10th Cascadia Poetry Festival

The 10th Cascadia Poetry Festival runs from October 9 to 11 at the Rainier Beach Community Club in Seattle, with readings also held at other local venues. It's a three-day gathering of poets and bioregionalists exploring poetry's connection to the Cascadia bioregion—the region as defined by David McCloskey, which prioritizes natural and cultural boundaries over political ones. Over the course of the weekend, the festival asks what that perspective can teach about issues like climate change, drawing readers and literary artists from across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

The program is broad. There are youth and Veteran events, and "living room readings" where any community member can share their work. It's held in honor of the late poet Sam Hamill. Washington Poet Laureate Tod Marshall called it one of the best festivals for combining literary energy with environmental and political exploration, and poet Stephen Collis described it as "absolutely unique" and "a vital necessity."

Logistically, it runs from 8 AM to 5 PM each day. There are three ways to get in: a Gold Pass for $200 covers all the readings plus two workshops; a Reading Pass for $40 gets you into all the readings; and a Student Pass for $20 covers all the readings, provided you have a student ID. The main hub is the Rainier Beach Community Club at 6038 S Pilgrim St, Seattle, WA 98118, with other readings scattered around the city.