The Limestone Dust Poetry Festival

Please check back soon for information regarding the future Limestone Dust Poetry Festival

Frequently Asked Questions:

What in the world is the Limestone Dust Poetry Festival?

The Limestone Dust Poetry Festival is the dream child of poet Allen Berry and poetry enthusiast Stephenie Walker. Nurtured and raised by Allen and Stephenie and fellow poets and dreamers Ruth Braswell, Jack Dempsey, Alberta "Annie" Milton and Bonnie Roberts, a long time friend of the festival who came on board in 2004, into a thriving gathering of poets from all over the state and beyond.  It's purpose is to celebrate the art of poetry.  We come together to showcase our art, to hear other poets and to hone our craft.

Does it take place in Limestone County?

No, actually despite its name, the Limestone Dust Poetry Festival takes place in Huntsville.  After trying out a few different names: Rocket City Poetry Festival, Twickenham Poetry Festival, North Alabama Poetry Festival,  Poetrypalooza,  the name came to Allen after hiking in the "3 Caves" preserve on the Huntsville Land Trust.  Looking down, he noticed that his boots were covered in Limestone dust, and voila!  a name was born.  Limestone is the foundation  that the city of Huntsville rests on the same way that Truth is the foundation of poetry.  We liked the earthy sound of Limestone Dust and
the name stuck.

Who comes to the Festival?

Poets of every style, walk of life, and stripe come to participate in the festival.  The goal of our festival is diversity!  In our short three years we've drawn poets from all over the state and beyond.  In the past we've featured poets from Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida and even Pakistan!  One of the great joys of the festival is meeting the poets who have submitted their work for consideration in our poetry contest.  Putting a face to the words often surprising!