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2025 Schedule of Events
Jax Poetry Fest | April 1-30, 2025
Presented by Hope at Hand, Inc.
The 10th Annual Jax Poetry Fest will kick off on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 with 100% FREE in-person and virtual events, performances, and exhibits. Check out our full schedule below filled with workshops, poetry performances and more! A big thank you to our partners and sponsors who make this community event possible. ​
2025 Event Schedule
All workshops are provided free to the public thanks to our generous donors.
Find more about Shutta Crum at
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2: VIRTUAL POETRY WORKSHOP
The Metaphorical Poem, featuring Shutta Crum
Join Shutta Crum for a unique poetry workshop on the metaphorical poem. Shutta will provide examples of, and lead the group in looking at, two of the ways metaphor can be used in poetry: the extended metaphor and the implied metaphor. Writing and sharing breaks will be included as time allows. A handout on her website for further study will be available.
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Shutta Crum is a Robinson Jeffers Tor House honoree poet (2024). More than 150 of her poems have appeared in journals. A Pushcart nominee, she is the recipient of 9 Royal Palm Literary Awards (FL) and has three chapbooks in print, as well as three novels and fifteen children’s books. She publishes: The Wordsmith’s Playground.
Find more about Love Reigns at
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2: OPEN MIC
Open Mic at Art Walk, Emceed by Love Reigns
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm | Chamblin's Uptown | Sign up at Chamblin's from 6:15 - 7:15
We welcome all adults (18+) to join us at Chamblin's Uptown during April's Art Walk for an Open Mic Night emceed by LoveReigns. Come show off your skill or share your latest poetry, while learning about our nonprofit. Then walk around James Weldon Johnson Park to explore the rest of Artwalk!
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Taryn "Love Reigns" Wharwood is a poet, writer, author, emcee, motivational speaker, entrepreneur and curator of Dopeness. LoveReigns captivates audiences by finding power in her truth. Her words, her aura, her spirit all scream love...but not without equal amounts of pain. If you know Love, you know yourself. She creatively uses words to reflect you back to you. The beauty, the pain, the good, the bad, the ugly, the peace, the joy, the love... even if you don't believe it yet!
Find more about Waiva at
THURSDAY, APRIL 3: POETRY IN THE PARK
Waiva's Museum, featuring Waiva
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | RSVP on Eventbrite | James Weldon Johnson Park
Join Waiva for a spoken word performance at James Weldon Johnson Park. Waivas Museum is a set of poetic pieces that describe and uplift my soul and spirit & reassure me of who and who’s I am. In return, I hope in faith that the crowd will touch and agree and proclaim the same feelings and truth over their lives.
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Waiva is an exquisite young lady who enjoys creating and writing about the finer things in life. Such as virtue, self love and romance. She’s a creative Genius who is blessed with many ideas and talents and loves inspiring her community. Her poetry has shaped her life and honestly may have saved it. She also has amazing taste in music and fashion ^_^
Find more about Ty Scott King at
SATURDAY, APRIL 5: VIRTUAL POETRY WORKSHOP
Speak Up: Unleash Your Voice with Slam Poetry, featuring Ty Scott King
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Register on Eventbrite
Join Ty Scott King for a unique poetry workshop on slam poetry. Turn up the volume on your poetry! This high-energy Slam Poetry workshop will help you bring words to life with rhythm, emotion, and powerful delivery. Learn how to craft bold, impactful poems and perform them with confidence.​
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Ty Scott King is a GRAMMY®-nominated poet, award-winning rapper, and Billboard-charting artist. A 2x bestselling author, national slam poet for 3 years, and voiceover artist for major brands like McDonald's, she has performed at the U.S. Pentagon and internationally. Ty inspires others to pursue their purpose.
