Your Guide to Events at the 2026 Camden Festival of Poetry
We hope you join us.
Program Overview
Kickoff Tuesday May 12
Public Reading and welcome
6:00 - 7:15pm at the Camden Public Library 55 Main St. Limited seating, get there early!
Thursday, May 14
The Sonic Cafe: Singer-Songwriter Open Mic hosted by John and Rachel Nicholas at Pascal Hall in Rockport • 7:00 - 9:00pm • Pascal Hall 86 Pascal Ave in Rockport • FREE and Open to the Public. See the line-up here.
Friday, May 15
2:00 - 4:00 pm “How to Fall Down Into the Grass: Writing from the Natural World”, a Craft Talk with Aimee Nezhukumatathil • Camden Public Library 55 Main St. Reserve your tickets!
Poetry Open Mic Sign up in person the night of the event, first come, first served. 7:00 - 9:00pm • Pascal Hall 86 Pascal Ave in Rockport
Saturday, May 16
The Poetry Walk 10:00 - 11:00am Meet at the Town Hall at 29 Elm Street at 10 am.
All other events on Saturday will take place at the Congregational Church at 55 Elm Street.
10:00 - 12:00 Workshops Sign up ONLINE.
1:30 Welcome by Festival Chairs
1:40 Maine Poets & Musicians find out more HERE.
2:40 Stretch Break
2:45 Two Ponds Press Presentation: Words & Images. Details here.
3:15 Book Fair
3:45 Award Presentations for Zimpritch Poet of Promise and 2026 Chapbook winner
4:00 Notes from a Night Owl Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s Keynote Live also available over Zoom.
5:00 Book signing
Festival Highlights!
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Tuesday May 12 • A Feast of Poetry & Song at the Camden Public Library
6:00 - 7:15pm. Limited seating, get there early!
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Thursday May 14 • The Sonic Café at Pascal Hall in Rockport
7:00 - 9:00pm Singer-Songwriters perform • Hosted by John and Rachel Nicholas • FREE and open to the public!
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Friday May 15 • Aimee Nezhukumatathil Craft Talk
2:00 - 4:00 pm at the Camden Public Library. Sign up for tickets, there are 65 seats available.
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Friday May 15 • Poetry Open Mic at Pascal Hall in Rockport
7:00 - 9:00pm.
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Saturday May 16 • Workshops
5 Workshops will be held between 10:00am - 12:00pm on Saturday morning. Sign up here on the website.
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Saturday May 16 4:00pm • Keynote Address
4:00 pm “Notes from a Night Owl” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Meet the 2026 Maine Poets & Musicians
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Samaa Abdurraqib
Samaa Abdurraqib is the author of Towards a Retreat and the editor of From Root to Seed: Black, Brown and Indigenous Poets Write the Northeast. She is a certified Maine Master Naturalist and is the Executive Director of Maine Humanities.
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Ian-Khara Ellasante
Ian-Khara Ellasante is a poet and cultural studies scholar. Originally from Memphis, they now live in Southern Maine and teach at Bates College. A Cave Canem fellow and finalist for the National Poetry Series 2024 competition, Ian-Khara has published poetry and critical writing in various journals and anthologies.
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Alice Limoges
Alice Limoges canon is lit up by her storytelling, soulful voice and textural instrumentals. She has 6 original albums/EPs, performed on Jon Samson’s Grammy Award winning album, in 2025 her song “Hurricane Alley” won the Maine Songwriting Contest.
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Betsy Sholl
Betsy Sholl’s tenth collection of poetry is As If a Song Could Save You, winner of the Four Lakes Poetry Prize, (University of Wisconsin Press, 2022). She served as Poet Laureate of Maine from 2006-2011.
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t love smith
t love smith (they/them) is a queer poet living on Wabanaki land studying at Stonecoast MFA where their graduate research project, Trans Poetics Archive, published Maine’s first transgender poetry anthology, Monster Beauties, and curated the Transcendence Poetry Festival.
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Bruce Willard
Bruce Willard’s books include Holding Ground (2013), Violent Blues (2016) and In Light of Stars (2021), with a fourth, As Land Between Water, forthcoming in Spring 2027. Willard directs the Blue Raven Poetry Series in Rockland, Maine.
