The 33rd Annual Erotic Poetry and Music Festival returns to Detroit's Tangent Gallery to make us blush

In 1924 at the age of 19, celebrated Chilean poet Pablo Neruda published Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair. The collection, arguably his most beloved, includes a poem titled “Every Day You Play,” during which Neruda writes, “I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.” In the 96 years since penning one of the most sensual lines ever written, people all over the world have contributed to the vast tradition of personal, emotional, and downright steamy erotic poetry.

Celebrating the works of Detroit-area erotic artists for 33 years running is the annual Erotic Poetry and Music Festival. The single-night event returns to the Tangent Gallery with titillating and thought-provoking performances, this time by artists Satori Circus, Konrad Lee, Divine Butterfly, Emily Infinity, and others, as well as sets by local burlesque dancers Lushes LaMoan, Magenta DeMure, Sophia Von Stardust, and Lottie Ellington. As per the ethos of the event, more than a dozen writers will share their written works, including poems by Jimmy Doom, Lady of Pain, Glenn Novak, Kai Quix, Shakespeare Simmons, Mike Kelly, Pearl, and more. There will be erotic art, too, a local marketplace, which will offer sensual toys, naughty leather goods, and intimate oils. For those who need to refuel, food will be offered by a selection of four vendors, and for those looking for guidance, GeminEye Tarot will be on-site to dish the goods on your future. (Here’s hoping it’s a sexy one.)

Event begins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 29, at Tangent Gallery; 715 E. Milwaukee St., Detroit; 313-873-2955; brownpapertickets.com. Tickets are $15+.

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