2025 Massachusetts Poetry Festival

The Massachusetts Poetry Festival kicks off on May 30th with Common Threads: A Celebration of Massachusetts Poets, a showcase of local poets with readings by distinguished Massachusetts poets and poet laureates, including Elizabeth Bradfield, Regie Gibson, and J.D. Scrimgeour. The Festival features over 100 poets and performers from across Massachusetts and beyond. There are headline readings, workshops, panels, a small press fair, multimedia events, open mics, and more. The high energy continues with community programming held at venues throughout the City of Salem, including the Peabody Essex Museum, Old Town Hall, National Park Service Visitor Welcome Center, and others.