Bellingham’s poetry scene has been quietly brewing for decades, with writers’ groups, kitchen table readings, open mics, and acclaimed poets making an occasional splash. This Nov. 7–9, the inaugural Salish Sea Poetry Festival hopes to bring poetry front-and-center.
The festival is the newest program from the Whatcom Poetry Series (WPS), which also supports the Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest every spring. It’s the culmination of years of brainstorming and pop-up events organized by a small band of passionate poets. Co-Founders Danny Canham and Elizabeth Vignali (who are also president and co-chair of the WPS board, respectively) were inspired by a previous event that brought members from Whatcom’s many separate poetry factions together. In addition to improving communication between established literary groups, they want to show everyday folks that poetry is for them, too.
“The big mission is to bring poetry to the people. To take poetry from behind the podium and try to shake off this snooty reputation,” says Vignali. She feels that everyone has a poem out there that really speaks to them, and that it’s an important time for them to find it. “When we are feeling powerless, art is always the first thing to turn to to help you feel seen and connected again.”
Photograph courtesy of Salish Sea Poetry Festival
The festival will fill Bellingham with events, some occurring simultaneously, so there’ll be a way to engage for everyone. Throughout the weekend, local and visiting poets will hold live readings at various venues, the Upfront Theatre will feature poets in their improv shows, and the Bellingham Public Library’s Central Branch will hold poetry workshops.
Kicking off on Friday, Nov. 7, a meet-and-greet and poetry crawl will start at Brandywine and feature readings from various groups. It’ll also be November’s First Friday, and organizers hope that the increased crowds will take notice of the various readings and poetry posted around town.
On Saturday, Nov. 8, the festival’s keynote events will take place at Whatcom Museum’s Old City Hall. Following a live reading from current Washington State Poet Laureate Derek Sheffield and his daughter, the event will pause for attendees to grab a bite. Then they’ll reconvene for the 2025 Salish Sea Poetry Slam, featuring poets from Bellingham, Spokane, Seattle, and Portland. Each poet has previously battled for their spot in the slam, and they’ll go head-to-head in this audience-rated competitive tournament.
Photograph courtesy of Salish Sea Poetry Festival
Sunday, Nov. 9, the Pickford Film Center will show “Dead Poets Society,” and poet Dana Patterson will lead a nature poetry walk.
Developing the festival in this diffused structure will allow for future growth, hopes Sam Wallin, a.k.a. Crash Solo, another of the festival’s organizers.
“Having it dispersed throughout the city means that as we meet more people, as more groups get interested…there’s just kind of an infinite expansion that’s possible,” says Wallin.
Photograph courtesy of Salish Sea Poetry Festival
If you’d like to support the festival, drop into Village Books and Paper Dreams to pick up a fundraising 2026 calendar, which will feature poets of Whatcom County. Village Books will also be stocking the works of the festival’s featured poets. Post-festival, keep an eye on their social media for pop-up events throughout the year, and look out for another new program from the Whatcom Poetry Series—a Whatcom County Poet Laureate program, which Canham describes as “well overdue.”
“The spirit of the Salish Sea Poetry Festival is all about making poetry an everyday thing in our lives, everyday transcendence,” says Vignali. Even if you don’t attend an event, participating is as easy as posting a poem on a community board, adding a poetry book to a little free library, or writing one down on a sidewalk with chalk. Bellingham, whatcompoetryseries.com
