The Sarah Lawrence College Poetry Festival was created in 2004 by graduate student Liz Irmiter, who wanted to celebrate the wide spectrum of voices in contemporary poetry—from formalism to free verse, from lyric to narrative to experimental—as well as the College's rich literary history. Working with fellow students Kit Frick, Sarah Janczak, and Alexandra Grace, as well as faculty advisers Kurt Brown and Jeffrey McDaniel, Liz put together an event that has become an honored spring ritual not only for the College, but for the New York literary community.

This year’s Festival will feature more than fifty readers, including celebrated and emerging poets, a rotating selection of our accomplished faculty poets, and graduate and undergraduate poets. The Festival will also offer craft talks, an open mic, book signings, and receptions. All events are free and open to the public.

The Student Organizing Committee

The organizing committee is comprised of five graduate and five undergraduate students, who work together throughout the year on every part of the Festival. The committee is responsible for all decisions, which are made by consensus.

Each year, at least one faculty member serves as an advisor and mentor. In 2004, Kurt Brown was instrumental in helping the committee establish the Festival, offering his experience as well as his talents. From the beginning, Jeffrey McDaniel has also contributed significantly. For the last three years, he has served as sole faculty advisor. The committee is extremely grateful for his wisdom and encouragement.

Faculty

From the beginning, Sarah Lawrence faculty members have been instrumental to the success of the Festival. Through their advice and connections to the larger world of poetry, they have helped bring many stellar poets to the Festival. They also introduce the student and guest poets before their readings. Additionally, five faculty members are invited to read at the Festival on a rotating basis. The organizers have always been grateful to the faculty for their support and willingness to celebrate Sarah Lawrence’s writing program.

Administration

Since 2004, the Festival has been funded by a combination of on-campus sources and one off-campus source, Poets & Writers Magazine, through the New York State Council for the Arts. The on-campus sources have included the Student Senate, the President's Office, the Diana Leslie Fund, the Student Activities Office, the Office of the Dean of the College, the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies, the Graduate Student Senate, the Friends of the Library, the Office of Alumnae/i Relations, the Multicultural Affairs Office, and the Office of College Events.

Additionally, it should be noted that the administration of the College, specifically President Lawrence, Dean Pauline Watts, and Dean Susan Guma, have been very supportive throughout the Festival planning. Joan McCann and Judith Schwartzstein in the Communications department, in addition, Josh Kashinsky, Joan Reilly, Jennifer Montalbano, and Anne Wenzel, among many others, have generously contributed their time and effort to the Festival.

Volunteers

The student organizing committee relies on the assistance of their fellow Sarah Lawrence students on the day of the event to help with the tasks involved in producing such a large event.

Notices go out during the spring semester regarding informational meetings for student volunteers. The various tasks and time commitments that are needed will be explained at the meeting, where sign-ups take place.

Student Reader Participation

The heart of the Sarah Lawrence College Poetry Festival, and what distinguishes it from any other festival that we are aware of, is the opportunity for 26 Sarah Lawrence students (13 graduates and 13 undergraduates) to read with the invited guest and faculty poets each year.

Students are chosen by submitting anonymous manuscripts to the student committee.

Previous Readers

2007

Evening Readers
Victor Hernandez Cruz
Thomas Lux
Yusef Komunyakaa
Philip Levine
Paul Muldoon
Susan Howe

Daytime Readers
Richard Siken
Catherine Barnett
Srikanth Reddy
Kimiko Hahn
Rebecca Wolff
Cornelius Eady
Larissa Szporluk

Faculty Readers
Vijay Seshadri
Jeffrey McDaniel
Thomas Sayers Ellis
Cathy Park Hong
Matthea Harvey

2006

Evening Readers
Frank Bidart
Stephen Dunn
Marie Ponsot
Gerald Stern
Jean Valentine
Eleanor Wilner

Daytime Readers
David Baker
Mark Bibbins
Joel Brouwer
Mark Conway
Matt Cook
Nick Flynn
Rigoberto Gonzalez
Claudia Rankine

Faculty Readers
Tina Chang
Kate Knapp Johnson
Joan Larkin
Kevin Pilkington
Martha Rhodes

2005

Evening Readers
Mark Doty
Galway Kinnell
Thomas Lux
Sharon Olds

Daytime Readers
Terrence Hayes
Brenda Hillman
Major Jackson
Sarah Manguso
Sarah Messer
Lynn Procope
Tomaz Salamun
Monica Youn

Faculty Readers
Suzanne Gardinier
Matthea Harvey
Marie Howe
Jeffrey McDaniel
Dennis Nurkse
Mark Wunderlich

2004

Evening Readers
Edward Hirsch
Tony Hoagland
James Tate
Ellen Bryant Voigt

Daytime Readers
Kim Addonizio
Lucie Brock-Broido
Justin Chin
Mark Cox
Suji Kwock-Kim
Charles Martin
Patricia Smith
Edwin Torres
Dara Weir

Faculty Readers
Laure-Anne Bosselaar
Kurt Brown
Stephen Dobyns
Kate Knapp Johnson
Victoria Redel
Vijay Seshadri