31st Annual Poetry Marathon and Benefit *HYBRID*
In person at Saint Kate–The Arts Hotel and livestreaming via Crowdcast
After four years of unforgettable online Marathons, we are overjoyed to announce our first-ever hybrid Poetry Marathon. As implied, this year’s Marathon will combine the best aspects of previous in-person and virtual iterations, bringing back the (figurative) electricity of live, in-person performances while continuing to hold space for poets from the far reaches of our national and international communities.
The event will take place in Milwaukee—at Saint Kate, the Arts Hotel—over the course of two days and 24 hours, and will feature not only hundreds of poets from our city, region, and beyond, but also live musical performances, screenings of moving-image works, and various surprises. Performances will take place before a live audience, and will also be livestreamed via Crowdcast.
And while there won’t be the potlucks of yore, there will indeed be refreshments courtesy of Saint Kate, which as generously donated The Arc Theater for this year's event. What’s more, the hotel has offered us a block of 50 discounted rooms ($149 per night) for those traveling from out of town!
Poets—be sure to register early, not only to ensure your spot but also the day and time you prefer! While a majority of time slots will be held for in-person participants, there will also be opportunities to take part virtually for immuno-compromised and disabled poets, as well as for those too distant to join us at Saint Kate.
In addition to being an extraordinary event and a beloved tradition for poets of all ages, the Poetry Marathon serves as a community-driven fundraiser. All participating poets are asked to attempt to raise funds among family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc., and/or via social media, with a goal of $50 on each reader’s behalf. Those contributions are then matched by a sponsor for the hour and supplemented by major sponsorships. Thanks to our community, funds raised through the Marathon each January have kept Woodland Pattern going strong for decades, providing fuel for all our programmatic activities in the year ahead.