Host A Reading

Thank you so much for your interest in hosting a reading at the 2025 New York City Poetry Festival!

We’re thrilled by the overwhelming response this year—our reading slots filled up faster than ever! While all spots are currently full, we’d still love to hear from you. If you’d like to be considered for the NYC PoFest Wait List, you can apply below. We appreciate your enthusiasm and hope to see you at the festival, whether on stage or in the crowd!

All accepted organizations will be given a 30-minute time slot on a stage with two mics, two mic stands, two music stands, and a full PA system with additional inputs. (If you’re interested in having more time on stage, consider becoming a sponsor of the event.) We will do our best to accommodate requests for particular days, times, and technical additions, but we cannot guarantee those requests. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis while time slots are available with only a few stipulations:

1) Applications must be 100% complete, and each line item should be filled out with sufficient detail. We will ask you for the following:

2) Each organization must feature at least two poets other than the host. Organizations may feature as many additional poets & performers as they’d like during their 30-minute time slot.

3) A single poet or host can be featured on stage by no more than two organizations. Your application may be rejected if it includes a poet who is already reading for two other organizations (or if you yourself are already reading for two other organizations), so please make sure to ask your prospective readers if they have already committed to reading for another organization at the festival before confirming them.