The only event of its kind, the Showcase is a free exhibit featuring over 3,000 books of poetry published in the preceding 18 months. For 25 years, more than 700 commercial, university, and independent presses and individuals have contributed poetic texts and ephemera annually, stitching together the diverse and inclusive tapestry of today’s contemporary poetry. Join us for a seven-week celebration featuring fantastic Showcase readings!
A PDF of the 2017 Showcase Catalog can be found here
"5x5" from the Poets House Showcase
On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Poets House Showcase, Poets House is pleased
to co-sponsor with Verse a series of curated book selections from the exhibit by prominent poets. An exciting annual exhibition, the Showcase gathers poetry books and press ephemera from the past year, boasting over 3,600 titles from 750 publishers. We are pleased offer a "5X5"—5 book recommendations each from poets
Lynn Melnick, Paolo Javier, Kyle Dacuyan, sam sax, and
r. erica doyle — in celebration of the twenty-fifth Annual Showcase and the breadth of contemporary poetry it encompasses.
Click here to read "5x5"
"The artistic legacy of a nation also represents its riches—riches that everyone can have. Especially in a polyglot nation like ours, the existence of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) emphasizes the value of the individual interior life and exchange about our experiences in community." Why the NEA Matters, A Letter from Poets House Executive Director Lee Briccetti...
Poetry can repair no loss, but it defies the space that separates. And it does this by its continual labor of reassembling what has been scattered. – John Berger
Poetry offers a way to shape – and share – thinking and feeling, bridging our separations. It offers a wellspring of care, caring for language, from the deepest part of our shared humanity. Poets House creates a place for poetry; for focus, for witness. A space for civic discourse, welcoming and democratic. -Lee Briccetti, Executive Director
Upcoming Events at Poets House
Tuesday, August 15 through Saturday, August 19, with A Celebration on Sunday, August 20, 12-4PM each day
The Envy of the World, Joshua Bennett at Prismatic Park
Prismatic Park at Madison Square Park, Between Fifth & Madison Avenues between 23rd and 26th Streets
Poet and scholar
Joshua Bennett guides a series of collaborations and conversations focused on the theme of black male kinship.
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Tuesday, August 29, 12-3pm; Wednesday, August 30, 12-5PM; Thursday, August, 31 1-6PM; Saturday, September 2 & Sunday September 3, 12-5PM
Dwell in Possibility! Donna Masini at Prismatic Park
Prismatic Park at Madison Square Park, Between Fifth & Madison Avenues between 23rd and 26th Streets
Poet
Donna Masini invites you to write “postcard poems,” create a collaborative “Chain of Imagination,” participate in poetry readings, and celebrate Labor Day.
In Loving Memory of Thomas Lux:
Poets House marks the passing of Thomas Lux—poet and educator—who died on February 5, 2017 at the age of 70 after a brief illness. Lux was integral to the literary community and to the Poets House family. For many years he was our guide, emcee and energetic booster for our annual Poetry Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge. He was a wonderful person and poet— kind and unassuming, so hilariously wry and witty. His generosity toward Poets House, both large and small, over twenty years of friendship are innumerable. Lux's books of poetry include To the Left of Time; New and Selected Poems, 1975-1995, which was a finalist for the 1998 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize; and Split Horizon, for which he received the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. He was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award and received three National Endowment for the Arts grants and a Guggenheim Fellowship. At the time of his death, he was the Bourne Professor of Poetry and director of the McEver Visiting Writers program at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.
Emerging Poet Fellows in The Wall Street Journal
2016 Poets House Emerging Poet Fellows
José Olivarez,
Emily Brandt,
Cynthia Manick,
Nicole Shanté wrote fashion-inspired poems for the article
Ode to a Summer Dress, that appeared in
The Wall Street Journal June 23, 2016 -- Congratulations!
“...the perfect place to open little minds to the wonderful world of poetry...”
Parenting website
Mommy Nearest declares Poets House a “Must Do in Battery Park City”! Click the link to read more.
Download the Spring 2017 Program Calendar (PDF)
