for you.
Word Fest News
Help us Make the 2019 Albany Word Fest the Best Yet!
We are starting to plan out the next Albany Word Fest and we want to know about your Word Fest history and what you want to see in 2019.
MONDAY, APRIL 16
7:00 PM – Word Fest Night of Features
Hudson River Coffee House, 227 Quail Street, Albany
The festival kicks off on Monday, April 16, at the Hudson River Coffee House on Quail Street for The Word Fest Night of Features – an evening of poetry and prose featuring regional poets and writers Harvey Havel, Danielle Pouliot, Adam Tedesco, Joe Krausman, Poetyc Visionz, and Olivia McKee, hosted by Brian Dorn.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18
7:00 PM – Albany Poets Presents D. Colin
Restaurant Navona, 289 New Scotland Ave., Albany
On Wednesday. April 18, we welcome a local poet, writer, artist, and performer D. Colin to Albany Poets Presents at Restaurant Navona on New Scotland Avenue to share their work and then take questions from the audience about life, inspirations, writing, and more.
THURSDAY, APRIL 19
7:00 PM – Third Thursday Poetry Night
Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany
W.D. Clarke will be the featured reader on Thursday, April 19, at the Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center on Central Avenue. There will be an opportunity before and after the feature for poets to step up to the mic and share their work.
FRIDAY, APRIL 20
7:00 PM – Readings Against the End of the World
Husted Hall Café, UAlbany Downtown Campus, 135 Western Avenue, Albany
Albany Poets and the English Department at UAlbany present Readings Against the End of the World, a 24-Hour Open Mic for poetry, storytelling, theater, spoken word, and more to benefit the South End Children’s Café.
Online sign-up is now open! Organizations interested in having a table can contact Albany Poets at albanypoets@gmail.com for information.
SUNDAY, APRIL 22
2:00 PM – Word Fest Invitational Slam
Troy Kitchen, 77 Congress Street, Troy
on Sunday, April 22, the 2018 Albany Word Fest comes to an end as Nitty Gritty Slam welcomes teams from all over the Northeast to compete for prizes and bragging rights in the 6thAnnual Word Fest Invitational Slam starting at 2:00 p.m. at Troy Kitchen in downtown Troy. This event is the perfect exclamation point on an amazing week of open mics, featured readings, and dynamic poetry and spoken word.
The 2018 Albany Word Fest is sponsored by
