October 19-20, 2018
Thanks to the efforts of our festival founder, Paul Muldoon, the 2018 festival featured former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins, Current Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith, and Anne Waldman, acclaimed poet and cultural activist.
That’s a lineup of talent and literary awards you won’t find just anywhere — only in Sharon Springs, as a matter of fact.
Complete festival events
All of the Festival events were free to the public; here is a complete listing:
- On Friday, October 19, the poets began their day conducting free poetry workshops with middle and high school students and teachers from Sharon Springs, Canajoharie, Cobleskill-Richmondville, and Cooperstown.
- Friday, October 19 at 7 PM, there was a free public reading by all three visiting poets in the Sharon Springs Central School Auditorium.
- On Saturday, October 20, Paul Muldoon and Billy Collins offered free poetry writing workshops at the Sharon Springs Free Library, 10 AM – 12 PM. Both workshops were fully subscribed with a waiting list.
- Also on Saturday, October 20, Anne Waldman gave a talk to a full house at the Sharon Springs Free Library Community Room on her new book, Trickster Feminism (Penguin 2018).
- Also on Saturday, October 20 at 2 PM a packed house at the Sharon Springs Free Library heard Billy Collins in Conversation with Paul Muldoon; two great poets in talking about anything they wanted to talk about!
- And finally, also on Saturday October 20 at 7 PM, “Your Poem or Mine,” a new free event that gives members of the community a chance to share a favorite short poem or part of a longer one — their own or one by someone else. This event took place at the Roseboro Hotel.
Thanks for your support!
Klinkhart Hall Arts Center depends on donations from individuals, foundations, corporations and public agencies to support its programming activities.
The 2018 Sharon Springs Poetry Festival was made possible by generous grants from the A. Lindsay & Olive B. O’Connor Foundation, Adelphi Paper Hangings, LLC, Sterling Insurance, Stewart’s Shops, and the Walmart Distribution Center.
Major support for the event was provided by the American Hotel, with additional support from 204 Main Bistro, the Black Cat Cafe, the Roseboro Hotel, and from the many Friends of Klinkhart Hall.