SYNERGY:

• Experience the Magic of Poetry Like Never Before

  Join us for JCPOFEST, a vibrant celebration of spoken word, storytelling, and poetic craft. Featuring performances by nationally acclaimed poets and performers, community voices, live music, panel discussions, and surprise experiences.

2026 JCPOFEST THEME: “VIVA! Joy as Resistance ”

A journey of radical hope through art, connection, and collective imagination.

The 2026 festival will explore the idea that joy is not an escape from difficult moments—it is a practice of resilience, connection, and hope. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, JCPOFEST will gather to reflect on justice and the ongoing pursuit of happiness.

Through interdisciplinary practices JCPOFEST will create a space where audiences can:

• Experience diverse, intergenerational voices and perspectives

• Celebrate creativity as a force for healing

• Explore stories of identity, belonging, and transformation

• Remember the power of gathering together via the arts

Our vision for this year is to create an immersive experience

that leaves people feeling inspired,

connected,

and more

hopeful about the future.

An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Poetry

Mana Contemporary | Jersey City

4pm - 9pm

Saturday's flagship programming brings together nationally recognized literary voices, interdisciplinary artists, educators, community organizations, and emerging young poets.

Leading the Saturday showcase is  Richard Blanco  Selected by President Obama as the fifth Presidential Inaugural Poet in U.S. history, Blanco was the youngest, the first Latinx, immigrant, and gay person to serve in that role. In 2023, Blanco was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Biden from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Born in Madrid to Cuban exile parents and raised in Miami in a working-class family, Blanco’s personal negotiation of cultural identity and the universal themes of place and belonging characterize Blanco’s many collections of poetry, including his most recent, Homeland of My Body, which reassess traditional notions of home as strictly a geographical, tangible place that merely exist outside us, but rather, within us. 

Featured performers: 

Theta Pavis — Poet, Editor, Educator, Jersey City Voice

Cara Hagan — Mover, Maker, Writer, Choreographer

Dr. Edvige Giunta — Scholar, Writer, Storyteller, Cultural Historian, Educator

Otto Vock — Poet, Teaching Artist, Educator, Storyteller

Tara Stafford Ocansey — Educator, Environmentalist, Artist, Advocate, Musical Artist

Chinaza Sol — Artist, Filmmaker, Writer, Performer, Ritualist

K. Desireé Milwood — Poet, Advocate, Educator, Organizer, Change maker

A major literary panel will feature Evie Shockley (Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2018), Purvi Shah, and  Eduardo Martinez-Leyva, moderated by Kathy Kremins. The conversation brings together important literary communities represented by Cave Canem, Kundiman, and CantoMundo, creating a powerful dialogue around contemporary poetry, identity, community, and social transformation.

Saturday's programming will also feature contributions from CavanKerry Press,Àbákẹ́  Bookstore and Cafe / BLK Lit Podcast, Reorienting Reads, Kean University, Rutgers University, JC Writers, and other literary and community partners.

Young Voices

The festival will also spotlight the next generation of poets and storytellers, and artists including KEAN University's - Student Poet Laureate Ameenah McKiethen, JCPOFEST Youth Poetry Ambassador Ethan Rodriguez, JCPOFEST Musical Theater Ambassador Maya Rosalky, representatives from Project Write Now TEENS, and young performers from Hudson County - Hightech High School and City Kidz Playhouse.

Together, these voices reflect JCPOFEST's commitment to creating an intergenerational cultural experience where established artists and emerging voices share the same stage.

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JCPOFEST - Founder & Visionary: Melida Rodas , Poet Laureate of Jersey City