Find more about Shutta Crum at
MONDAY, APRIL 7: VIRTUAL POETRY WORKSHOP
Telling Stories Through Poetry, featuring Shutta Crum
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Register on Eventbrite
Join Shutta Crum for a unique poetry workshop on telling stories through poetry. Shutta will provide examples of, and lead the group in looking at, how narrative can drive a poem or provide backstory for a poem. Writing and sharing breaks will be included. A handout on her website will be available for further study.​
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Shutta Crum is a Robinson Jeffers Tor House honoree poet (2024). More than 150 of her poems have appeared in journals. A Pushcart nominee, she is the recipient of 9 Royal Palm Literary Awards (FL) and has three chapbooks in print, as well as three novels and fifteen children’s books. She publishes: The Wordsmith’s Playground.
Find more about Daniel Welch at
THURSDAY, APRIL 10: POETRY IN THE PARK
Between Breath & Bruise, featuring Daniel Welch
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | RSVP on Eventbrite | James Weldon Johnson Park
Join Daniel Welch for a spoken word performance at James Weldon Johnson Park.​
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Daniel Welch is a poet and performer based in Jacksonville, FL. His work blends glitch aesthetics, storytelling, and raw lyricism to explore memory, transformation, and reinvention. He has performed at Dodge Poetry Festival, Bab’s Lab, and Cave Café (Paris) and leads poetry workshops at Operation New Hope and UNF.
Find more about Deborah Eve Grayson at
FRIDAY, APRIL 11: VIRTUAL POETRY WORKSHOP
The Full Picture: Photo-Poetics as a New Lens for Writing, featuring Deborah Eve Grayson
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Register on Eventbrite
Join Deborah Eve Grayson for a unique poetry workshop on photo-poetics. In this innovative workshop, participants will write from the perspective of certain photos that create an immediate response. Photos and writing prompts will be provided. We will write from multiple perspectives of the photographer, the photograph and the poem. Come and explore this perfect pairing for writing, self-discovery and healing.​
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Deborah Eve Grayson, PhD, LMHC, PTR is a Registered Poetry Therapist, and Expressive Arts Specialist, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a PhD in Clinical Sexology and enjoys a private practice helping individuals with trauma, depression and anxiety. An award winning author and photographer, she is also a college professor.
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Find more about Laura Minor, Ph.D. at
SATURDAY, APRIL 12: VIRTUAL POETRY WORKSHOP
Only Read the Best: Game-changers in Poetry, featuring Laura Minor, Ph.D.
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Register on Eventbrite
Join Laura Minor, Ph.D. for a unique poetry workshop on game-changers in poetry. Walt & Emily started the conversation, but we will be discussing all the greatest makers that changed the game and why that is important to your authenticity as a poet. I'll discuss the their trajectorial impact to poetry with some examples. We will also be generating toward their courage and talent with specialized prompts for each influence. Bring your bravery and your open-mindedness! Get ready to go fast!​
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Laura Minor's "Bright Life, Animal Heart" won the 2023 Minds on Fire Open Book Prize. Her first book of poems, "Flowers as Mind Control," won the 2020 John Ciardi Poetry Prize. Her work has appeared in The Missouri Review, Ploughshares, The Cortland Review, Arc, Quiddity Intl., and North American Review among others. She studied poetry at Sarah Lawrence College, University of Florida, and Florida State University. Welcome!
Find more about Jennifer Wolfe at
MONDAY, APRIL 14: VIRTUAL POETRY WORKSHOP
The Poetry of Place, featuring Jennifer Wolfe
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Register on Eventbrite
Join Jennifer Wolfe for an inspiring poetry circle generating ideas on how to create fast poems tied to the places and spaces of your own knowing. We will read poetry, write poetry, and cross-talk about the meaning behind our words. There will be multiple opportunities to write.
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Jennifer Wolfe is a writer, trained journalist, and publisher of the annual anthology, (a) river writing. She is the founder and executive director of Women Writing for (a) Change Jacksonville, a writing community that offers writing circles, art exhibitions, community events, annual publications, and community collaborations to bring the art of writing and the practices of community together in Jacksonville.
Find more about Yvette Angelique at
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16: VIRTUAL POETRY WORKSHOP
Nine Lines: Writing The Nonet Poem, featuring Yvette Angelique, MA-TLA, CMT-P, MBSR-Q
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Register on Eventbrite
Join Yvette Angelique to have some fun writing a nonet- a really cool poetic form. This nine-line poem follows a descending syllable pattern: nine, eight, seven, and so on, concluding with a single syllable. Nonet poems are free to use with any rhyme scheme or topic.
