Begun in 1979, the Festival of Poets and Poetry (1979-1993) and Literary Festival (1994-2004) was directed by former SMCM English professor Michael S. Glaser. It was held annually from 1979 through 2000, and again in 2002 and 2004. Held for two weekends in late spring, it was designed to give poets and poetry enthusiasts from across Maryland and the greater Washington, D.C. area an opportunity for the formal and informal exchange of ideas. On each of the two weekends, guest poets led workshops, discussions, and seminars as well as open poetry readings on Friday nights and more formal invitational readings on Saturday nights. In conjunction with the festival, SMCM offered the Intensive Poetry Writing Workshop for interested writers (for credit or non-credit); the workshops lasted one to two weeks and included readings, small seminars, and opportunities for students to interact with guest poets from the festival. In 1993, two additional one- to two-week elements were created for the festival: the Fiction Writing Workshop, taught by Wayne Karlin, was designed for students interested in the art and craft of fiction writing, while the St. Mary's Writer's Community Retreat allowed participants the opportunity to join in the overall festival activities but in an unstructured, self-directed format.