The 15th Annual Belfast Poetry Festival Day Two

The first-ever Harbor/Poetry/Walk will take place on the Belfast waterfront on Saturday, October 19 from 10 am to 11:30. Ten poets and Belfast historian Megan Pinette will lead the procession along the Harbor Walk from the Armistice Bridge (the “little bridge”) to the Boathouse, with stops at the former sardine cannery, the Puddle Dock, City Landing, Heritage Park, Chicken Hill, Steamship Wharf, and a few places in between.

Poets include Carol Bachofner, Linda Buckmaster, Kathleen Ellis, Elizabeth Garber, Judy Kaber, Kristen Lindquist, Leslie Moore, Tom Moore, and Karin Spitfire. In case of rain, the event will be held at the Belfast Free Library with a slideshow of old photos and the reading.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Belfast will be Festival Headquarters on Saturday starting with a zine fair (and more!) from 11 am to 3 pm, featuring Maine zines, comics, bookmaking, paper arts, interactive installation and more.

A Ploughman’s Lunch follows from 12-1 pm with a rousing performance by the Belfast Bay Fiddlers. Lunch will be $5 admittance.

From 1:30 to 3:00 pm, there will be an Open Mic poetry reading right next door at the Abbott Room of the Belfast Free Library. Any poet can sign up and read one poem; signup starts at 1:00. The listening public is invited to witness this diverse, engaging event.

The big show is at the Troy A. Howard Middle School at 6:30 pm, showcasing the months-long collaborations of poets with visual artists and performers, interspersed with readings from the winners of the Maine Postmark Poetry Contest.