(HUDSON COUNTY, NJ) -- Washington Park Association of Hudson County (WPA) has announced its all-new Hudson County Poetry Festival, as part of its Art in the Park series, which selected inaugural Poet in Residence, Yetvart S. Majian, last year. The Festival will take place on Saturday, March 29, 2025 from 4:00pm to 9:00pm. All of the day's festivities will be free to the public.
This will be the second installation of the Park's Poetry in the Park programming, and builds on last year’s showcase by highlighting Hudson County’s most prominent poetry communities. In addition to live performances and features by local poets, the Hudson County Poetry Festival will feature local art exhibitors and readings by local university faculty and students.
Among what are being called Hudson County’s many “poetic community hubs” are local favorites like the WAYE Reading Series in Jersey City heights, SMUSH Gallery, the Hoboken Historical Museum, Prototype 237, Jersey City Writers, as well as Green Space Studios and The Poetry Unfold in Union City + many others, all on the main stage under the large Gazebo at Webster Avenue and Paterson Plank Road.
“In times like ours, when many are grappling with the shifts in our society, poetry is more vital than ever. Our aim is to elevate awareness about the many poetic spaces we have in Hudson County, cultivated by some of the most wonderful human beings I know,” said Majian. “The late Audre Lorde told us, ‘poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change,’ … if change and survival are attainable, they begin in poetic community.” Also represented will be faculty and students from Hudson County Community College, Saint Peter’s University and New Jersey City University. The WPA welcomes all local residents to come out, enjoy an unforgettable day of poetry, and make new friends!
Majian, a first-generation Armenian-American Hudson County native and Saint Peter’s University alum, is a local poetry facilitator, active performer and literary organizer in the tristate area. This is his second event as WPA Poet in Residence, and emerges from the connections he has cultivated through years of community building. Poets from as far as Philadelphia, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island are scheduled to attend. “These are all people that poets in our county interact with, people I’ve met through performing. My vision for this residency has always been to highlight the good work being done by many on our side of the river, empower local poets and to make the rich tapestry of poetry more accessible in our challenging times. Launching the Hudson County Poetry Festival, loosely modeled after the NYC Poetry Festival on Governors Island, is a leap toward that end. I’m grateful for the backing of the WPA and so many of the poets, artists and friends helping us make it possible.”
Washington Park Association of Hudson County, Inc. (WPA) was founded in 2008 by residents in the vicinity of the Park. The WPA is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit managed by Hudson County residents. They believe that engaging residents in activities that improve our neighborhoods increases civic pride and care, leading to healthier progressive communities. Art in the Park is made possible with funding from the Hudson County Local Arts Program and the Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund.
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