The Sonic Café hosted by John and Rachel Nicholas • Thurs May 14 • 7-9pm
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Kate Fiano (she/her)
Kate Fiano is a singer-songwriter and public school music teacher. Kate has released two albums; “Finding the Brighter Side” 2008 and “Revolution” 2012. Kate has taken the stage at popular venues across the country. Since moving to Maine, she has been writing new songs and performing throughout the Midcoast and is the winner of the 15th Annual Maine Songwriters 2025 Songwriting Contest.
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Peter Gallway
Peter Gallway is a singer-songwriter, performer, record producer, and author, with thirty albums and more than fifty production and special projects to his credit, including Time and Love: The Music of Laura Nyro, and works for film and musical theater. He performs around the world, collaborates with Japanese guitarist Yoshiyuki Sahashi in the EN project, British keyboardist Harvey Jones as the electronica ensemble Parker Gray, is married to singer- songwriter Annie Gallup, with whom he collaborates in the folk/Americana duo Hat Check Girl.
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Andre Lascoutx
Andre Lascoutx is a guitarist, singer & songwriter originally from Mid-Coast Maine recently returned from living, playing & recording in Nashville, TN for the last two decades. Andre has two albums of original music; 2013’s Riverside & the 2019 release Fairweather Friend produced by Grammy Award winning engineer Chad Brown featuring guitarist Doug Lancio (Patty Griffin, Bob Dylan).
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John and Rachel Nicholas
John and Rachel Nicholas have been making music together since they met, blending soulful harmonies with a love of folk and roots traditions. Based in Midcoast Maine since 2012, they perform as a duo and with their band The Lowdown. They also host the Good Trouble Project, a concert series supporting local causes.
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Chris Ross
Chris Ross is a native of Hancock and 2014 winner of the "Songwriter of the Year" award at the New England Music Awards. Known for his cinematic lyrics and sharp humor, Ross’ wit matches his musical talent.
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Sara Trunzo
Sara Trunzo is an award-winning singer-songwriter and community organizer. Informed by rural living and working class values, Trunzo writes what Adobe and Teardrops called “political country music at its finest.” She’s a board member of WERU, Documentary Songwriters, and Maine Songwriters Association. Her 4th record, Better Than I Was, came out 2025.
Two Ponds Press: Words & Images • Sat May 16 • 3:15pm
A celebration of collaboration.
Ken Shure and Liv Rockefeller
©Tara Hill
Two Ponds Press, an award-winning publisher of fine press books devoted to reimagining the artist book, is featured in this presentation celebrating its 15th anniversary. Four distinctive works—born of collaboration among poets, writers, illustrators, photographers, designers, and book artists—anchor the program.
As poets read from these books and images unfold on screen, we are invited into an immersive conversation between word and image. Books will also be showcased at a table in the Festival Book Fair.
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Boundaries
Richard Blanco | Poet
Jake Hessler | Photographer
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Perspectives from the Knife's Edge
Mihku Paul | Poet
Stephen Hannock | Artist
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Caponigro
John Paul Caponigro | Poet
Paul Caponigro | Photographer
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Gold Trees
Claire Millikin | Poet
Joyce Tenneson | Photographer
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Richard Blanco
is the fifth presidential inaugural poet in U.S. history—the youngest, first Latino, immigrant, and gay person to serve in such a role. Born in Madrid to Cuban exiled parents and raised in Miami, the negotiation of cultural identity and place characterize his body of work.
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Mihku Paul
is a Wolastoqey poet and educator raised on the banks of a wild Maine river. She is a graduate of the Stonecoast MFA program, interdisciplinary artist and Food Sovereignty activist. She lives and works in Portland.
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John Paul Caponigro
is a pioneer among photographers working with digital media. His art has been exhibited internationally. He combines his background in painting with traditional and alternative photographic processes.
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Claire Millikin
is the author of ten collections of poetry, including Magicicada winner of the Foreword Indie Award (2024). Millikin’s new book of poems Nightlight is forthcoming in June 2026. Claire teaches for the University of Maine system.
Book Tables at the Festival
Do you have a book you’d like to sell? Do you have a small (or medium-sized) press with books to sell? Limited to 20 Book Sellers! Sign ups will open soon!
Volunteer for the Festival
Are you local and interested in helping out befure and during the Festival? Click on the button below to get your name on the list!
Poetry Open Mic 2026
Registration for the Poetry Open Mic will happen the evening of the Open Mic. First come, first served. This year we will be hosting the Open Mic at Pascal Hall in Rockport from 7:00 - 9:00pm.