Article
'Meet between the lines'
49th Poetry International Festival Rotterdam
February 21, 2018
From 29 May to 3 June, Poetry International will bring a choice selection of poetic voices to Rotterdam. The festival poets of the 49th PIFR are younger than ever and unafraid to wade into many a topical discussion with their poetry, whether it concerns the environment or sustainability, racism, diversity and gender, massively destabilising violence, or politics where madness sometimes seems to reign supreme. With their assertive, challenging poetry, American poets Patricia Lockwood and Danez Smith, the Spanish Sonia Bueno, the Mexican Alí Calderón and Dolores Dorantes or the Russian Maria Stepanova all speak out freely and incisively.
All poets will read at least once, with the readings always starting at 20:00. Beforehand, each night of the festival at 18:30, poets will be interviewed by Hassnae Bouazza, Daan Doesborgh, Janita Monna or Tsead Bruinja. For the special events later in the evening, festival poets join guest poets and speakers to explore exciting phenomena in contemporary poetry.
Every night from 21:00 onwards, the festival features stimulating special events in which festival poets tackle exciting themes along with special guests: Van tevoren bedacht (Conceived in Advance) focusses on writing or performing according to a specific concept; De staat van de poëzie showcases the vitality of contemporary Dutch-language poetry, crowning the night with the C. Buddingh’ Prize ceremony; in Poetry of a Nation / A Nation of Poetry, poets discuss work that embraces or rejects national identity; and Cross-over Closing blends poetry with other arts like music, cinema, dance and visual media.
Any meeting with a poem carries a certain danger, as those few lines just may stick with you for the rest of your life. Before you know it, you’ve got another goal. One you never even knew would suit you. Suddenly boundaries have to be moved, aspirations realised, visions expressed, and dreams chased. Yes, you need to watch out for those poets. For the 49th time they will convene in Rotterdam, their bags full of those kinds of astonishing, hope-inspiring, rage-inducing, uniting and disjointing lines. Every poem is a world unto itself. So there’s a lot to discover, meet, discuss and celebrate at the 49th Poetry International Festival Rotterdam. Let’s meet between the lines!
*** I need to understand shit! I just need to engage! (Danez Smith)From 29 May to 3 June, Poetry International will bring a choice selection of poetic voices to Rotterdam. The festival poets of the 49th PIFR are younger than ever and unafraid to wade into many a topical discussion with their poetry, whether it concerns the environment or sustainability, racism, diversity and gender, massively destabilising violence, or politics where madness sometimes seems to reign supreme. With their assertive, challenging poetry, American poets Patricia Lockwood and Danez Smith, the Spanish Sonia Bueno, the Mexican Alí Calderón and Dolores Dorantes or the Russian Maria Stepanova all speak out freely and incisively.
All poets will read at least once, with the readings always starting at 20:00. Beforehand, each night of the festival at 18:30, poets will be interviewed by Hassnae Bouazza, Daan Doesborgh, Janita Monna or Tsead Bruinja. For the special events later in the evening, festival poets join guest poets and speakers to explore exciting phenomena in contemporary poetry.
Every night from 21:00 onwards, the festival features stimulating special events in which festival poets tackle exciting themes along with special guests: Van tevoren bedacht (Conceived in Advance) focusses on writing or performing according to a specific concept; De staat van de poëzie showcases the vitality of contemporary Dutch-language poetry, crowning the night with the C. Buddingh’ Prize ceremony; in Poetry of a Nation / A Nation of Poetry, poets discuss work that embraces or rejects national identity; and Cross-over Closing blends poetry with other arts like music, cinema, dance and visual media.
Sponsors
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère