VIPF 2026: 4-Day Festival Schedule
https://www.facebook.com/groups/rgvipf/ (page)
https://www.facebook.com/VIPFPoetryPachanga (group)
######
CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES!
Here is our final Schedule for the 2026 V.I.P.F. Events
The public is invited to the 19th Annual Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival
Apr 23—Apr 26, 2026
All Times, Central Standard Time
Valley International Poetry Festival
****Day One Kicks Off @ 7PM CST****
We are thrilled to return to Weslaco’s Krisp Gallery for our festival kick-off. This is the day you get to listen to our featured poets read and our anthologized poets of Boundless 2026: The Anthology of the Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival.
From the Rio Grande Valley to the world…
The 19th Annual Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival brings together voices from over 20 countries across 5 continents—a powerful celebration of poetry without borders.
This year’s anthology and festival feature poets from:
United States, Puerto Rico, Dominica, Mexico, Philippines, India, Uzbekistan, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Italy, Romania, France, Hungary, Nigeria, Kurdistan, Albania, Canada, Pakistan, Indonesia, China, Uruguay, and many more voices shaped by migration, culture, and lived experience.
From the borderlands to the global stage, VIPF continues to build a literary community rooted in connection, storytelling, and shared humanity.
Join us April 23–26, 2026
Rio Grande Valley, Texas
#VIPF2026 #RGVPoetry #PoetryWithoutBorders #GlobalVoices #LiteraryCommunity
Valley International Poetry Festival
****Day Two****
Friday, April 24 Poets in the Schools:
various locations 10am-4pm
We are excited to share that our Poets in Schools programming is officially part of the 19th Annual Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival.
This initiative brings poetry directly into our classrooms and communities, creating meaningful connections with students across the Valley. We are grateful to the poets who have accepted the invitation to participate and represent the spirit of VIPF through this important work.
Participating poets include:
Paola Carrasco
Sue Schnitzer
Rosalva Ruiz (Weslaco Poet Laureate)
Daniel García Ordaz (Founder, VIPF)
Your presence in our schools inspires young writers, fosters creativity, and strengthens the cultural fabric of our region. We are honored to have you as part of this year’s programming.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Librarian & Head Cheer Coach Larisa Cantu for welcoming the Poets in Schools program to Nikki Rowe High School.
Your support in bringing poetry and creative expression to students helps make this upcoming event possible. We’re grateful for your commitment to fostering a space where young voices can be heard, inspired, and celebrated.
We look forward to sharing this special experience together as part of the 19th Annual Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival.
#VIPF2026 #PoetsInSchools #RGVCommunity #NationalPoetryMonth
Friday, April 24 @ 7 p.m. College/University Reading & Youth and Adult Slam Poetry Night
Friday Night Poetry in McAllen
Join us for an unforgettable evening at the 19th Annual Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival
Friday, April 24, 2026
CommonSpace Coffee Shop
2901 N 10th St F, McAllen, TX
Festivities begin at 7:00 PM
College/University Reading
Experience powerful voices from emerging and established student poets and educators across the region
Slam Poetry Night – 8:00 PM
Youth + Adult + Spoken Word
Step into the energy of live performance and community expression
Poetry. Community. Connection.
Valley International Poetry Festival
****Day Three****
Saturday, April 25 Morning Workshops & Readings
Poetry in San Benito
Join us for a special gathering as part of the 19th Annual Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Twists & Tales
230 S. Travis St. Suite C
San Benito, TX
Workshop by Ale Sanchez
Visivia Poética | 10:00–11:00 AM
Featured Poet: Juania Sueños
11:00 AM–12:00 PM
Juania Sueños is a queer Chicanx writer, educator, translator, mother, & community advocate. She co-founded and is an editor at Infrarrealista Review. Her work has appeared in Acentos Review, New York Quarterly, Sybil Journal, The Skink Beat Review, Porter House Review, Nat. Brut, and the Westchester Review. She is a migratory bird from Zacatecas. She has collaborated with Texas After Violence Project on various projects since 2021. On her desk sit many peculiar, sidewalk-found objects, an MFA diploma in Creative Writing from Texas State. She's the author of the hybrid poetry collection topography of a border / line bird (Mouthfeel Press, 2025) Mouthfeel Press
Experience a morning of creativity, community, and powerful storytelling in an intimate literary space.
