The 2011 Jazzmouth Poetry and Jazz Festival will not return to the Seacoast this spring. Jazzmouth director Larry Simon recently announced he was pulling the plug due to a variety of issues.

First held in 2005, Jazzmouth usually takes place in April at several venues around downtown Portsmouth. The multi-day event combines spoken word poetry with live music, featuring local and nationally known performers.

Due to a small volunteer committee and fundraising difficulties, Simon initially planned to scale back the festival and push it to May. But he encountered additional problems securing artists and venues for the dates he set aside. He decided to cancel the spring event with hopes of perhaps holding it in the fall or winter, instead.

In addition to providing artistic value, Simon said, Jazzmouth brings commerce and visitors to the city. He believes the festival could one day do for Portsmouth what the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals have done for Newport, R.I. Simon is still trying to secure sponsors and donations for future events.

“I’ve always believed that Jazzmouth can be an enormous, internationally known event,” Simon said in an e-mail. “There is really no other festival like it and Portsmouth is a perfect place for it. We have hotels, venues, great restaurants and a heaping pile of incredibly creative and talented musicians and poets.”

The 2010 Jazzmouth Extravaganza featured a headlining set from beat poet Michael McClure and The Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek. Former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky also performed at The Music Hall, while poet and activist John Sinclair offered a performance at The Press Room.

Previous Jazzmouth performers have included David Amram, Ed Sanders, Charles Simic, Andrei Codrescu, Billy Collins, Bob Dorough, Mose Allison, Donald Hall, Eric Mingus, and Sheila Jordan, as well as numerous local poets and musicians. 

For more information, visit www.jazzmouth.org or look for the event on Facebook, or contact Simon at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .