DRAFT:DodgePoetryFestival

Spoken word in every form is celebrated at the Dodge Poetry Festival on October 15-17, 2026 in Downtown Newark.

Meet your favorite poets including Elizabeth Acevedo, Tyehimba Jess, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Aja Monet, Danez Smith, Jive Poetic, Mayde del Valle, José Olivarez and more. Discover new voices, speak your mind, call for change and mix rhyme with rhythm.

Events include:

  • 7 simultaneous stages of events in a walkable village in downtown Newark
  • Network and socialize at Thursday night’s mixer and open mic hosted by EvoluCulture
  • Fine-tune your craft on Thursday, a day for writers created in partnership with the Academy of American Poets
  • Pop-up bookstore and book signings curated and hosted by Source of Knowledge
  • Special readings by Cave Canem, CantoMundo, Lampblack and Kundiman and New Jeru Slam Team
  • And Saturday free outdoor Family Fun Day on Chambers Plaza

Full schedule coming soon.

Festival passes DO NOT include special ticketed events which must be purchased separately: Patti Smith, Is Brooklyn in the House? and Def Poetry Reunion.

get 3-day pass for

schedule

PERFORMANCE SPACES CAPACITY
NJPAC Victoria Theater 450 Academy of American Poets: What We Do With Grief with Kimiko Hahn, Ilya Kaminsky, and Afaa Michael Weaver Academy of American Poets: The Art of Revision with Jericho Brown, Cornelius Eady, and Patricia Smith Academy of American Poets: Poetry Ancestors with Natalie Diaz and Ed Roberson Making a Life in Poetry: Patricia Smith, Glenis Redmond, Diamond Forde, Peter E. Murphy
NICOS X X X X X EvoluCulture Presents Catalyst Open Mic & Mixer
TOTAL CAPACITY 450

PERFORMANCE SPACES CAPACITY
NJPAC Prudential Hall 2600 Music What Happens to a Dream Deferred?: Naomi Shihab Nye, Diamond Forde, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Stephanie Burt Griots, Troubadours and MCs: Poetry and the Oral Tradition: Jive Poetic, Ebony Stewart, Gabriel Ramirez Writing Our Story, Preventing Erasure: Adrian Matejka, Danez Smith, Quenton Baker, Amanda Johnston X X
NJPAC Victoria Theater 450 X New Jeru Slam Team featuring RADI, Keynote, SNC and John Burke Griots, Troubadours and MCs: Poetry and the Oral Tradition: Rickey Laurentiis, Terrance Hayes, Glenis Redmond We Are Not Your Labels: Dena Igusti, Cindy Juyoung Ok, walela Nehanda Let Me Show You How It’s Done: Poetry & Performance: Jive Poetic, Sarah Browning, Ebony Stewart, Noel Quiñones Redemption Time [70-minute movie with 25-minute talkback]
Robert Treat Hotel-New Jersey Room 350 X Poetry and the Body: Meg Day, Dena Igusti, Quenton Baker, Cindy Juyoung Ok Griots, Troubadours and MCs: Poetry and the Oral Tradition: Evie Shockley, Rajiv Mohabir, Peter E. Murphy Radical Love & Liberation: Aja Monet, Mckendy Fils-Aimé, Mayda del Valle X X
Robert Treat Hotel -New York Room 350 X Developing a Lexicon Toward Liberation: Tyehimba Jess, Frank X Walker, Dr. Grisel Y. Acosta Griots, Troubadours and MCs: Poetry and the Oral Tradition: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Noah Arhm Choi , Malcolm Friend Africana Institute’s 14th State of Black Writers Symposium: Tehsuan Glover, Rashida Nakia, Mia x (assign only 150 kids & chaperones) X X
Trinity-St. Philips 400 X Finding Our Ancestors in the Stars: Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Antoinette Ellis-Williams, Barbara Fant, Adrian Matejka Griots, Troubadours and MCs: Poetry and the Oral Tradition:E. Ethelbert Miller, Noel Quiñones, Leslie McIntosh Writing Home: Nick Martino, Brent Ameneyro, Ana Portnoy Brimmer, Anthony Cody Where’s Jersey At? Fostering Community in our Neighborhoods: Marina Carreira, Dr. Grisel Y. Acosta, Peter E. Murphy X
First Peddie Baptist 200 X Poetry & the Sacred: Jessica Jacobs, Mckendy Fils-Aimé, Nick Martino, Alysha Wise Griots, Troubadours and MCs: Poetry and the Oral Tradition: Aja Monet, Anthony Cody, Roberto Carlos Garcia Taking Off the Mask: On Vulnerability in Poetry: Alysha Wise, Jessica Jacobs, Diamond Forde To Be Young, Gifted and Black: Barbara Fant, Gabriel Ramirez, Malcolm Friend X
Express Newark (Lecture Hall) 150 X Story, Sound, Synergy, Light: The Interdisciplinary Poetic Experience: Melida Rodas, Martha Mooke, Jose Gonzalez, Cara Hagan moderated by I. Buenaventura Griots, Troubadours and MCs: Poetry and the Oral Tradition: José Olivarez, Marina Carreira, Sarah Browning Writing Speculative Futures: Julian Randall, Len Lawson, Stephanie Burt, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein X X
NJ Hist. Soc./Open Mic 75 X Festival Open Mic Festival Open Mic Festival Open Mic Festival Open Mic X
TOTAL CAPACITY 4575

