From October 9-11, 2026, Seattle-based poetry nonprofit Cascadia Poetics Lab will host the 10th Anniversary Cascadia Poetry Festival at the Rainier Beach Community Club and Kubota Garden. The festival brings together poets, academics, and bioregionalists to examine poetry's connection to environmental, political, historical, and sociological issues within the Cascadia bioregion. As the festival marks a decade of gatherings, its focus on bioregionalism and climate change is more urgent than ever, offering a platform for creative responses to pressing global challenges.
The festival's core premise is that prioritizing natural and cultural boundaries—rather than arbitrary political ones—can address climate change and other social and political issues. By fostering a sense of place and interconnectedness, the event aims to inspire action and awareness. Featured speakers include allia abdullah-matta, Greg Bem, Amaranth Borsuk, Bill Carty, Xavier Cavazos, Zach Charles, Ching-in Chen, Stephen Collis, Gary Copeland Lilley, Tess Gallagher, Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, Geneviève Hicks, Alicia Hokanson, Nadine Maestas, Dion O'Reilly, Roxi Power, Mateo Quispe, Linda Russo, Sharon Thesen, Miriam Tobin, Rodrigo Toscano, Matt Trease, and Terri Witek.
The festival will feature workshops exploring bioregional poetics, poetry as politics, lyric and form, the connection between internal and external worlds, and poetry in times of crisis. Specific workshops include "Startling the Poem Awake," "Flickers of the Poetic, A Watch Party," "Concerning Work and Poetry (of Course the Mundane is Generative!)," "The Green Being," and "Cascadia as a Field of Action (Poetry as Politics)." These sessions are designed to engage participants in creative and critical thinking about the role of poetry in societal and environmental transformation.
Sponsors include 4Culture Sustained Support and 4Culture Public Free Access, Creative West, the Vogt Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, ArtsFund, La Sala, and CPL Supporters. Registration for gold passes, workshop packages, reading packages, and student passes is available via the festival website. A complete schedule can be found here.
Founded in 1993, Cascadia Poetics Lab has been a vital force in nurturing poetic expression and bioregional consciousness. The 10th anniversary festival underscores the organization's enduring commitment to exploring the intersection of poetry and place. As climate change continues to reshape our world, the festival's emphasis on bioregionalism offers a timely and meaningful framework for artistic and scholarly engagement.
