Ohio Poetry Association Blog

In Retrospect (April – July 2026) To hold space is to lend your support and to make a significant difference. When our faces or names show up to share and listen, our voices, live or virtually always matter.  With that being said this quarterly report is a review of poetry scene shared on social media between April to July 2026 in Northwest Ohio, allowing poets and poetry lovers to be in the know about poetical events and aha moments.  Disclaimer: Some events are not mentioned due to being missed or me not being aware of it. All venues took place in Toledo, Ohio, unless otherwise provided. Kicking off National Poetry Month and showering us with APRIL poetics in and around Northwest Ohio came Natasha Trethewey (April 2 – University of Toledo Law Center), the former U.S. Poet Laureate. She gave a robust reading to an intimate audience and subsequent book signing. Sylvania Writes Out Loud (April 3 – Erin Ann's, Sylvania) hosted its one-year anniversary with an open mic of al...

The northwestern part of Ohio has been all the buzz of events and accolades all around. In the ars poetica sphere is a chyron, moving and peaking our listening ears. So, I will do my best to recap a listing of events over the past few months. In fact, the summer months have been such a blur of motion, it seems that every nook and cranny in NW Ohio, particularly Toledo, is releasing rich and powerful words into the atmosphere; inundated with mood, metaphor, meter, and meaning. So much so that my Poet Ambassador’s Corner newsletter has taken a pause to share  only  the happenings that have flooded my feed on Facebook. If any event or celebration has slipped through unseen, charge it to my head and not my heart. Viva la Poetry! It will never cease or become missing in action.  Here is a loose documentation of NW Ohio’s poetry scene: past, present and approaching. Please note ongoing events: WritersShop and Uncloistered events are graciously hosted by Lucas County Poet La...