North America’s largest poetry fest returns to the NYC area this fall with Patti Smith, Arthur Sze and more

Love rhyme, verse and all poetic things in between? Then you'll be happy to hear that North America’s largest poetry festival will bring literary legends, writing workshops, spoken word and much more to the New York City (okay, fine, downtown Newark) area this fall. 

Yes, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) have announced that Dodge Poetry Festival will return to Newark on Thursday, October 15 through Sunday, October 17. Keeping with its refined focus on poetry "as a performing art and as a tool for social justice advocacy," the 2026 lineup will feature events pairing poets with musicians and other performing artists, as well as writing sessions with festival poets, a free outdoor celebration for families, and professional development opportunities for working writers.

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And there will be some pretty major lit-world names involved, including poet and punk rock icon Patti Smith, 2025-2026 U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze, best-selling poet and young-adult novelist Elizabeth Acevedo and Pulitzer Prize winner Tyehimbe Jess. There will also be a reunion of accomplished poets from the original Def Poetry Jam, Russell Simmons’ groundbreaking spoken word HBO series, as well as special readings in collaboration with Cave Canem (a literary organization dedicated to the growth of poets in the African diaspora), Kundiman (an organization that cultivates Asian American creative writing), and CantoMundo (a national organization devoted to fostering a community of Latinx poets).

“This festival, which has been showcasing powerful poetry since 1986, offers the best of both worlds: Poets laureate and Pulitzer Prize winners for the poetry aficionados, along with Family Fun Day and Young Artist Day for those who are dipping their toes into hearing poetry read live and aloud for the first time,” said David Rodriguez, NJPAC’s Executive Producer and Executive Vice President.

A full roster of festival events and participating poets will be announced in June. Speaking of, three-day passes to the Dodge Poetry Festival will go on sale in June 2026; one-day passes go on sale in August 2026. For updates and more, visit njpac.org/series/dodgepoetry.