We are currently inviting individuals and groups to submit proposals for participation in the Festival. We are committed to showcasing creative, innovative, and diverse events, including panel discussions, poetry readings, poetry slams, poetry with music, art and...
Blog
Volunteer Now!
As we prepare to launch our 2024 - '25 programming, we're seeking volunteers to support our events and programs at GrubStreet's Center for Creative Writing to the Massachusetts Poetry Festival. We're looking for people with a passion for poetry to step in and fill...
Getting to Know Jack Giaour
When did you first encounter poetry? How did you discover that you wanted to write poems? I’ve been an avid (and advanced) reader since I was in 1st grade, but I think I truly discovered poetry through music. All the way into college I wanted to be a musician, but...
Getting to Know Robbie Gamble
When did you first encounter poetry? How did you discover that you wanted to write poems? I heard Anne Sexton read when I was fourteen (my aunt and uncle were friends of hers), and I was stunned by the power of her presence and her words. I also had a wonderful high...
Getting to Know Hannah Siciliano
When did you first encounter poetry? How did you discover that you wanted to write poems? As a child I first encountered poetry when I was given a Shel Silverstein book. Later in grade school I can remember an assignment of taking text from Macbeth and creating a...
Getting to Know Tatiana Johnson-Boria
When did you first encounter poetry? How did you discover that you wanted to write poems? I know I must have encountered poetry earlier than high school but the moment that sticks with me the most was in a high school AP English Language & Composition class. Our...
Getting to Know Janet Aalfs
When did you first encounter poetry? How did you discover that you wanted to write poems?I found poetry everywhere in the remote mountains of southern West Virginia where I spent the firstpart of my childhood. I remember teaching myself how to write a 4 in the dirt...
Getting to Know Leticia Priebe Rocha
When did you first encounter poetry? How did you discover that you wanted to write poems? It is no exaggeration when I say that poetry has been a lifeline for me. I started writing poetry when I was in high school. As a teenager, I struggled with severe untreated...
Mass Poetry Features on WBUR to Promote Teen Spoken Word Festival
On May 3rd, 2024, Mass Poetry's Executive Director Daniel Johnson and SW@MP (Spoken Word at Mass Poetry) and Teen Council Member Maria Zaki appeared on WBUR to discuss Mass Poetry's inaugural Teen Spoken Word Festival, Maria's experiences as a member of Mass Poetry...
Mass Poetry Promotes Teen Spoken Word Festival on CBS News
On May 3rd, 2024, Mass Poetry's Executive Director Daniel Johnson appeared on CBS News to promote our inaugural Teen Spoken Word Festival. Watch the complete interview here!
Getting to Know Elizabeth Sylvia
When did you first encounter poetry? How did you discover that you wanted to write poems? Like any good Doc Martens wearing teenage proto-goth of the early ‘90s, I loved Sylvia Plath, along with Yeats. It’s hard to believe now, but that was as close to contemporary...
Getting to Know Paola Authievre
Authievre answered our questions in English and Spanish. Enjoy her responses. Authievre contestó nuestras preguntas en inglés y español. ¡Disfruta sus respuestas! When did you first encounter poetry? How did you discover that you wanted to write poems? Before I knew I...
Apply by 12/1 – Northeastern Co-op Events & Communication Coordinator
Mass Poetry–a Boston-based arts nonprofit that offers poetry programming across Massachusetts–seeks a self-starter with a passion for poetry, strong communication skills, and an interest in events management. This stipended position will run from approximately January...
Getting to Know Frances Donovan
When did you first encounter poetry? How did you discover that you wanted to write poems?I was drawn to repetition in sounds and language from an early age – my earliest memories are of the Madeline books (“She even said ‘poo-poo’ to the lion in the zoo”) and the...
Getting to Know Matthew E. Henry
When did you first encounter poetry? How did you discover that you wanted to write poems? Like most kids, I was exposed to and asked to write poetry in elementary school. In middle school and high school we were forced to analyze the genre. For most of that time, I...
Mass Poetry Teen Becomes Youth Poet Laureate of Boston
On January 27th, 2024, Parker-Vincent Alva was named Boston's next youth poet laureate. Parker-Vincent Alva is a SW@MP (Spoken Word at Mass Poetry) member and a 2023 GrubStreet Teen Fellow, as well as a student and writer from Boston, MA. He writes poetry and prose...
Tamar Dor-Ner
Partner, Boston Office Head, Bain & Company Tamar Dane Dor-Ner is a partner in Bain & Company’s Boston office and a member of the Private Equity, Retail and Brand Strategy Practices. She joined the firm in 1999 and, in addition to Boston, has worked in...
April English
Chief Secretary to Governor Maura T. Healey April English serves as the Chief Secretary to Governor Maura T. Healey. As Chief Secretary, she oversees the administration's efforts to fill appointments on boards and commissions and throughout the administration. Prior...
Jill Medvedow
Ellen Matilda Poss Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art Jill Medvedow is the Ellen Matilda Poss Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston and is recognized as a national leader in the field of contemporary art and civic life. She dramatically...
Imari Paris Jeffries
Executive Director of EMBRACE Boston Imari K. Paris Jeffries is CEO and President of Embrace Boston where he is leading a citywide racial equity movement through The Embrace memorial, the National Embrace Center, and arts and culture centered community organizing...
Jeneé Osterheldt
Deputy managing editor of talent, culture and development at The Boston Globe/founder of A Beautiful Resistance she/her/hers Jeneé Osterheldt is a culture columnist who covers identity and social justice through the lens of culture and the arts. Her work centers Black...