2018 West End Poetry Festival Press Release

-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-

October 17th-20th, 2018 will mark the 13th anniversary of the annual West End Poetry Festival in Carrboro, NC. Four days of poetry featuring more than 50 poets! There will be group discussions, a panel on Intersections, important readings, and amazing local food! All events are free and open to the public. The West End Poetry Festival is sponsored by the Town of Carrboro.

This year’s poetry festival will begin at Johnny’s located at 901 W Main St. on Wednesday, October 17th, at 6:30 pm in the heart of Carrboro. The day will kick off with a Poet’s reception and Ice Cream Social to connect participants with the Poets and other members of the community. The Carrboro Poets Council will present readings.

The Station in downtown Carrboro will host the reprisal of last year’s popular curated open mic poetry reading featuring over 50+ poets. Live poetry will begin at 6:30 pm running until midnight on October 18th.

On October 19th, a long-time supporter, Flyleaf Books, will anchor the third night of reading. Starting at 6:30 pm, the line-up features William Davis of Poet Laureate of Hillsborough, North Carolina Poet Laureate, Jaki Shelton Green, and Lauren Moseley, author Big Windows (2018). Carrboro’s very own Poet Laureate will be reading the night. There will also be a full wine and cheese reception.

On Saturday, Sandra Beasley opens the final day of celebrations at noon with a reading followed by a workshop at the Carrboro Century Center. Beasley is the author of several books, including I Was the Jukebox. The afternoon will center around this year’s theme, Intersections, featuring Joanna Davidson, Jon Obermeyer, and Emilio Taiveaho.

The 2018 West End Poetry Festival concludes with readings and conversations from three significant Arab women poets on October 20th: Ruth Awad, Fatima Abdullah, and Shadab Zest Hashmi.  A light dinner will be provided.

For more information on the festival schedule, poet bios, and past participants, please go to

www.westendpoetryfestival.org

Contact Person:

Roberto Sibrian, Marketer & Administrator 

919-448-8824/sibrianrc@appstate.edu