KSPS offers a year-round slate of poetry programs that bring writers and readers together through readings, open mics, and craft-focused events.

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2026 Programs & Events

Our 2026 programming includes monthly readings, open mics, craft talks, and a special book club series led by the Poet Laureate. Most events run February through October, with our annual conference in November and no scheduled events in December. Additional details and registration links will be added as schedules are finalized.

Featured Reading + Open Mic Series

When: Second Tuesday of each month (January–October)
Time: 6:30–8:00 PM ET
Total: 9 events

March Featured Reading: Cecilia Woloch

Cecilia Woloch is the author of seven collections of poems, most recently LABOR: The Testimony of Ted Gall, from Accents Publishing. She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fulbright Foundation, and CEC/ArtsLink International, along with numerous other honors, including a Pushcart Prize and inclusion in the Best American Poetry series. The text of her second book, Tsigan: The Gypsy Poem, has been the basis for multilingual, multi-media performances across the U.S. and Europe. Born in Pennsylvania and raised there and in rural Kentucky, she has traveled the world as a teacher and writer. She is currently a senior Fulbright Scholar at Jagiellonian University in Kraków.

This is a virtual event, hosted on Zoom.

Each Featured Reading is followed by an open mic. Registration is required to attend the featured reading. Anyone interested in participating in the open mic may sign up in person at the event.

Craft Talk / Workshop Series

Craft Talk / Workshop Series

When: Fourth Wednesday of select months
Time: 6:30–8:30 PM ET (some sessions may conclude earlier)
Total: 5 sessions throughout the year

These interactive sessions focus on craft, process, and professional development for writers.

March Craft Talk: “Taking Your Time About Striking”: writing the pantoum with Libby Falk Jones

The pantoum is a versatile, generative form, sparking discovery in poet and reader, through material either original or “found.” In this craft workshop, we’ll review the pantoum’s structure of repeated and new lines, look at some examples, discuss adaptations, and even try our hand at writing one. We’ll hope to experience the pantoum’s growing power, how it’s “like a hawk with a chicken, it takes its time about striking,” in the words of the Malayan proverb invoked by poet Wendy Bishop (Thirteen Ways of Looking for a Poem, 140).

Libby Falk Jones is a life-long writer of poems, stories, and essays.  She’s authored or co-authored five books of poems, and her poetry and creative nonfiction have appeared in more than 30 journals and anthologies.  Her most recent collection, Enchanting the Ordinary (Broadstone, 2025), includes poems paired with her photographs.  Jones taught writing and literature at Berea College for 29 years and currently leads writing workshops locally and nationally.  A past president of Kentucky Poetry Society, she’s a member of Bluegrass Writers Studio (Eastern Kentucky University) and Northfield Open Writers.  Learn more at https://www.libbyfalkjones.com/.

Reading Kentucky Poets

Led by the current Kentucky Poet Laureate, Kathleen Driskell, this book club series offers guided discussion and close reading throughout the year.

Total: 5 sessions
Begins: February

First Session: Wednesday, February 25

Join your KSPS friends in another intimate and informative online meeting with Kentucky Poet Laureate Kathleen Driskell! In the February edition of READING KENTUCKY POETS WITH KATHLEEN DRISKELL, she will walk us through a close reading of poems by Richard Lawrence Taylor, Nikky Finney and Gaylord Brewer. You don’t want to miss it!

Stay Connected

All event graphics include a QR code that links directly to individual event registrations. Check this page for updated schedules, series information, and new event announcements.

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Looking for a regular spot to share your work or hear local voices?

From open mics to writing workshops, Kentucky has a growing calendar of recurring poetry events happening every month. Explore our roundup of ongoing events across the state—and if we’re missing one, let us know!