Cascadia Poetics Lab Announces 9th Cascadia Poetry Festival to Explore Poetry's Role in Environmental and Social Issues

The Cascadia Poetics Lab is set to host the 9th Cascadia Poetry Festival from October 10-12, 2025, in Seattle, Washington. This event promises to be a significant gathering for poets, academics, and bioregionalists interested in exploring the intersection of poetry with environmental, political, historical, and sociological issues. The festival will take place at various venues including the Rainier Beach Community Club, Kubota Garden, and Redwing Café, offering a diverse range of activities from writing workshops to panel discussions and readings.

Highlighting the festival's focus on natural and cultural boundaries over political ones, the event aims to address pressing global challenges such as climate change. Featured speakers include a notable lineup of poets and thinkers such as Brenda Cárdenas, Jim Dott, and Brenda Hillman, among others. Workshops will delve into topics like ekphrasis, the lyric and form, and poetry's role in times of crisis, providing attendees with deep dives into the craft and its relevance today.

The festival also emphasizes community and celebration, with an afterparty hosted by Greg Bem of Carbonation Press and Cascadia 2050, the youth initiative of Cascadia Poetics Lab, at Jude's in Rainier Beach. This blend of serious discussion and communal festivity underscores the festival's mission to foster connections between people, poetry, and the planet.

Supported by sponsors such as 4Culture, Creative West, and the National Endowment for the Arts, the festival is accessible to a wide audience with various registration options available. Interested participants can find more information and register for the event through the festival's website at https://cascadiapoeticslab.org/cascadia-poetry-festival-9/. Additional details about the festival and Cascadia Poetics Lab's broader initiatives can be explored at https://cascadiapoeticslab.org/, with the complete event schedule available at https://cascadiapoeticslab.org/2025-cascadia-poetry-festival-9-schedule/.

The Cascadia Poetry Festival represents a unique opportunity to engage with poetry not just as an art form but as a tool for social and environmental change. By bringing together voices from across the Cascadia bioregion and beyond, the festival highlights the power of poetry to inspire action and foster a deeper connection to our world.