North America's Largest Poetry Festival Opens Today in Newark, With 139 Poets Across Seven Stages and Patti Smith Performing Friday Night
Newark, New Jersey — The Dodge Poetry Festival opened on October 15 in downtown Newark, according to the schedule posted by the organizer, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). The three-day festival runs through October 17, is headquartered at NJPAC, 1 Center Street, and is presented by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation together with NJPAC. NorthJersey.com reported that this edition brings together 139 poets for 70 events across seven stages at NJPAC and other downtown venues.
The opening day, October 15, featured a writers' day in NJPAC's Victoria Theater presented with the Academy of American Poets, followed by EvoluCulture's open mic and mixer from 7 to 10 p.m. at NICO Kitchen + Bar. Friday, October 16, is Young Artist Day for high school students, and at 8 p.m. that evening singer and writer Patti Smith performs Songs and Stories in NJPAC's Prudential Hall. On Saturday, October 17, a free outdoor Family Fun Day runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Chambers Plaza, the Def Poetry Reunion takes the Victoria Theater stage at 5 p.m., and the multimedia event Do the Write Thing follows at 8 p.m. The organizer said the Smith performance, the Def Poetry Reunion and Do the Write Thing require separate tickets and are not included in festival passes, which are sold through njpac.org.
Participants this year include U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze, Pulitzer Prize winner Tyehimba Jess, best-selling author Elizabeth Acevedo, and poets Terrance Hayes, Aja Monet, Jericho Brown and Naomi Shihab Nye, along with special readings by groups including Cave Canem, CantoMundo, Lampblack and Kundiman. NJArts.net reported that the biennial festival, first held in 1986, has drawn more than 150,000 people over its history and is billed by its presenters as North America's largest poetry festival.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：新泽西表演艺术中心（NJPAC）普鲁登歇尔大厅外景，本届道奇诗歌节主会场，帕蒂·史密斯10月16日晚在此演出。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，ajay_suresh 摄于2026年3月24日，CC BY 4.0 授权 / Photo: Prudential Hall at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, the festival's main venue. Source: Wikimedia Commons, by ajay_suresh, March 24, 2026, CC BY 4.0