Come write, listen, and connect.
#VIPF2026 #RGVPoetry #SanBenitoTX #PoetryWorkshop #PoetryFestival #TwistsAndTales
Join us for an intimate morning of creativity and poetry
As part of the 19th Annual Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival, we invite you to a special:
📚 Workshop + Poetry Reading
📍 Vellichor Books and More (Mission, TX)
📅 Saturday, April 25, 2026
🕙 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
🌿 Poetic Postcard Workshop
Facilitated by Don Mathis
Learn how to capture powerful, concise moments—small in form, expansive in feeling.
🌿 Featured Reading
with Jeff Knorr
Jeff Knorr is the author of five books of poetry, Fire Season (Flowersong Press, forthcoming) The Color of a New Country (Mammoth Books), The Third Body (Cherry Grove Collections), Keeper (Mammoth Books), and Standing Up to the Day (Pecan Grove Press). His other works include Mooring Against the Tide: Writing Poetry and Fiction (Prentice Hall); the anthology, A Writer's Country (Prentice Hall); and The River Sings: An Introduction to Poetry (Prentice Hall). His poetry and essays have appeared widely in literary journals and anthologies including Chelsea, Poetry Northwest, New Ohio Review, The Journal, North American Review, Hamilton Stone Review, Barrow Street, and Like Thunder: Poets Respond to Violence in America. Jeff was the Poet Laureate for the city and county of Sacramento from 2012-2016.
Come write, listen, and connect in an intimate bookstore setting.
#VIPF2026 #RGVPoetry #PoetryWorkshop #MissionTX #VellichorBooks #PoetryFestival
Poetry in Brownsville
Join us for a special reading as part of the 19th Annual Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival
Poetry Festival Reading
Featuring Kenan Wilson Phillip & Guests
Kenan Phillip is a Dominica-born poet living along the Texas-Mexico border, where he is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Currently, he serves as Volunteer Coordinator and board member of the Unfolded Poetry Project, a poetry-centered nonprofit based in the RGV. He is currently working on a creative thesis exploring intercultural and Afro-Caribbean/Latino poetics, decolonialism, and the poetics of relation. He is the author of The Ego Rhythm (FlowerSong Press)
Búho Bookstore
1140 E Washington Street
Brownsville, TX
April 25, 2026
12:00 PM
Experience an afternoon of powerful voices, storytelling, and community in one of the Valley’s beloved literary spaces.
Come listen, connect, and celebrate poetry with us.
#VIPF2026 #RGVPoetry #BrownsvilleTX #BuhoBookstore #PoetryReading #PoetryFestival #KenanWilsonPhillip
Workshop Spotlight at VIPF 2026
Join us for a powerful craft session at the 19th Annual Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival:
Before It Breaks: Creating the Hinge Moment in Poetry
Led by Susan Summers
Most powerful poems have a turning point—the moment everything shifts. This workshop explores how to build toward that moment and write it with impact.
Saturday, April 25, 2026
10:00 – 11:15 AM
The Caffeine Library
1518 W University Dr., Edinburg, TX
Followed by a reading at 11:45 AM
with Featured Poet Gustavo Hernandez
#workshop #vipf2026 #susansummers #PoetryFestival #poetrycommunity #RGVpoetry
Poetry in Edinburg
Join us for a special event as part of the 19th Annual Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival
📅 Saturday, April 25, 2026
📍 The Caffeine Library
1518 W University Dr.
Edinburg, TX
☕ Workshop
🕙 10:00 – 11:15 AM
Led by Susan Beall Summers
📖 Reading
🕦 11:45 AM – 12:45 PM
Featuring Gustavo Hernandez + registered poets
Gustavo Hernandez is the author of the poetry collection Flower Grand First (Moon Tide Press, 2021) and Bachelor (FlowerSong Press, 2025). In January 2024, Hernandez was appointed Poet Laureate of Orange County, California. He was born in Jalisco, Mexico and was raised in Santa Ana, California, where he still resides.
