The idea is to write it so that people hear it, and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.
MAYA ANGELOU
2026 EVENTS
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
(LOOKING FOR WORKSHOPS? OPN HAS THREE OF THEM SCHEDULED FOR THIS FALL)
- WORKSHOP Saturday, Sept. 19th. OPN Board member Cynthia Pratt will host "Truth is Stranger than Fiction" at The Olympia Center. Click HERE to find more info about the workshop and signing up. Limit 15 people.
- READING Wednesday, Sept. 23. At Harbor House at Percival Landing in downtown, OPN Board member Sandy Yannone.will host readings from the anthology "Unsinkable", Poems inspired by the Titanic. More soon.
- READING Online Book Launch! OPN member and Lacey Poet Laureate Sonya Wohletz will read from her new book, Milklings and host an open mic from 4:00-6:00pm October 10th. Go HERE for more information.
- READING Sunday, October 18th. The first Washington State Poet Laureate, Sam Green and his wife, poet Sally Green will read from their new collections at Traditions Fair Trade/Soul Cafe, 300 5th Avenue, SW, Olympia,
- WORKSHOP Saturday Oct. 24th. Award-winning poet and former OPN Board member Joanne Clarkson will host a "Writing from the Tarot". More info coming soon.
- WORKSHOP Wednesday, Nov. 18, Chehalis poet Brandon Lewis will host a workshop. Sometimes the most powerful poem is the shortest, packing an immense amount of feeling, insight, and memory into just a few lines. Focusing specifically on the elegy, this workshop will examine the work of a number of poets, exploring the effectiveness of brevity and its ability to sharpen emotional impact. Come join the discussion on how a single image such as an avocado plant, a portrait, a necklace, can do all the heavy lifting. If you have a favorite short elegy, or have written one of your own, please bring it with you to the workshop.
–– Words, Woods and Wellness ––
a contest for poets 21 years old and younger
a contest for poets 21 years old and younger
The Olympia Poetry Network in memory of former board member Wesley Jones, in collaboration with the Washington State Poet Laureate Derek Sheffield, Terrain.org, the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA), and Humanities Washington, is pleased to announce Words, Woods, and Wellness: Poetry by Washington State Youth--a new call for submissions.
We are seeking poems that engage the natural world by residents or former residents of Washington State ages 21 and younger. Here in the age of the Anthropocene, we must give our attention to the non-human world, and so we will publish ecopoetry with a strong sense of place by Washington youth.
Submissions opened on Earth Day, April 22, 2026, and close December 31, 2026. Poems will be published on the Terrain.org website between August 2026 and April 2027, with the goal of publishing a new poem or poetry set in the series at least monthly and at most every other week. Contributors will receive an honorarium of $100 following publication.
Submitted poems need not follow any particular form. Poem/image combinations are also considered. Washington State youth are invited to submit between 1 and 3 poems.
Learn more at www.terrain.org/submit/words-woods-wellness or submit on Terrain.org’s Submittable platform.
We are seeking poems that engage the natural world by residents or former residents of Washington State ages 21 and younger. Here in the age of the Anthropocene, we must give our attention to the non-human world, and so we will publish ecopoetry with a strong sense of place by Washington youth.
Submissions opened on Earth Day, April 22, 2026, and close December 31, 2026. Poems will be published on the Terrain.org website between August 2026 and April 2027, with the goal of publishing a new poem or poetry set in the series at least monthly and at most every other week. Contributors will receive an honorarium of $100 following publication.
Submitted poems need not follow any particular form. Poem/image combinations are also considered. Washington State youth are invited to submit between 1 and 3 poems.
Learn more at www.terrain.org/submit/words-woods-wellness or submit on Terrain.org’s Submittable platform.
PURCHASE A COPY OF THE 2025 OPN ANTHOLOGY
'LET IT BURN, LET IT FLOAT'
$18.99
Available at Orca Books Co-op, 315 5th Ave. SE, Olympia,
Endless Sound Cellars, 22 Capitol Way N, Ste 107, Olympia,
or at our regularly scheduled meetings (3rd Wed. of the month at 6:00pm)
held at New Traditions Fair Trade, 300 5th Ave SW, Olympia.
'LET IT BURN, LET IT FLOAT'
$18.99
Available at Orca Books Co-op, 315 5th Ave. SE, Olympia,
Endless Sound Cellars, 22 Capitol Way N, Ste 107, Olympia,
or at our regularly scheduled meetings (3rd Wed. of the month at 6:00pm)
held at New Traditions Fair Trade, 300 5th Ave SW, Olympia.
Monthly Readings
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OPN holds monthly readings at 6:00 pm on the third Wednesday of every month at Traditions, the Gathering Place located in downtown Olympia, 300 5th Ave. SW, at corner of 5th and Water Street. All readers are asked to limit their readings to 3 minutes. Sign ups start at 5:30pm, and Open mic starts at 6:00. After the open mic and a short intermission, a featured poet reads most months for 30-40 minutes. Check our flyers or events page for specific program information.
If you'd like to become a subscriber, and receive our monthly newsletter and other announcements, visit our Join OPN page. |
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Scheduled Special Events
A P R I L
During the month of April (National Poetry Month) we feature the work of "Dead Poets" read by our members. |
A U G U S T
August is All-Open-Mic month, devoting the entire meeting to anyone who cares to read. Come participate! |
D E C E M B E R
December readings are "Poems of the Season," a non-denominational celebration of this special time of year. |