Grass Valley, CA—March 10, 2026: Each year in celebration of the written and spoken word, Sierra Poetry Festival’s “fringe” curates a variety of performances culminating in the main stage event on Saturday, April 18 at The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley. This year is no exception as Sierra Poetry Festival marks its tenth anniversary of uplifting regional and national poetic voices across the county.
The fringe kicks off on Thursday, March 12 from 6:00-8:00pm with an Open Mic at Alibi in Truckee. Led by Nevada County Poet Laureate Karen Terrey of Tangled Roots Writing as part of her monthly open mic series, this one has a special twist. Readers are invited to compete for an opportunity to read on the main stage at Sierra Poetry Festival as part of the Community Voices segment. Two winners will be selected by a panel of judges who will evaluate based on content, presence, and overall performance.
If writing is more your style, community members are invited to join in the fun for UNESCO World Poetry Day on Saturday, March 21 from 11:00am-3:00pm at Wonder Docent in Nevada City. Hosted by local poets and Sierra Poetry Festival committee members, this generative day is open to writers of all ages and abilities. Drop in for a bit of community and to get your creative juices flowing, poems from the day will be on display at The Center for the Arts during the festival.
This year sees the 2nd Annual Nevada City Poetry Crawl on Saturday, March 28 from 3:00-6:00pm at various locations in downtown Nevada City, with a special reading at ‘Uba Seo. With 8 hosting locations in a short walking distance, attendees are invited to grab a tasty treat or a delicious drink and enjoy poetry and workshops from some of Nevada County’s favorites including The Poetry Crashers, Nevada County Poet Laureate Karen Terrey, and our recent Poetry Out Loud youth champions–to name a few.
To kick off National Poetry Month, Sierra Poetry Festival has partnered with The Onyx for a fundraiser and special viewing of the film Paterson, at the Nevada Theatre on Wednesday, April 1. Paterson was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palm Dog Award. Written and directed by Jim
Jarmusch, the film stars Adam Driver as a bus driver and poet named Paterson, and Golshifteh Farahani as his wife, who dreams of being a country music star and opening a cupcake business as the two live out their day to day life in Paterson, New Jersey.
In the week leading up to the festival there are a variety of ways for community members to engage including, now in its third year, the Grass Valley Open Mic Poetry Slam will be held at the Iron Door Saloon on Thursday, April 16 at 5:30pm. Attendees will be performing their original work in front of a panel of judges, two winners will be selected to read during Community Voices at Sierra Poetry Festival.
These are just a few of the events for this year’s fringe, encompassing over two dozen readings, workshops, book launches and collaborations. Most are free with a suggested donation, and all are open to the public. To learn more about the fringe visit www.sierrapoetryfestival.org/fringe-festival-events and follow the festival on Instagram @SierraPoetryFestival or on Facebook.
For tickets, full presenter listings, and regularly updated program information about the main stage taking place all day on Saturday, April 18, at The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley visit www.sierrapoetryfestival.org. For more information about Nevada County Arts Council, visit www.nevadacountyarts.org.