Folger Poetry

03/08/2024

Watch Linda Gregerson read her poem "With Emma at the Ladies-Only Swimming Pond on Hampstead Heath." Do you know which Shakespeare play Gregerson echoes in this poem? Tell us in the comments!

Gregerson joins us March 12 to read with Louise Poston, this year's Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize winner. Get tickets at https://bit.ly/42YYcwg.

Linda Gregerson, a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, reads her poem “With Emma at the Ladies-Only Swimming Pond on Hampstead Heath” as part of Dea...

08/09/2023

The Folger is postponing its reopening until 2024. We are disappointed to not be able to share our new spaces with you this year, but we are excited for the year ahead. Learn more at

Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Join us online, on the road, or in Washington, DC.

05/04/2023

What's your story? The O.B. Hardison Poetry Series's 55th season continues its long tradition of welcoming the most incandescent names in poetry to the Folger. This season includes our annual tribute to Emily Dickinson, the Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize reading, and a Friends of Folger Poetry reading. Additional readings, which have become Folger staples, will also be presented: Not Just Another Day Off, Folger’s annual event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will take place in January 2024 and the celebrated Eudora Welty Lecture will be hosted in March. A complete schedule of readings, poets, and dates will be announced soon. Learn more and subscribe at https://bit.ly/3NXEfAL.

11/29/2022

Join us for this virtual event from the Dickinson kitchen in Amherst! With her essay “Making Black Cake in Combustible Spaces” Canadian poet and writer M. NourbeSe Philip dives into the history of Emily Dickinson’s famous Black Cake, exploring the African American/Caribbean and Irish influences on America’s beloved poet.

Philip will read from her work at The Homestead, Dickinson's home in Amherst, Massachusetts. The reading will be followed by a moderated conversation with Christine Jacobson, Assistant Curator of Modern Books and Manuscripts, Houghton Library, Harvard University.

Get your tickets here: https://events.folger.edu/7791/7793/?_ga=2.231511197.329140577.1669735048-131880525.1661180253

11/10/2022

Tonight at 7:30pm ET- join us for our second reading of the season. This virtual reading will showcase the work of two powerhouse poets, you don't want to miss this! Tickets range from $5 up. Come join us!
https://www.folger.edu/events/joel-dias-porter-chris-abani

10/14/2022

Tonight, Jan Beatty reads from her acclaimed memoir "American Bastard!" We've got Pay What You Will tickets available at the door starting an hour before the reading. Stick around after the reading for a book signing, with books sold by East City Bookshop.

Folger Poetry kicks off its 2022/23 season tonight at 7:30 pm with a reading by poet Jan Beatty, and we've got Pay What You Will tickets available at the door starting one hour before the reading! Beatty reads from her award-winning memoir, "American Bastard." Learn more: https://www.folger.edu/events/jan-beatty.

10/11/2022

Jan Beatty will read from her 2021 memoir American Bastard, which won the Red Hen Nonfiction Award. Her memoir reimagines the genre in prosaic and lyrically charged language. Following the reading will be a moderated conversation with Sandra Beasley.

10/11/2022

The 54th season of poetry gets started this week with Jan Beatty! On Thursday, October 13 at 7pm ET, Beatty will conduct a virtual workshop on memoir. Sliding scale access is available. On Friday, Beatty will be live and in person at the Church of the Reformation with Sandra Beasley moderating. Details are below-please join us for the journey of poetry this season at the Folger.
https://www.folger.edu/events/jan-beatty-workshop
https://www.folger.edu/events/jan-beatty

Jan Beatty will read from her 2021 memoir American Bastard, which won the Red Hen Nonfiction Award. Her memoir reimagines the genre in prosaic and lyrically charged language. Following the reading will be a moderated conversation with Sandra Beasley.