The Poetry Movement

09/30/2026

Write poems in dialog w/ a visual artist & have the collaboration displayed at the first-ever mid(we)st lit fest in Racine, WI, on Dec. 5. at locations throughout the City of Racine, including the Racine Art Museum, Racine Public Library, the 30th Annual 16th Street Artists’ Studios open house at the Racine Business Center, and Hotel Verdant. Collaborations will appear in a full-color exhibition catalog following the event.

Sign up at: https://forms.gle/uNSfviATk1v37H1H6

Visual art can be in any medium, and poems (verse or prose) should be no longer than one double-spaced standard letter sized page. Please plan to share a JPG file (300 dpi, CMYK) for art and both a PDF and .doc file for poems.

Free vendor tables and a spots in the showcase reading lineup at the Hotel Verdant ballroom will be available. Please pass the word on to other region poets & artists in the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor and surrounding region!

08/09/2026

Want free writing workshops, collaborative multimedia writing events, or performance & publication opportunities?

Save the dates for our 2026-2027 no-fee submission deadlines and events! Plus, our website features an ever-expanding catalogue of performance and publication opportunities throughout the Chiwaukee corridor and the mid(we)st region.

Visit thepoetrymovement.org to learn more!

08/03/2026

Put this reading at Secret World Books in Highland Park on your calendar for Saturday, September 8!

In the meantime, learn more about poet & publisher Arlyn Miller.

Get to know a bit about Illinois poet and publisher Arlyn Miller, and a Highland Park Poetry featured poet reading at Secret World Books, 1774 Second Street, on Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 4PM.

07/22/2026

Saturday August 8 @ Cafe de L**e!

📝 AUGUST 8TH IS POETRY NIGHT!

Let’s wax poetic as we sip our sodas🥤Our friend from rabbit ear poetry is coming to host a poetry night with readings, books for sale, poems written on the spot, and more. So come and grab a tasty drink while supporting local poets like Haley Valenta who work so hard to keep the arts alive in our community. Come on, Kenosha! ❤️🥤

07/20/2026

Fundraiser for the Kenosha/Racine Poets Laureate! Check it out!

07/13/2026

From Chicago to southeast Wisconsin, multitalented writer and Racine resident Bob Katzman has chronicled his journey, Chicago history and hard-earned wisdom in poems & stories he’ll be sharing at The White Lilac in Kenosha (5029 6th Ave.) on Sunday July 19, from 6-8pm.

More info: https://www.visitkenosha.com/event/an-evening-with-writer-%26-poet-bob-katzman/5188/

Follow Bob on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HUuw4wZi6/?mibextid=wwXIfr

06/26/2026

Southeast WI Peoples!

Post a poem 👇🏼
on 6/26/26
in the (262) at 6:26

05/06/2026

Join us to celebrate the installation of this year’s Bus Poems and the publication of the anthology of all submissions to our 2026 contest on Friday, May 29 @ the Corinne Reid Owens Transit Center, 1374 Liberty Street, Racine, WI 53403. Doors open at 5:30, and the open mic starts promptly at 6pm.

RSVP: https://facebook.com/events/s/bus-poems-2026-release-party-o/1287283346547245/

Thanks to ArtRoot, Racine Arts Council, RYDE Racine, and the Osborne-Scekic Family Foundation for making this project possible.

04/17/2026

The Poetry Movement proudly announces the final 34 poems selected to appear on RYDE Racine Racine city buses for 2026. Please find the list of winning poems on our website: thepoetrymovement.org/bus-poems.

Many thanks to all 77 poets who submitted, and congratulations to those whose work was selected! Judges Dr. Thomas Carr, Nico Moore, and Mary Skillings undertook serious effort to narrow the field of 176 poems submitted to a final group of 34, with each poem appearing on its own bus.

All poems submitted will appear in the anthology slated for release on May 29, 2026 at our release party: https://www.facebook.com/events/1287283346547245. Please RSVP so we can hold a slot for you to perform!

Thanks as always to our fiscal receiver Racine Arts Council, the Osborne & Scekic Family Foundation, and ArtRoot.