June 11 – 13 @ EST 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Gift Economy Tickets, priced FREE – $50
To inquire about sponsorship opportunities email: Chris Fanning.
Highland Bowl, 1137 South Ave, Rochester, NY 14620
Rain Venue: Third Presbyterian Church: 4 Meigs St, Rochester, NY 14607
Immerse yourself in poetry and live music at Rochester’s incomparable outdoor amphitheater! Bring a blanket or lawn chair and settle in to absorb the lyrics of an exciting line-up of nationally renowned writers, beloved regional poets, and power-house local musicians. Stay to meet the poets and have copies of your books signed. ASL interpreted; mobility-friendly.
The festival comprises three consecutive nights of live readings: Wednesday, June 11; Thursday, June 12; and Friday, June 13. Live music animates intermissions between poetry sets, opportunities for audience members to meet the poets, mingle, and peruse books available for purchase from Ampersand Books.
NY State Poet Laureate Patricia Spears Jones headlines on June 13. Over her 50+ year career as a poet, educator, and activist, Spears Jones has fostered a connection across generations to inspire serious discussions of social justice, environmental degradation, systemic oppression, and cultural resistance.
Wednesday, June 11, 6:30 – 9:30pm
Featured Artists:
Tokeya C. Graham is a multi-award-winning educator, writer, entrepreneur, and community activist/volunteer.
Tony Leuzzi has published four books of poetry and a collection of interviews with 20 American poets.
“In the Tradition”: Poets/actors Reenah Golden, Anderson Allen, and David Shakes present an exhilarating kinetic performance, interspersing original verse with a reimagining of canonical Black Arts Movement writings–all accompanied by live percussive music.
Percussionists Steven Humphrey and Adrianne Santucci will perform during intermissions and during “In the Tradition”.
For more information on the artists and to reserve your tickets click HERE.
Thursday, June 12, 6:30 – 9:30 pm
Featured Artists:
Cathy Linh Che, the daughter of Vietnam War refugees, is a multidisciplinary artist and author of Becoming Ghost (Washington Square Press, 2025) and Split (Alice James Books), winner of the Kundiman Poetry Prize.
Kathryn Cowles has published two collections of poetry. She is an associate professor of English at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Geoffrey Babbitt is the author of Appendices Pulled from a Study on Light and the 2023 Betsy Joiner Flanagan Prize-winning A Grain of Sand in Lambeth, forthcoming from the University of Nevada Press.
Singer-songwriter Cammy Enaharo will perform during intermissions.
For more information on the artists and to reserve your tickets click HERE.
Friday, June 13, 6:30 – 9:30 pm
Featured Artists:
Ralph Black, Professor Emeritus at SUNY Brockport, has published two full-length collections of poems and a chapbook. His Bloom and Laceration received the 2017 Hopper Poetry Prize from Green Writers Press.
Kathy Engel is a poet, essayist, teacher, organizer, cultural worker, and the author of three books of poems, most recently Dear Inheritors (Get Fresh Books, 2024). She is Associate Arts Professor in the Department of Art & Public Policy, Tisch School of the Arts, NYU.
Patricia Spears Jones is a poet, playwright, anthologist, educator, and cultural activist. The current New York State Poet Laureate and winner of the 2017 Jackson Poetry Prize from Poets & Writers, she is the author of five books of poems.
Improvisational band Margaret Explosion with guitarist Bernie Heveron will perform during intermissions.
For more information on the artists and to reserve your tickets click HERE.
Thank you event funders and community partners!
Genesee Valley Council on the Arts, Rochester Area Community Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, Mary S. Mulligan Charitable Trust, Rochester Downtown Courtyard by Marriott, WowWerks, Highland Park Conservancy.