An inviting space to learn, share, and celebrate poetry in community.
✨ Open to the public—come be part of the experience.
#VIPF2026 #RGVPoetry #EdinburgTX #PoetryWorkshop #PoetryReading #PoetryFestival
Saturday, April 25 Afternoon Workshops & Readings
Break: 2:15—2:30 p.m.
Afternoon Workshop by Trier Ward @ 2:30 p.m.
Workshop: Invoking Animal Spirits in Poetry
Workshop facilitator: Trier Ward
This generative workshop focuses on learning about the native species of your local ecosystem, as a way to commune with nature and inspire creativity in your poetry! This workshop is led by Trier Ward, poet and animal caretaker at a wildlife rescue in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We will discuss animal species local to New Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley, read some animal poems, and spend some time writing about animals too!
Afternoon Poetry Reading: 3:45—5 p.m.
Featured Poet Luivette Resto & Special Guest Pharr Poet Laureate Amanda Puryear El
Luivette Resto is an award-winning poet, a mother of three revolutionary humans, and a middle school English teacher. She was born in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, and was proudly raised in the Bronx, New York. She is a CantoMundo and Macondo Fellow. Her books of poetry include Unfinished Portrait (2008) and Ascension (2013), both published by Tía Chucha Press, as well as Living on Islands Not Found on Maps (FlowerSong Press, 2022). Her work has been mentioned in the LA Times and Ms. Magazine, and her work has been published in North American Review. Resto is the associate editor of Tía Chucha Press, and she serves on the boards of Women Who Submit and Beyond Baroque. She lives in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles.
Old Church Winery
700 N. Main Street
McAllen, Texas 78501
Evening Break: 5 to 6 p.m.
We return here for the POETRY PACHANGA @ 7PM
🍷✨ Poetry Pachanga ✨🍷
Join us for an unforgettable evening at the 19th Annual Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival
📅 Saturday, April 25, 2026
📍 Old Church Winery
700 N. Main St., McAllen, TX
🍽️ Dinner: 6:00 – 7:00 PM
(Private event for registered poets & paid guests)
🎤 Poetry Pachanga
Featuring:
• Featured Poets Reading
• Readings by Registered Poets
🕢 7:30 PM — Doors open to the public
Come enjoy a vibrant night of poetry, community, and celebration.
From intimate readings to a lively evening of voices—this is poetry in full spirit.
#VIPF2026 #RGVPoetry #McAllenTX #PoetryPachanga #PoetryFestival #LivePoetry
Valley International Poetry Festival
****Day Four****Sunday, April 26 Visit to Gloria E. Anzaldúa’s Gravesite
Villa de la Paz Cemetery, Hargill: At south edge of Hargill on FM 493 and Cemetery Road.
9 a.m. 9:15 a.m. Meet at Starbucks on Trenton Road & Exp. 281, Edinburg
9;15 a.m. car pool or caravan to cemetery—about 20 minutes northeast of Edinburg, in Hargill
Readings from and inspired by and in memory of
Gloria E. Anzaldúa
🌿✨ Honoring Gloria E. Anzaldúa ✨🌿
Join us on Day Four of the 19th Annual Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival for a special gathering in remembrance and celebration.
📅 Sunday, April 26
📍 Villa de la Paz Cemetery, Hargill
We invite you to visit the gravesite of Gloria E. Anzaldúa—visionary writer, thinker, and cultural icon.
🕘 9:00–9:15 AM
Meet at Starbucks (Trenton Rd & Exp. 281)
🕘 9:15 AM
Carpool/caravan to the cemetery
✨ Readings from, inspired by, and in memory of Gloria E. Anzaldúa
A moment of reflection, connection, and honoring a voice that continues to shape generations.
#VIPF2026 #RGVPoetry #GloriaAnzaldua #LiteraryLegacy #PoetryFestival #Borderlands