The Upstate Poetry Festival You Didn’t Know You Needed: Why Sharon Springs Is Stealing the Spotlight

Every October, Sharon Springs turns into an unexpected literary hub—where world-class poets, students, and locals gather for two days of readings, workshops, and community.

Poet Major Jackson reads from his work at the 2017 Klinkhart Arts Festival in Sharon Springs.

Sharon Springs might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think "poetry festival." But every October, Pulitzer Prize winners, rising literary stars, and people who haven't written a poem since high school pack into a village auditorium for something unexpected: one of the most welcoming, accessible literary events you'll find anywhere.

It's called the Klinkhart Hall Arts Center Poetry Festival, and it's kind of a big deal—without any of the velvet ropes or intimidation factor you'd expect.

A Pulitzer Winner in Sharon Springs

The festival launched in 2017 after a serendipitous connection between Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon and beloved local mayor Doug Plummer. Since then, it's welcomed some of the biggest names in contemporary poetry: Billy Collins, Robert Pinsky, Major Jackson, Erica Jong, and Maggie Millner—a Yale lecturer who grew up just down the road in Cherry Valley.

This year's lineup (October 17-18, 2025) included:

• Nicole Sealey – author of The Ferguson Report: An Erasure, winner of the 2024 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Poetry

• Jana Prikryl – senior editor at The New York Review of Books, contributor to The New Yorker and The Nation

• Timothy Donnelly – Columbia professor, former Boston Review poetry editor, Guggenheim and Lannan fellow

• Paul Muldoon – the festival's founder, past New Yorker poetry editor, Oxford Professor of Poetry, Pulitzer and T.S. Eliot Prize winner

What It Actually Feels Like

Friday evening, you'll sit in a school auditorium listening to poets read their own work—like Robert Pinsky delivering "Street Music" with machine-gun precision (2017) or chatting with Major Jackson in line for refreshments (2021).

Saturday, the village becomes a creative playground:

• Workshops for adults and students

• Panel discussions with featured poets

• Coffee conversations at local cafés

• Pop-up performances and community gatherings

"Many first-timers come skeptically," admits Denise Kelly, who runs Klinkhart Hall Arts Center with a passionate team of volunteers. "'Just come as a favor to me,' I've said more than once.” They leave with new perspectives, ideas—even a few verses of their own.

A Creative Hub in the Making

Klinkhart Hall itself has a story: it's served as a Masonic Lodge, car dealership, and Smalley's Theater. Now it's being restored as a creative hub—and the Poetry Festival is its signature event.

"The festival really helped put Klinkhart Hall on the map," says Kelly. "It's become a launchpad for everything we do—from concerts to theater to visual arts."

Everything is free (except for a ticketed "Dinner with the Poets" fundraiser at The American Hotel). No pressure. No pretension. Just good words, good people, and the kind of atmosphere where a Pulitzer winner might end up chatting with you about your terrible high school haiku.

Why This Matters for Schoharie County

Events like this aren't just culturally enriching—they're economically vital. Visitors come for poetry and stay for dinner. They book rooms at local inns. They discover Sharon Springs' galleries, cafés, and historic Main Street. Some come back. Some move here.

Whether you're a writer looking for inspiration, a remote worker seeking weekend culture, or someone who's just curious what a poetry festival in a tiny upstate village could possibly be like—this is worth the trip.

Plan Your Visit

The Poetry Festival takes place every October in Sharon Springs, 45 minutes west of Albany. Explore historic Main Street, meet local artists and poets, and experience world-class literature without the crowds or cost. You'll leave with more than you expected. Maybe even a poem.

More on Klinkart: KlinkhartHall.org

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