Richmond Poetry Fest
APRIL 10 – 11, 2026
VISUAL ARTS CENTER OF RICHMOND
1812 W MAIN ST, RICHMOND, VA 23220
Richmond Poetry Fest is back for its fourth year at VisArts! Get excited for performances by Remica Bingham-Risher, Martheaus Perkins, Joanna Lee, Monica Prince, Devon Walker-Figueroa, Roscoe Burnems, Fairouz Bsharat, Dreia Burton, Benji Wilson, and more.
Pre-Fest Workshops
April is National Poetry Month, and we’re celebrating by hosting pay-what-you-will poetry workshops for writers of all experience levels. Featuring a variety of topics and styles, you can sign up for a workshop online, at VisArts, or at a local branch of the Richmond Public Library.
Registration is now open! Save your spot in a Pre-Fest Workshop today:
Thanks to the Carole Weinstein Endowment for Creative Writing, these workshops—which would otherwise cost $50 per person—are completely free. If you enjoy Poetry Fest programming, please consider donating to VisArts when enrolling in a workshop.
Richmond Poetry Fest 2026 Schedule
hosted at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond
free + open to the public
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Tues, Mar 31, 6 – 7:30pm
An Evening with Richmond Poet Laureate Joanna Lee
Featuring Joanna S. Lee + Dorinda Wegener
Spend an evening in conversation with Richmond Poet, Dorinda Wegener, author of the poetry collection Four Fields and current Richmond Poet Laureate Joanna S. Lee.
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Thurs, Apr 9, 6:30 – 8:30pm
For Colored Girls: A Celebration of Ntozake Shange
Featuring Monica Prince, Alethea McCollin, Medusa was Black, Michele Evans, Sunflower Mo, Destiny Hall Harper, Jasmine Blooms, and Rosa Castellano
Spend an evening enjoying performances and poems that pay homage to the transformational work of Ntozake Shange! Doors open at 6:30pm and performances start at 8pm.
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Fri, Apr 10, 6 – 8:30pm
Parallel Listening take-over of VisArts!
First set features Benji Wilson, Roscoe Burnems, and Devon Walker-Figueroa; second set features Dreia Burton, Fairouz Bsharat, and Joanna S. Lee.
The Parallel Listening Series fuses the listening environment of a musical performance with that of a literary reading to create a hybrid experience! The event will begin with a happy hour at 6pm and the performances will start at 7pm.
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Sat, Apr 11, 10 – 11:30am
Book Club Breakfast
Sponsored by Monument Family Dentistry, Poetry Society of Virginia, and RVA Readers + Writers
A coffee and mimosa fueled book club meet up for local RVA writers to meet each other and to meet local poets.
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Sat, Apr 11, 11am – 12pm
Young Voices of RVA Anthology Reading
Hosted by Paula G.
Join MC Paula G. to celebrate middle and high school poets from the Richmond area as they read their original work from the second volume of Young Voices of RVA.
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Sat, Apr 11, 11am – 12:50pm
Community Poetry Reading
An all-day poetry reading featuring 44 new and established poetic voices from around Virginia! Pop into VisArts’ True F. Luck Gallery throughout the day, stay for one reader or several, and then enjoy the festival.
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Sat, Apr 11, 12 – 1pm
Drag Queen Story Hour
Featuring Michelle Livigne
Fun for the whole family!
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Sat, Apr 11, 1 – 2:30pm
Poetry Performance
Featuring Remica Bingham-Risher
Remica will present her poetry followed by a book signing hosted by Shelf Life Books.
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Sat, Apr 11, 2 – 3pm
Community Poetry Reading
An all-day poetry reading featuring 44 new and established poetic voices from around Virginia! Pop into VisArts’ True F. Luck Gallery throughout the day, stay for one reader or several, and then enjoy the festival.
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Sat, Apr 11, 3 – 4pm
Richmond Poet Laureate Announcement
Featuring Mayor Danny Avula and former Laureates Roscoe Burnems + Joanna S. Lee
Richmond is getting a new Poet Laureate! Attendees will have the chance to learn more about the program, hear from past Poet Laureates and enjoy light refreshments.
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Sat, Apr 11, 4 –5:30pm
Community Poetry Reading
Beginning with a reading by the new Richmond Poet Laureate!
An all-day poetry reading featuring 44 new and established poetic voices from around Virginia! Pop into VisArts’ True F. Luck Gallery throughout the day, stay for one reader or several, and then enjoy the festival.
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Sat, Apr 11, 6 – 8pm
The Writer’s Den presents the 1-2-3 Slam!
Hosted by Roscoe Burnems
Join us for fast-paced poetry slam with 1-minute, 2-minute, and 3-minute rounds where poets will win cash prizes.
Poetry Fest Vendor Fair
Sat, Apr 11, 11am – 5pm
INTER//SECTION Exhibition
Fri, Apr 10 – Mon, Apr 20
Open Daily 9am – 9pm
Richmond Poetry Fest’s INTER//SECTION Exhibition will be on view in VisArts’ Dominion Energy Community Room. This ekphrastic exhibition will showcase of work exploring the beautiful intersection between visual art and the written word. Featured artists to be announced!
Volunteer at Poetry Fest
Do you enjoy making new friends, helping out your community and Literary Events? If so, come volunteer at the 4th annual RVA Poetry Fest, Saturday, April 11, 2026 at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. It’s a free celebration of poetry and Richmond’s vibrant and diverse literary community!
About Richmond Poetry Fest
Richmond Poetry Fest hosted by the Visual Arts Center of Richmond is an event co-created by VisArts staff and a group of former and current writers-in-residence. A celebration of poetry and community, Richmond Poetry Fest features readings, workshops, activities for poets and artists of all ages, and local vendors. Richmond Poetry Fest is a free community event supported by the Carole Weinstein Endowment for Creative Writing.
About the Writing Program
The VisArts Writing Program offers classes as diverse and vibrant as our student population with coursework for writers at all stages, from beginner to advanced. Classes cover a range of creative writing topics from poetry to fiction to memoir to screenwriting and are offered in flexible formats from short weekend workshops to 8-week classes. Thanks to VisArts diverse programming and studios, we have the unique ability to combine visual arts and writing to offer classes that can be welcoming to both writers and visual artists, like Sewetry, Embroidered poems—a class combining poetry and embroidery. We’re proud of the long history of writing classes at VisArts and that we’ve grown to be a hub for writers wishing to learn and practice their craft.