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Yvette Angelique (MA-TLA, CMT-P, MBSR-Q), a poet, is the founder of Narratives for Change, a social justice art and mindfulness education practice. She uses storytelling to heal, create art, and raise consciousness on cultural issues, leading us toward liberation. Prioritizing people of the global majority, her work stresses slowing down, body awareness, cultural experience, and present moment awareness—especially for writers and folks leading community change.
Find more about Jessica Q. Stark at
FRIDAY, APRIL 18: VIRTUAL POETRY WORKSHOP
Poetry and the Path(s) to Publication, featuring Jessica Q. Stark
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Register on Eventbrite
Join Jessica Q. Stark for a unique poetry workshop on the poetry of place. This discursive workshop aims to demystify the varying paths to publication for poets. From landing your first published poem to acquiring your first book contract, this workshop provides multiple strategies for showcasing your art in the best way possible to a wider, public audience.
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Jessica Q. Stark is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of North Florida and the Poetry Editor for AGNI. Her poems have been published widely and she is the author of two full-length poetry books, including Buffalo Girl (BOA Editions, 2023), which won a Florida Book Award.
Find more about Yvette Angelique at
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23: VIRTUAL POETRY WORKSHOP
Protest & Hope: The Deep Contradictions of our Time, featuring Yvette Angelique, MA-TLA, CMT-P, MBSR-Q
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Register on Eventbrite
Join Yvette Angelique for this workshop where you will craft poems to cultivate vision, courage, and decisive action. Consider today’s political landscape, along with movements for racial and gender equality and human rights. Protest poetry has helped encourage civic and grassroots engagement and adds to public debate and dialogue. ​
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Yvette Angelique (MA-TLA, CMT-P, MBSR-Q), a poet, is the founder of Narratives for Change, a social justice art and mindfulness education practice. She uses storytelling to heal, create art, and raise consciousness on cultural issues, leading us toward liberation. Prioritizing people of the global majority, her work stresses slowing down, body awareness, cultural experience, and present moment awareness—especially for writers and folks leading community change.
Find more about Deborah Eve Grayson at
FRIDAY, APRIL 25: VIRTUAL POETRY WORKSHOP
Poetry as Prescription for Mental & Physical Wellness, featuring Deborah Eve Grayson
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Register on Eventbrite
Join Deborah Eve Grayson for a unique poetry workshop on the use of poetry as prescription. The ability to pair the right poem for optimal effectiveness is paramount in Poetry Therapy. Learn about some of the "tried and true" poems used and expand your repertoire by writing new poems through the shared experiences of universal themes such as personal growth, loss, change, heartbreak, and celebrations.​
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Deborah Eve Grayson, PhD, LMHC, PTR is a Registered Poetry Therapist, and Expressive Arts Specialist, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a PhD in Clinical Sexology and enjoys a private practice helping individuals with trauma, depression and anxiety. An award winning author and photographer, she is also a college professor.
Find more about Laura Minor, Ph.D. at
SATURDAY, APRIL 26: VIRTUAL POETRY WORKSHOP
Beauty & Truth Revision Techniques: You Need to Learn to Love This Part, featuring Laura Minor, Ph.D.
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Register on Eventbrite
Join Laura Minor, Ph.D. for a unique poetry workshop on beauty and truth revision techniques. Revision is the second hardest aspect of writing poetry, because the courage to begin is the first. Generating, revising, and publishing is the triangular model, but if you learn to love revision, you'll keep making! You can't be a writer if you don't revise. You have to face the drafts for quality control, distillation, and compression! Onward!​
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Laura Minor's "Bright Life, Animal Heart" won the 2023 Minds on Fire Open Book Prize. Her first book of poems, "Flowers as Mind Control," won the 2020 John Ciardi Poetry Prize. Her work has appeared in The Missouri Review, Ploughshares, The Cortland Review, Arc, Quiddity Intl., and North American Review among others. She studied poetry at Sarah Lawrence College, University of Florida, and Florida State University. Welcome!
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