Calendar of Events

Poetry in the Garden - Cornelius Eady and Marilyn Nelson

A Poetry Festival in the Heart of Ridgefield's Cultural District!

July 27, 2026 · 7 p.m.
Walled Garden
Free

Now in its sixth season, Poetry in the Garden welcomes poetry lovers and the culturally curious to a season of readings, music, and workshops. This year's theme is "Voices of the New Revolution": each Monday evening in July, nationally acclaimed poets will share works that stand defiant of oppression and injustice, opting instead for empowerment, creativity, and empathy. 

Poetry in the Garden readings are free for all to attend. Doors open at 6:30pm and readings begin at 7pm. Bring a lawn chair or blanket to enjoy the events, held in KTM&HC's historic walled garden. In the event of inclement weather, the readings move inside, to KTM&HC's Garden House.

July 27th features poets Cornelius Eady and Marilyn Nelson.

Cornelius Eady's poetry collections include: Hardheaded Weather, nominated for an NAACP Image Award; Victims of the Latest Dance Craze, winner of the 1985 Lamont Prize from the Academy of American Poets; The Gathering of My Name; and most recently, The War Against the Obvious. With poet Toi Derricote, he cofounded the organization Cave Canem. Eady is recipient of The Academy of American Poets' 2025 Wallace Stevens Award and fellowships from the NEA, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the J.S. Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. A Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, he recited his poem "Proof" at the inauguration of NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Marilyn Nelson is the author or translator of some twenty poetry books and chapbooks for adults, young adults, and children. Many of her collections have won awards, and her poems have been widely anthologized. Nelson's honors include two NEA creative writing fellowships, the 1990 Connecticut Arts Award, a Fulbright Teaching Fellowship, a fellowship from the J.S. Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Ruth Lilly Award, the Robert Frost Medal, and the Wallace Stevens Award. She has served as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, as Poet-in-Residence of the Poets Corner at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and as the Poet Laureate of the State of CT.

Poetry in the Garden is generously supported by Books on the Common, Ridgefield Library, and The Fountain Inn.

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