Bookstock 2026 Poetry Festival
For our 2026 Poetry Festival, we’ve recruited some powerful poetic voices.
All our poetry readings are free to attend and will take place in the Norman Williams Public Library, 10 The Green, Woodstock, VT 05091. Books on sale from Yankee Bookshop.
For more information, and to get tickets, visit the Bookstock website.
Meet the poets
Sunday, May 18 | 10 — 11:30 a.m. | Norman Williams Public Library, Mezzanine | Free, ticket required
Wyn Cooper
Wyn Cooper has published five books of poetry; his sixth book, The Unraveling, will appear in May 2026. A poem from his first book was turned into Sheryl Crow’s Grammy-winning “All I Wanna Do.”
Sunday, May 18 | 12:30 a.m. — 2 p.m. | Norman Williams Public Library, Mezzanine | Free, ticket required
Emma Paris
Emma Paris is the 2025-26 Vermont Youth Poet Laureate and a sophomore at Bennington College, where she studies Poetry and Environmental Science.
Sydney Lea
Sydney Lea is a Pulitzer finalist in poetry, founder of New England Review, Vermont Poet Laureate (2011-15), and recipient of Vermont’s highest artistic distinction, the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts.
Xue Di
The Chinese poet Xue Di came to the US immediately after the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989 in Beijing, becoming writer-in-residence at Brown University.
The Norman Williams Public Library Mezzanine, 10 The Green, Woodstock, VT 05091
Meg Reynolds
Meg Reynolds is a poet, artist, and teacher from New England whose work has been published in numerous literary journals and in three collections.
Jennifer Militello
Jennifer Militello, the Poet Laureate of New Hampshire, is the author of a memoir, five collections of poetry, and a hybrid collection, Identifying the Pathogen.
A gift from Dr. Edward H. Williams, the Norman Williams Public Library was constructed in 1883-1884 on the site of the home of his parents, Norman and Mary Williams. Designed by the prominent architectural firm Wilson Brothers of Philadelphia, Vermont stone was used in the construction: Grey Barre granite, Monkton quartzite (redstone), and limestone on the exterior, Vermont marble on the interior. A noted Woodstock metal worker, Oscar Farwell, created the original iron and brass fixtures. The new library was an immediate and somewhat overwhelming success, and in 1901, Dr. Williams funded the addition of the double-wing transept addition to the rear of the building.
In 1999-2000, NWPL undertook major renovation, restoration, expansion, and automation projects. After restoring the aged facility, the basement area was totally remodeled and transformed into a well-lit, comfortable area for children, teens, and their families. A mezzanine level was constructed to accommodate study carrels and our event space. Administrative offices and the Vermont History Room were built in the former attic space. The original children’s area became the Reading Room. This transformation tripled the usable space from 5,000 to 15,000 square feet. When the new facility reopened in September 2000, the card catalog and circulation system were automated, and the building was ADA accessible.