West End Poetry Festival to Celebrate Kinship and Engage Young Writers

This annual event aims to strengthen Carrboro’s vibrant art and writing community by featuring a mix of established poets, budding writers, and community members. The festival will offer three days of free poetry events designed to foster inclusion and creativity.

Carrboro Poet Laureate Amanda Bennett, a member of the Carrboro Poets’ Council, emphasized the event’s theme this year: kinship, community, and belonging. This theme aims to welcome everyone, regardless of their literary credentials. “We may not all share a publication record, but we all share a love of creativity and community and language,” Bennett noted, highlighting the festival’s focus on connection.

The festival will kick off on Thursday with an open mic session and poetry readings at Steel String Brewery. On Friday, activities at the Drakeford Library Complex will include youth workshops and community discussions. Saturday will feature additional workshops and poetry readings at the Carrboro Century Center, providing opportunities for attendees to share their own work.

Bennett expressed her hope that the festival will continue Carrboro’s tradition of advocating for social justice and celebrating diverse communities. “It shows we carry out our values through how we create in the world,” she stated. She will facilitate a panel focused on Black Southern kinship and the role of poetry in community building.

The festival will also showcase performances from G.L.O.W. Girls poetry contest winners and feature a youth writing workshop led by Chapel Hill Poet Laureate Donovan Livingston, along with a poetry workshop led by UNC assistant professor Tyree Daye. Bennett described the event as an opportunity not only to learn about poetry writing but also to build inclusive creative spaces.

Former Carrboro poet laureate Liza Wolff-Francis, who is currently part of the Carrboro Poets’ Council, noted this year’s increased focus on youth participation. “You don’t have to be a poet or consider yourself a poet; everybody’s welcome,” she said, encouraging all attendees to engage with the festival’s offerings.

Grayce Curry, Carrboro’s recreation supervisor specializing in arts, is responsible for coordinating the festival alongside the Carrboro Poets’ Council. She mentioned that the festival is inclusive, aiming to create a safe space for individuals to share their poetry and experiences.

“It’s wonderful because what you are trying to do is build community and make space for all of these folks to come together and enjoy poetry and share their thoughts,” Curry added.