Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival

Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival

April 16-17, 2027

Women performing poetry outside

Getting poetry off the page and into the world.

The Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival at UNH celebrates the power of poetry to bring people together, to elevate a wide array of voices and personalities, and to build a better community. 

One of the nation’s biggest annual literary events, we offer $80,000 in prizes and fellowships to support poets at every stage of their writing life, from youth voices to established poets. Each year we publish three books of poetry as part of our Festival, and award the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Prize for the best first book of poetry published in the previous calendar year.

Every spring we invite poets and poetry lovers of all ages and backgrounds to our campus, where we transform Hamilton Smith Hall into an art and poetry wonderland with readings from renowned poets, an indie press and artists fair, community-sourced panels, workshops, and other unique events, such as a poetry slam, interactive art installations, and a late-night speakeasy. Free and open to all, and held in a fully ADA accessible building. Please register to receive all the latest news and updates about the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival.

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Headshot of Pádraig Ó Tuama

2027 Nossrat Yassini Festival Headliner

Pádraig Ó Tuama (b. 1975, Ireland) is a poet with interests in language, violence, power, and religion. He is the host of On Being’s Poetry Unbound and has published volumes of poetry, essays, a memoir and theology. Kitchen Hymns was shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award. His two anthologies from the Poetry Unbound series have gathered widespread praise, with author Elif Shafak calling it “Mesmerizing, magical, deeply moving…” In September 2026, his collection Love Between Men will be published, and he will take up the role as Professor in the Practice of Spirituality at Yale Divinity School.

Festival Details

Prizes & awards

Over $80k in prizes each year to poets at all stages of their career. Click here to find out more about our fellowships, contests, and book prizes

Awards & book prizes

 

Location:

Hamilton Smith Hall

95 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824

Get directions

Contact us:

For questions, partnership ideas, sponsorship opportunities, or other inquiries about the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival, email yas.fest@unh.edu. 

Who was Nossrat Yassini?

A devoted mother, gourmet chef, gardener, and lifelong poet, Nossrat Yassini's story is one of resilience and creativity that continues to inspire this festival in her name.

Read her full story

Small Press Fair

The Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival's fourth annual Small Press Fair will take place on Saturday, April 17, 2027, 10 AM - 4 PM. Join us for an extravaganza of indie presses, artists and vendors, lit organizations, artist books and zines! The UNH bookstore will be there selling all of the speakers’ latest titles. Are you part of a small press or literary organization? Sign up to be part of the fun.

Register now

Frequently asked questions

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Directions by Train

The Amtrak Downeaster offers five daily roundtrips between Boston's North Station, Portland, Freeport and Brunswick Maine. The train stops at the Durham-UNH Train Station/Dairy Bar directly in the center of campus.

Directions by Plane

Four commercial airports serve Durham and the surrounding area:

  • Boston Logan Airport (BOS) -- Amtrak Downeaster and C&J Bus Line (90 min)
  • Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) -- car or limo service (45 min)
  • Portland International Jetport (PWM) -- connected by Amtrak Downeaster or car (90 min)
  • Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (PSM) -- connected by car or Wildcat Transit/Pease Trolley (30 min)

Directions by Bus

C&J Bus Lines offers service from Boston South Station, Logan Airport and NYC to two regional park and rides each approximately 10 miles from campus:

Pease-Portsmouth Transportation Center (185 Grafton Road) (connect to campus via COAST Pease-Portsmouth Trolley – then Wildcat Transit Route 4 connection) Dover (Exit 9 Spaulding Turnpike – 23 Indian Brook Drive)

Visitors to the University of New Hampshire can use designated visitor parking areas and hourly paid parking located throughout campus. Parking regulations and payment requirements are enforced, so please park only in designated visitor or paid parking spaces.

Before your visit, review the UNH Campus Parking Maps to locate visitor parking near your destination. For additional information about visitor parking, parking rates, payment options, and campus parking policies, visit the UNH Transportation Services Parking Information page.

The Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival is free for all poets and poetry lovers. 

We are very proud of this and working hard to keep it this way. Want to help? Any amount you can donate is appreciated and will help us continue to provide free poetry programming, in addition to funding poets at every stage of their writing life. 

Donate now

All are welcome! You don't need to be USNH student or affiliated with UNH in any way. This is a community event, the more the merrier. Please tell your friends and fellow poetry lovers about us!

Please register if you can. It will help us organize the festival in a way that is convenient and enjoyable for everyone, and give us a way to keep you informed about the Festival.

Visit our Awards & Book Prizes page for all the information and guidelines about our various contests. If you have additional questions, please email yas.fest@unh.edu.