Literature

15th Annual PoetryFest

Curated by Vona Groarke and Nick Laird

Details

All events on Saturday and Sunday are free. Tickets for the Friday launch event, Favorite Irish Poems, are $25–65 (inclusive of fees).
Date(s)

Nov 22, 2024 – Nov 24, 2024

Contact

Box Office

888-616-0274
boxoffice@irishartscenter.org

Phone hours:
10am-6pm, Monday-Friday

In person:
Opens 60 minutes before the performance on show days


Location

The JL Greene Theatre
Irish Arts Center 
726 11th Avenue 
Hell's Kitchen, NYC

Overview

Our annual “literary revelry” (New Yorker) returns with Vona Groarke joining Nick Laird as co-curator. In an intimately reconfigured setup for our flexible theatre and tucked away from the cacophony of the city and our online lives, PoetryFest bridges contemporary work from both sides of the Atlantic with a free weekend of readings and conversations with leading Irish, Northern Irish, and North American writers.

Most events are free, but reservations are recommended.


“PoetryFest brings together writers from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss, read from and generally cheer on the enduring poetic community of Ireland”—TIME OUT NEW YORK


FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22 // 8PM

Favorite Irish Poems

Favorite Irish Poems is a much-loved tradition to launch the festival, where we invite festival poets and a broader range of our artistic community to choose a favorite poem from an Irish writer to read. Featuring Dael Orlandersmith, Heather Clark, John Duddy, Consul General Helena Nolan, Isabella Hammad, and Vona Groarke.

RESERVE

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23 // 2PM, 3:30PM, 5PM

Free readings all day from the festival poets.

2:00pm // Declan Ryan and Maggie Millner
RESERVE 
3:30pm // Nuar Alsadir and Fran Lock
RESERVE
5:00pm // Leontia Flynn and Henri Cole
RESERVE

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24 // 1PM, 2:30PM, 4PM

Free readings all day from the festival poets.

1:00pm // John Kelly and Ishion Hutchinson 
RESERVE
2:30pm // Desert Island Poems: Shane McCrae and Vona Groarke 
Each poet chooses 5 poems they would bring to a desert island with them.
RESERVE
4:00pm // Shane McCrae and Vona Groarke
RESERVE


Presented with generous support from The Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation, Culture Ireland, Northern Ireland Bureau, and Tourism Ireland.

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Our Supporters

Irish Arts Center programs are supported, in part, by government, foundation, and corporate partners including Culture Ireland, the agency for the promotion of Irish arts worldwide; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office and the New York City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; Howard Gilman Foundation; Tourism Ireland; the Jerome L. Greene Foundation; the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation; the Charina Endowment Fund; the Ireland Funds; the Shubert Foundation, Inc.; the Arnhold Foundation; the Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; the Irish Institute of New York; the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, New York; Northern Ireland Bureau; Invest NI; CIE Tours; M&T Bank; the Dead Rabbit; the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Consulate of Ireland in New York; and thousands of generous donors like you.

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