The St. Augustine PoetFest is a celebration of creative writing and reciting. It is St. Johns County’s official recognition of National Poetry Month (April).

All events are free of charge and open to all, thanks to the support of Flagler College, St. Johns Cultural Council, and the Ancient City Poets.

Schedule of Events:

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Flagler College campus
The festival continues during the day on Friday with author discussions, author talks, and a keynote presentation at the historic downtown campus of Flagler College. In the evening, the English Department will host an off-campus open mic.

First Floor Lobby, Ringhaver Student Center
50 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084

Registration, Book Bazaar, and Festival Contact Center
9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Human Story
11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Collaborative project created by author Anastasia Forest offering opportunities for deep, insightful human connection, bringing people together from all walks of life for one-on-one conversations to help us to celebrate together what it means to be human.

Blackout Poetry Workshop
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
This interactive workshop will introduce participants to the creative art form of blackout poetry, where existing text is used to create new poems by redacting (blacking out) unwanted words. Presented by Flagler College’s Proctor Library.

Virginia Room, Second Floor, Ringhaver Student Center
50 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084

11:00 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. Virginia Room
Poet Spotlight
11:00 Dan Welch
11:15 Victoria Nations
11:30 Nicole Zwolinski
11:45 Bob Patterson
12:00 Su Zi
12:15 Cynthia Atkins
12:30 Maxwell
12:45 Dorsey Craft

1:00 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. Virginia Room
"Dolly Parton Poetry Workshop" with Dustin Brookshire

2:30 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. Virginia Room
"Not Knowing" Book Celebration Featuring authors J.M. White, Ron Whitehead, and photographer Lenny Foster
Four poets met at Thomas Merton’s hermitage at the Abbey of Gethsemani in rural Kentucky and compiled the poems on Merton’s desk. Learn about this enlightening project from a few of the collaborators.

3:30 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. Virginia Room
"Poetry, Noir, and More" Poet Larry Jaffe shares from his new book, "Only the Shadows Breathe", a blend of poetry and detective fiction.

4:00 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. Virginia Room
St. Augustine PoetFest Keynote Presentation by P.W. Covington, New Mexico Beat Poet Laureate (2024-2026)

6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Open Mic Event
Hosted by the English Department of Flagler College at Relampago Coffee Lab,
located at 74 Spanish Street. The signup sheet is out at 6:00 PM.
Join us for an evening under the stars.