Writers Are the Narrators of History
People's Poetry & Jazz Festival
On Saturday, August 16, 2025, the Black Writers Museum (BWM) will host its 9th Annual People’s Poetry and Jazz Festival (PPJF). A celebration of community, arts, and culture, the PPJF is held in one of America’s most historic neighborhoods, Germantown, Philadelphia, PA. As one of the city’s premier free summer festivals and attended by thousands from across the Philadelphia region, the PPJF draws a diverse and inter-generational audience that congregates in beautiful Vernon Park, to enjoy a full day of live Jazz and R-n-B from world renowned artists, exhilarating African Dance and Drumming, riveting Spoken Word, and a robust vendor marketplace featuring hundreds of community resource and information stations, authentic ethnic and American dishes, art and jewelry vendors, and cultural and commercial merchandise. An event for the whole family, this festival is a Germantown institution funded by corporate and community sponsors who share the ideal of maintaining healthy and whole communities.
To be a vendor at the PPJF, please complete the Vendor Application.
To become a corporate or community sponsor for the PPJF, please complete the Sponsorship Form.
PPJF “Living Legend Award”
Annually, the “Living Legend Award” is presented to a Jazz or RnB great recognized for their outstanding leadership and innovative contribution to the music industry. Past recipients of this award include jazz bass virtuoso Stanley Clarke, jazz drummer Lenny White, and founders of Pieces of A Dream, James Lloyd and Curtis Harmon. Sonia Sanchez and the late Amiri Baraka were the first recipients of this award for their immense contribution to the literary arts industry.
Past People’s Poetry & Jazz Festivals
PPJF 2019
RAKIM, in full concert, headlined
Philadelphia's most prominent FREE community festival! The day-long event was a tribute to Hip Hop and its Jazz Roots.
Live jazz with Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Keith Parker, and Friends helped to make the day perfect! African Dance and Drumming with The Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble and The Tyehimba Drum and Dance Ensemble completed a lively show.
RAKIM was the recipient of this year's prestigious Living Legend Award.
We would like to thank our committed sponsors for their unwavering support again: PECO, City Councilwoman Cindy Bass, Urban Affairs Coalition, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, Wells Fargo Bank, Community College of Philadelphia, and Brown’s ShopRite. A special thank you for the partnership of OAK STREET HEALTH as our headline sponsor
PPJF 2018
The People’s Poetry and Jazz Festival 2018 was another one for the history books! The incomparable jazz drummer Lenny White and Friends headlined a full day of divine entertainment, including Cedric Napoleon and Friends, Instant Funk, Foundation Singers, Tyehimba Dance and Drum Ensemble, and open mic poetry from some of the area’s best spoken word artists. The crowd was energetic and appreciative while Lenny White played into the night!
We would not have had the success without the partnerships of our committed sponsors: PECO, City Councilwoman Cindy Bass, Urban Affairs Coalition, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, Wells Fargo Bank, Community College of Philadelphia, and Brown’s ShopRite.
Enjoy a few fantastic PPJF photos from the past!
