Events

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.

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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Featured Reading + Open Mic Series

Our Featured Reading + Open Mic Series showcases established and emerging poets through featured readings followed by an open mic. These virtual gatherings offer an opportunity to hear outstanding contemporary work and share your own poetry in a welcoming community setting.

Schedule: Second Tuesday of each month (January–October)
Time: 6:30–8:00 PM ET
Location: Zoom

Upcoming Session

Featured Reading with Dorian Hairston

Date: Tuesday, April 14
Time: 6:30–8:00 PM ET
Location: Zoom

Session Overview: Each event in the Featured Reading + Open Mic Series begins with a reading by an established or emerging poet, offering attendees the opportunity to experience a range of contemporary voices and styles. Following the featured reading, participants are invited to share their own work during the open mic portion of the program.

Dorian Hairston is a poet, scholar, and former University of Kentucky baseball player from Lexington, Kentucky. He is a member of the Affrilachian Poets and his work has appeared in Shale, Anthology of Appalachian Writers, and pluck! His first book is Pretend the Ball is Named Jim Crow (University Press of Kentucky, 2024).

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Craft Talk / Workshop Series

Our Craft Talk / Workshop Series features interactive sessions focused on craft, creative process, and professional development for writers. Each session offers practical insight, guided exploration, and conversation with experienced poets and literary professionals.

Schedule: Fourth Wednesday of select months
Time: 6:30–8:30 PM ET (some sessions may conclude earlier)
Location: Zoom

Upcoming Session

“Taking Your Time About Striking”: Writing the Pantoum with Libby Falk Jones

Date: March 25
Time: 6:30–8:30 PM ET
Location: Zoom

Session Overview: 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/.

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Reading Kentucky Poets

Led by current Kentucky Poet Laureate Kathleen Driskell, this series offers guided discussion and close reading of poetry by writers connected to Kentucky. Participants engage deeply with selected poems while exploring craft, context, and interpretation in a supportive virtual setting.

Schedule: Select dates annually
Time: 6:30–8:00 PM ET
Location: Zoom
Total Sessions: 5

Upcoming Session

Date: Wednesday, April 22
Time: 6:30–8:00 PM ET
Location: Zoom

Session Overview: In the next KSPS session of Reading Kentucky Poets with Kathleen Driskell, our esteemed Kentucky Poet Laureate will zoom into poems by Maureen Morehead, Keith S. Wilson, David Cazden and Danni Quintos. Join us online on April 22nd at 6:30pm EST. 

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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!