April 2026 Events

Be sure to mark your calendars to help us celebrate our spring readings with our Poetry in Plain Sight (PIPS) and Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series (GCDPS) poets. 

PIPS Launch Event:

Saturday April 4th @ 1:30 PM, Oberlin Regional Library in Raleigh. Full details here. 

GCDPS Readings:

Monday April 6th @ 12 PM, WCU, Cullowhee

Wednesday April 8th @ 7 PM, Studio 116 in East Flat Rock

Saturday April 18th @ 3:30 PM, Chapel Hill Public Library

Thursday April 23rd @ 5 PM, Faulkner Gallery at Joyner Library, ECU

April 11th A Walk With Poetry

April 11 at Raleigh’s Shelley Lake enjoy poetry performances from Kiana Renee and Dasan Ahanu. Sign up to take one of the guided poetry walks, or show up with a camping chair/blanket and settle in to listen to the headliner performances at the trailhead, or do both.

Guided Poetry Walk Schedule
● Group 1: 12:30-2:00pm
● Group 2: 1:00-2:30pm
● Group 3: 1:30-3:00pm
● Group 4: 2:00-3:30pm
FREE tickets required to participate!

Mainstage Performances in the Pecan Grove
● 2:30-4:30pm

No tickets are required for the mainstage performances. Bring your own blanket or camping chair.

Full details and registration for guided poetry walks can be found here. 

Additional Events and Readings in April

4/4 @ 1 PM (Winston-Salem) Whispering Pines: Music Inspired by the Poetry of Henry Boner

4/4 @ 3 PM (Sylva) City Lights Bookstore presents Garrett Ashley and Zoe Fay-Stindt

4/12 @ 2:30 PM (Chapel Hill) Flyleaf Books Second Sunday Poetry Series will feature Catherine Carter and Scott Owens, with an open mic to follow.4/12 @4:30 PM (Asheville) Malaprop’s Bookstore presents Poet Quartet: Alexander Dickow, Christopher Shipman, Maria Garcia Teutsch, and Blake Lynch

4/13 @ 6:30 PM (Charlotte)  Open Mic Night at Charlotte’s Market at 7th Street

4/15 @ 6 PM (Raleigh) Documentary Poetry Workshop with Jaki Shelton Green. Tickets are free, but attendees must register in advance. More info and registration here.

4/18 @ 3 PM (Sylva) City Lights Bookstore presents Joseph Bathanti

4/24 @ 6 PM (Sylva) City Lights Bookstore presents Whitney Waters and Alyse Bensel

4/25 @ 1 PM (Sylva) City Lights Bookstore presents Lee Stockdale and Greg Lobas 

4/26 @ 2 PM (Pittsboro) McIntyre’s Books NCPS April Reading by by winners of the 2025 Brockman-Campbell Award: Michael Hettich, Narya Rose Deckard, and Mark Cox

4/27 @6:30 PM (Carrboro) Poetry, Popcorn and Pie. Open Mic to follow.

4/29 @ 6 PM (Sylva) City Lights Bookstore presents Catherine Carter and Jessica Jacobs

4/30 @ 7 PM (Carrboro) Steel String Brewery presents a book launch party for Grey Brown’s Communion, followed by an open mic

April 24th and 25th Belmont Poetry and Arts Festival

On Friday, April 24th, in downtown Belmont, NC, the annual Sip and Speak poetry crawl event will take place in downtown restaurants and venues, including Belmont Bookshop, a vibrant independent bookstore and cultural hub in the community.
Then, on the following day, Saturday, April 25th, Belmont comes alive again with the annual Girabaldi arts festival, Living History Day, and Independent Bookstore Day celebrations all taking place center stage in downtown Belmont. Learn more here. This event is free and open to the public and will feature poets, musicians, artists, and more.