Poetry International London, England 17th - 21st July 2014

A feast of poetry on the south bank: this festival was founded by English poet Ted Hughes. It aims to unsettle and inspire.

Poets include Sujata Bhatt, Ana Blandiana, Carolyn Forché, Durs Grünbein, Robert Hass,  Kutti Revathi, Nikola Madzirov, Mohamed El Deeb, Patrick McGuinness and Don Paterson. Plus many others in readings, workshops, innovative spoken-word performances, free events, poetry films, exhibitions and new commissions and translations.

You can find the full details here http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/festivals-series/poetry-international and the programme here http://issuu.com/southbank_centre/docs/89288_poetry_international_lr_pdf_p.

Rumi festival 2- 4th August 2013 Hawick, Scotland

Not a million miles away from p&g  HQ, reed flute from Kudsi Erguner, acclaimed master of the Turkish Ney, Whirling Dervish Sema with musicians direct from Istanbul and the vastearth orchestra choir to sing a specially composed piece with words by Rumi accompanied by rock legend Arthur Brown or dance with award winning Scottish folk musician Mairi Campbell. And most of all listen to regular recitations of poetry, by Rumi or inspired by him, in the poet’s tent.

Good food and convivial company near Hawick on the Chisholme Estate, home to the Beshara School, a 200 acre estate in the moors of the Scottish Borders.

You can find out more here http://rumifestival.org/wordpress/

6th Derwent Poetry Festival, 16th until 18th November 2012 Matlock Bath, England

Templar Poetry, publishers of Iota magazine and beautiful books, introduces new pamphlets and collections.

• New iShots and anthology
• Introducing Nicola Rowlands - Artist in Residence and 2012 Collection Cover Designer
• Alongside a range of workshops and talks. 

Festival tickets: full festival £15/10 | day tickets £9/£6.

More information about the festival here http://www.templarpoetry.co.uk/festival.html. And about Templar http://www.templarpoetry.co.uk/index.html.

Poetry in Chennai, India

Chennai is a city of poetry. Coming up in December is a 2 week poetry festival Poetry with Prakriti held annually to coincide with the Chennai music season. Eminent and emerging poets, in readings to small, intimate audiences. These readings take place at several venues in the city, including colleges and cafeteria, IT parks and green public parks and spaces, and select shops and commercial establishments. The idea is to bring poetry closer to the public of Chennai.

More details of this year's line up when we have it.

This is just one happening of many. More information on the Prakriti Foundation which co-ordinates the events here http://www.prakritifoundation.com/.

Stanza poetry festival March 14 - 18 2012 St Andrews Scotland

This year's themes are The Image and Poetry by Degrees.

1. the importance and relevance of the image in poetry, but also in psychology, religion, visual art, and in particular with reference to St Andrews’ significance in the history of photography.
2. as part of an educational expansion, and during the 600th anniversary celebrations at the University of St Andrews, poetry in education and education in poetry.

Headline poets include:

Kathleen Jamie

Jackie Kay

Christopher Reid

Chase Twichell

Lavinia Greenlaw

Kwame Dawes

Grace Nichols

Michael Symmons Roberts

Matthew Hollis

You can find out all about it here http://www.stanzapoetry.org/.

Festival de Poesía en Voz Alta, México 13 Octobre 2011

El Festival de Poesía en Voz Alta (México) ha invitado al poeta argentino Jorge Fondebrider y a Tomás Gubitsch para crear un espectáculo conjunto, "Standards". Será el 13 de octubre de 2011 en la Casa del Lago.

The Poetry Festival in Voz Alta in Mexico has invited Argentine poets Jorge Fondebrider and Tomás Gubitsch to create a spectacular event together. Jorge Fondebrider is a writer and poet born in Buenos Aires in 1956. His published poetry books are Elegías (Buenos Aires, 1983), Imperio de la Luna (Buenos Aires, Libros de Tierra Firme, 1987), Standards (Buenos Aires, Libros de Tierra Firme, 1993) and Los últimos tres años (Buenos Aires, Libros de Tierra Firme, 2006). Tomás Gubitsch was born in Buenos Aires in 1957, Already aguitar virtuoso at 17 years he joined the Invisible group (with Luis Alberto Spinetta) whose recitales got more than 15,000 spectators. Also a member of the group of contemporary tango " Cero" generation of Rodolfo Mederos.

More on Casa del Lago here: http://es-es.facebook.com/pages/Casa-del-Lago/71323866461 and here http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=150342345059653.

22nd World Congress of Poets (Larissa, Greece June-July 2011)

22nd World Congress of Poets 2011 held in the heart of Greece, from the 29th June to the 3rd July 2011, in Larissa.

200 poets from over 40 countries; the emphasis is a little different in this Greek conference. It offers to the participants a social and recreational program that includes "1st Mediterranean Poetry Festival", traditional Greek night, visits to interesting sights in the Periphery of Thessaly, banquets with music and dancing, etc. There is also an opportunity for poetry reading.

More information on the composition of the event here:

http://www.wcp-greece2011.org/

Or go direct to http://www.facebook.com/wcp2011 and consult with conference president Dimitris P. Kraniotis

International Istanbul Poetry Festival, Turkey, May 2011

Usually an excellent global line up at this event and if you are lucky you might run into Orhan Pamuk's museum.

International Istanbul Poetry Festival (IIPF) will officially take place on Tuesday, 10th May - Saturday, 14th May 2011 with the participation of 40 poets from 17 countries, and is considered as the biggest international literary event in Turkey. There may still be time left to volunteer - http://www.istanbulsiirfestivali.org/en/gonullu.asp?arsiv=2011.

Poets participating previously (and whose work is celebrated) include • Adonis (Syria) • Ahmet Telli • Alan Jude Moore (Ireland) • Alex Susanna (Catalonia) • Ali Günvar (Turkey) • Anzhelina Polonskaya (Russia) • Arif Ay (Turkey) • Arif Damar • Arjen Duinker (Netherlands) • Astrid Lampe (Hollanda) • Ataol Behramoğlu (Turkey) • Ayşe Sevim (Turkey) • Baki Ayhan T. • Bayırcan Karabeyov • Betül Tarıman (Turkey) • Breyten Breytenbach (South Africa) • Cahit Koytak • Caj Westerberg (Finland) •  Joumana Haddad (Lebanon) • Kemal Eşfak Berki (Turkey) • Kemal Özer • Kerry Shawn Keys (USA) • Kim Haeng-sook (South Korea) • Lasse Söderberg (Sweden) • Leopoldo Castilla (Argentina) • Leyla Şahin • Luis Alberto de Cuenca (Spain) • Luis Garcia Montero (Spain) • Māra Zālīte (Latvia) • Can Bahadır Yüce • Carles Torner (Spain) • Celal Fedai (Turkey) • Egito Gonçalves (Portugal) • Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin (Ireland) • Emilio Coco (Italy) • Enver Ercan • Eray Canberk (Turkey) • Eyvaz Borçallı (Azerbaijan) • Fadhil Al-Azzawi (Iraq) • Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca • Ferida Duraković (Bosnia-Herzegovina) • Francisca Aguirre (Spain) • Frans de Haes (Belgium) • Jean Pierre Balpe (France) • Joachim Sartorius (Germany) • Joan Margarit (Catalonia) • Johannes Poethen (Germany) • Jordi Virallonga (Spain) •

More information: http://www.istanbulsiirfestivali.org/en/index.asp?arsiv=2011.