Photos: NYC Poetry Festival Takes Over Governors Island

Aspiring poets working up the courage to try an open mic. A couple on a surprise date. At least one veteran of verse looking for inspiration to help get through a dry spell. And far more than one person selling poetry collections.

A tranquil green expanse on Governors Island enveloped by yellow 19th-century houses was transformed into a scene of creative exchange last weekend as poets and poetry lovers descended on Nolan Park for the 13th annual New York City Poetry Festival, hosted by the nonprofit Poetry Society of New York.

Professional poets, first-time poets and many falling somewhere in between gathered at the two-day festival to take in one another’s verse in the sweltering, leafy outdoors.

Lyrics and impassioned rhymes echoed from the festival’s various stages across the lawn as poets — some whispering and subdued, others roaring their words across the park — shared their art with the city.

“It is for everyone, no matter if you started writing poetry 10 minutes ago or 10 years ago,” said Tova Greene, the festival’s organizer, adding that it was meant to be “a space for people to have that ‘aha, eureka!’ moment of ‘poetry is not dead, it’s here, it’s alive, it’s everywhere.’”

Here’s what some poets and poetry fans had to say on the first day of the festival.

Interviews have been condensed and edited.

Chester Wilson III, 24

Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

What are the poems you’ll be reading today about?

Queerness, growing up in the Midwest, living around cornfields and everything about that.

Tell us about moving from the Midwest to New York.

I was like: “Where are all the poets living? They’re living in New York.” And so, that’s why I’m here.

Do you find Governors Island poetic?

It’s pretty. There’s so much happening at once. There’s also so much blank space, so maybe there’s a poem there.

Andrew Ward, 30, and Lucia Gallipoli, 26

East Williamsburg, Brooklyn

How did you feel about the poetry reading you just did?

Lucia Gallipoli: I was really nervous. I’ve never done anything like this.

Was the poem referencing a boyfriend about you?

Andrew Ward: One of them was, at least.

Gallipoli: All the ones that were negative were not about him.

How does it feel to be the muse?

Ward: It’s interesting. I read these when she writes them and then don’t hear them for a while, so it’s always a good reminder that, “Oh, I’m involved in some way.”

Have you ever given feedback?

Ward: No, I try to keep my comments to myself.

Gallipoli: I feel like he has a respectful distance. I feel very supported by him, the way he supports my art.

Ngoma Hill, 78

Harlem, Manhattan

What are your poems about?

I write work that’s social criticism. That’s the reason that I do it.

What’s important in a crowd for a poetry reading?

What’s important is for the poet to be able to capture the audience’s attention. And what’s important is for the poet to be saying something that the audience will remember, something that moves them, that’s not just gibberish. What’s important to me is that the audience gets what I’m talking about; you don’t even have to agree.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Life. I watch a lot of news. I don’t know if that’s good or bad.

Do you have any advice that you would give to your younger poet self?

Read. Pay attention to what’s going on. Don’t be afraid to critique it.

You’re working at the festival?

Yeah, I work at the bar. But really, I’m doing whatever needs to be done.

Are you a poet?

I am. And I play acoustic guitar. I make psychedelic folk music.

Do you find that New York is an easy place to be a poet? Or a writer? Or a musician?

This is the only place I’ve ever lived, so I don’t know how to live anywhere else.

What advice would you give to your younger writer self?

It’s simple: Write. I got caught up in, like, “I want to do this, and I want to do that, and I want it to be like this, and I want it to be like that.” Instead of just, let it be — whatever it is.

What’s the most poetic place in New York?

Oh. Bridges. Each bridge. Every bridge. The Williamsburg Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge — even the Queensboro Bridge. It’s nasty, but still.

How’s the vibe today?

The vibe is Poetry Island: It kind of went from rain to sun is out. And so now everybody’s got that, like, island energy.

You have a “Poet Era” shirt. Are we living in a poet era?

I have this dream in which, yes, there’s like a poet era. It might not be happening yet, but you know how once upon a time, the idea of a celebrity chef was not even thinkable, and then a couple decades later, you have celebrity chefs. We’re not quite in the celebrity poet era, but it’s coming.

Have you done a reading yet today? How was the crowd? Are you on track for stardom?

It happened to be just one person who was actually paying attention. He came to me on the stage afterward. He was like: “That’s a thankless job. And just, I wanted you to know that meant something to me.” That’s fresh in my mind.

Nafisa Abulhasan, 40

Ocean Hill, Brooklyn

What do you find poetic about New York City? Or not?

There’s poetry in everything. I even wrote a poem about the subway. Subway love — like catching someone’s eye from across the platform.

Do you have a favorite poet?

I was into rap and also prominent poets like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison. But as far as rap artists, it would be Tupac and Alicia Keys.

Is there a specific Alicia song?

Her first album is, like, you know, “I keep on fallin’.” That’s poetry.

What’s your occupation?

I’m in social services. There’s poetry in helping people with their mental health.

Zachary Aborizk, 29

Washington Heights, Manhattan

What are you looking for right now?

Coffee.

Are you a poet?

I’m not a poet. I’m a writer. My sister is actually a poet and a vendor here. So I’m with her, out here, supporting her.

Are you the No. 1 fan?

I like to think so. She just published another book, which she dedicated to me. Kind of her best book, I will say.

Wow. How did you get that dedication?

I don’t really know. I think a lot of manipulation and, I don’t know, kind of “Game of Thrones”-ing it. I’m creating new language here.

It’s the coffee.

Yeah, I need that.

Emily Ming-An Wang

Lower East Side, Manhattan

What’s the poem you’re reading today about?

One of them is from my rhyming animal series called “Em’s Animals.” And the other ones are non-animal-related, toying with the randomness of life.

What’s your favorite animal?

Penguins.

Easy.

Easy, I went to Antarctica. Right before Covid.

Did you draw a lot of poetic inspiration from there?

Funny enough, I wrote my poem about a penguin in sweatpants before that. And then I was like, I have to go meet a penguin in real life.