Poetry Takes Over April: Edmonton’s Coolest Month Returns

T.S. Eliot may have called April the cruelest month, but here in Edmonton, it’s shaping up to be the coolest. The Edmonton Poetry Festival is back for its 21st year, transforming National Poetry Month into a citywide celebration of language, performance, and connection.

Long-standing licensees at ArtsHub McLuhan House, the Edmonton Poetry Festival, continues its expanded month-long format, inviting audiences to encounter poetry everywhere, from LRT stations and galleries to theatres and unexpected public spaces. What began as a one-week event has evolved into a dynamic, city-spanning experience that highlights Edmonton’s thriving poetry scene while forging bold new collaborations.

The 2026 Edmonton Poetry Festival will occupy National Poetry Month with diverse partnerships that spotlight Edmonton’s robust poetry scene and engage in bold collaborations with new partners.

This year’s programming reflects the richness and diversity of voices shaping the city:

  • The Coffee News Spotlight Series draws attention to those stalwart poetry presenters that are active all year long. We’re talking about those monthly Open Mic and Feature Sets like The Olive Reading Series, The Stroll of Poets, The Nightingale, Poetry In Motion, Naked Tongue Poetry, The Vers/e Queer Poetry Series, Amplify, and more that occupy diverse poetry cafes around the city. 
  • LRT Activations – In partnership with the Edmonton Transit Service, poets meet commuters on transit turf, transforming busy downtown transit stations into poetry platforms… though not actually on the literal platforms. Keep your ears peeled for festival poets performing at proof of payment areas at downtown LRT stations. 
  • 30th Anniversary of YouthWrite – A milestone celebration showcasing young writers, performers, and alumni of YouthWrite with special attention to the Spoken Word Youth Choir. Join them in The Lorne Cardinal space at The Roxy Theatre at 7PM 
  • Dapper Dan’s Indian & Outlaw Extravaganza – Returning from its 2025 heldover performance, this memorable Indigenous showcase of poetry, music, and hybrid art forms will take place in the Lorne Cardinal at the Roxy Theatre at 7pm. It sold out last year. Book yourself in here. 
  • A curated cadre of Edmonton poets are preparing their ekphrastic response to works in the current AGA exhibition Wayfinders: A Constellation of Women Artists. The poets will perform work inspired by the exhibition in the gallery in juxtaposition with the work that inspired them. The prepared program is expected to be 40 – 50 minutes in duration, but we are also reserving time afterwards with an open mic for aspiring ekphrastics to follow our cohort’s lead with poetry inspired by the Wayfinders exhibition. 
  • Black Femme Poetry Collective presents Echoes & Roots a transformative performance by six local black female poets: Timiro Mohamed, Kija Lado, Charlene Smith, Latifat Busari, Yusi Hunter, and Kijo Gatama. This multidisciplinary show will take place at 1PM on Saturday, April 25th at the Muttart Theatre in the basement of the Milner Library. 
  • Edmonton’s Poet Laureate Medgine Mathurin: the multilingual spoken word is working with Poetry In Voice and Edica to produce Brave Young Voices: A Gen Z Poetry Showcase at the Muttart Theatre at 4PM on Saturday April 25. 
  • Special collaborations in the ArtsHub Creative Studios gallery space include Poetography (where poetry and photography intersect) on the evening of April 7, exploring the intersection of poetry and photography, and the NeWest Press‘  poetry showcase Crow Said Poetry on the evening of April 15th. 

The festival also features several open mics, book launches, and workshops designed to welcome seasoned poetry lovers and the poetry curious alike. The Edmonton Poetry Festival Society is committed to being approachable and in-reach so almost every event is admission by voluntary donation.

For a full view of the festival lineup visit: https://edmontonpoetryfestival.com/  

General Inquiries can be addressed to Festival Executive Director: Steve Pirot, executivedirector@edmontonpoetryfestival.com 

Media Inquiries can be addressed to Alexis Marie Chute media@edmontonpoetryfestival.com