Skagit River Poetry Festival will begin on Oct. 3

As the golden hues of fall arrive in the Skagit Valley, so does the opportunity to attend the Skagit River Poetry Festival: three days of poetic voices from around the nation and the world heard in La Conner. Poets and attendees will gather Oct. 3-5 here, on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish Peoples.

One of the largest celebrations of poetry on the West Coast, the festival is presented by the Skagit River Poetry Foundation.

The festival takes place in venues throughout La Conner. "Where else can a person sleep, eat, live and breathe poetry for a fall weekend?!," asks Seattle poet, Susan Rich and a featured poet. The weekend includes performances, workshops, readings and discussions, featuring some of the most renowned and diverse names in poetry.

The festival opens Thursday evening Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. with a reading, "Finding Cascadia," featuring poets Elizabeth Bradfield, CMarie Fuhrman, Tim McNulty and Derek Sheffield that explores the abundance of the Northwest.

The festival presents some of the most thoughtful voices in contemporary poetry, reflecting cultures from around the world. The lineup includes Ellen Bass, Chen Chen, Tony Curtis, Ilya Kaminsky, plus many more.

This festival is a culmination of the special work that our local students are inspired to create in our Poets in Schools program. A separate group of teaching poets visit Skagit and Island County school districts for weeklong residencies during the school year and provide space for students to find and express their voice and build literacy skills by reading and writing poetry. These meaningful interactions cultivate a creative practice that students can use throughout their life.

Students are encouraged to attend. Admission is free for all students with their student ID.

Everyone is invited to attend, it doesn't matter if you haven't written a line of poetry before - festival sessions will appeal to a wide audience and touch on diverse ideas and topics. Fall into poetry with us this October and be engaged, inspired and transformed!

The Skagit River Poetry Foundation is a non-profit organization that hosts poets in K-14 classrooms to promote literacy, an appreciation of language and youth participation in culturally diverse communities.

All proceeds benefit the foundation's mission.

To volunteer and for festival schedule and ticket prices: SkagitRiverPoetry.org.

Cora Thomas is the Skagit River Poetry Foundation's executive assistant and Poets in Schools coordinator.