PERFORMANCE SPACES CAPACITY
NJPAC Prudential Hall 2600 Music X X X X X
NJPAC Victoria Theater 450 Praise & Reclamation: Naomi Shihab Nye, Meg Day, Rajiv Mohabir, José Olivarez, Danez Smith, Rickey Laurentiis, Tongo Eisen-Martin The Future is Female: Elizabeth Acevedo, Aja Monet, Diamond Forde, Patricia Smith Cave Canem’s 30th Anniversary X X
Community Room 25 X Writing Workshop: Alysha Wise Writing Workshop: Amanda Johnston Writing Workshop: Brent Ameneyro Writing Workshop: Barbara Fant
Robert Treat Hotel Ballroom 1 350 X Transient Worlds: Poetry & Translation: Carol Moldaw, Arthur Sze, Michael Wiegers CantoMundo featuring María Fernanda Chamorro, Jay Aja, Noel Quiñones Lampblack The Fusion of Form & Feeling: E. Ethelbert Miller, Terrance Hayes, Quenton Baker, Amanda Johnston
Robert Treat Hotel Ballroom 2 350 X The Body, a Love Song: Mckendy Fils-Aimé, Julian Randall, Claudia Cortese, Terrance Hayes Queering the Poem:Rickey Laurentiis, Leslie McIntosh, Noah Arhm Choi, Marina Carreira Kundiman: Fatimah Asghar, Sanam Sheriff, R. A. Villanueva Writing Our Story, Preventing Erasure: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Carol Moldaw, Nick Martino
Trinity-St. Philips 400 X Historical Legend & Poetry: Frank X Walker, E. Ethelbert Miller, Tyehimba Jess Writing Radical Joy: Stephanie Burt, José Olivarez, Glenis Redmond, Malcolm Friend Poetry as Time Capsule: Danez Smith, Frank X Walker, Dena Igusti, Adrian Matejka Saying What We Must: Naomi Shihab Nye, Roberto Carlos Garcia, Ana Portnoy Brimmer
First Peddie Baptist 200 X Finding Our Ancestors in the Stars: Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Evie Shockley, Mayda del Valle , Gabriel Ramirez Writing Our Land: Jessica Jacobs, Anthony Cody, Sarah Browning, Peter E. Murphy, Dr. Grisel Y. Acosta Griots, Troubadours and MCs: Poetry and the Oral Tradition: Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Tyehimba Jess, Mayda del Valle, Alysha Wise, Patricia Smith Poetry & Survival: Jive Poetic, walela Nehanda, Julian Randall, Antoinette Ellis-Williams
Express Newark (Lecture Hall) 150 X X Mental Wellness & Poetry : Ebony Stewart, Cindy Juyoung Ok, Len Lawson, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha Developing a Lexicon Toward Liberation: Meg Day, Evie Shockley, Rajiv Mohabir, Noel Quiñones Poetry Foundation presents the 2026 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellows: xochi quetzali cartland, Fatima Jafar, Shaina Jones, Noel Munguia-Moreno, Tariq Thompson

included in your experience

evening Open Mic/Mixer

Thursday, October 15, 2026 @ 7PM
NICO Kitchen + Bar

more info to come for

young artist day

Friday, October 16, 2026 @ 9AM
NJPAC

learn more for

family fun day

Saturday, October 17, 2026 @ 11AM
Chambers Plaza

more info to come for

ADD-ONs

The shows listed below are NOT included in any of the festival passes. These performances require a separate ticket purchase.

patti smith

Friday, October 16, 2026 @ 7:30PM
Victoria Theater

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def poetry reunion

Saturday, October 17, 2026 @ 5PM
Victoria Theater

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is brooklyn in the house?

Saturday, October 17, 2026 @ 8PM
Prudential Hall

Buy Tickets for

ASL Interpretation is available by request for certain performances with two weeks’ or more advance notice (only provided in Prudential Hall and Victoria Theater). Call 973-297-5843 Mon – Fri 9AM – 5PM, or email ticketservices@njpac.org.