Spring has arrived, and with it, a vibrant new season of poetry! Welcome to the April edition of the Versopolis newsletter – your monthly gateway to everything poetic across Europe.This month, we’re thrilled to be part of two exciting festivals in Gdańsk, Poland and in Krems, Austria.
Spring has arrived, and with it, a vibrant new season of poetry! Welcome to the April edition of the Versopolis newsletter – your monthly gateway to everything poetic across Europe.This month, we’re thrilled to be part of two exciting festivals in Gdańsk, Poland and in Krems, Austria. These gatherings are more than just literary events – they are powerful reminders of how poetry continues to build bridges across cultures, languages, and hearts.Let’s celebrate this season of renewal through verse and connection – we’re so glad you’re on this journey with us.
With warm wishes,
Your Versopolis Team
WRITING WITH THE MACHINEAI and Poetic Creation
Welcome to the fifth class of the Versopolis Traineeship, an initiative dedicated to expanding the horizons of poetry through interdisciplinary exploration. This session, Writing with the Machine: AI and Poetic Creation, invites participants into the evolving frontier where human creativity meets artificial intelligence, offering a hands-on exploration of how digital tools can become collaborative partners in poetic practice.Led by David Jhave Johnston – a renowned digital poet, artist and researcher whose work spans computational creativity, multimedia art and poetic theory – this DIY tutorial-style workshop demystifies the use of AI in poetry through a practical and experimental approach. Johnston, whose projects have been featured internationally and whose poetic work with neural networks (ReRites) has redefined the terrain of algorithmic writing, brings a unique blend of philosophical insight and technical accessibility to this complex and timely field.>> Take a class
POETRY AS A REFUGE FROM A DIFFICULT CHILDHOODMy life with poetry with Sabine Huynh
In the latest episode of My Life with Poetry, French poet, writer, and linguist Sabine Huynh reflects on how her challenging childhood experiences were transformed into the poetry she creates today. She opens up about meeting the iconic Allen Ginsberg and the influence this encounter had on her work. With thoughtful insight, Huynh shares advice for young poets, encouraging them to find strength in their personal stories and embrace their unique voices as they embark on their poetic journeys.>> Watch
POETRY AND PHYSICSVersopolis podcast #26
Why does it seem safe to assume that physics and poetry stand on opposite sides of human thought? We’ve all heard the cliché of the ‘left and right brain,’ but history tells a different story – one where these disciplines were not so strongly separated. In the century that was marked by quantum mechanics, it is safe to say the Heisenberg and Schrödinger weren’t just doing math – they were searching for a new language to describe reality.And isn’t that what poetry does, too? Physics is the language of nature, and like poetry, it demands translation – metaphor, intuition and leaps of imagination.To help us unravel these ideas, we’re joined by Tzveta Sofronieva – poet, physicist and historian of science. With twenty collections of poetry, essays and translations to her name, she bridges these worlds with rare insight. What can poetry and physics teach each other? And why does their dialogue matter now more than ever?>> Listen here
AUTHORS OF THE WEEKUkraine
Peaceful Atom: catastrophic poetry as the chronicle of a new normal by Oleksandr Mymruk
Contemporary Ukrainian poetry is full of anticipation of catastrophe. From the ‘peaceful atom’ that went out of control at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 to Russia’s current ‘non-peaceful atom’ directed against Ukraine, it has documented the emotional experiences and complicity of living in independent, post-Soviet Ukraine.>> Keep readingPoetry is a time machine that works both ways by Tania Rodionova
Living in Ukraine in the third year of the full-scale war makes us think a lot about memory and remembering, and discuss the ways our tragedy should be commemorated.In 2024, the topic of the TRANSLATORIUM Literary and Translation Festival we annually organise in Khmelnytskyi (Ukraine) was Translation as a way of remembering.>> Keep reading
APRIL FESTIVALSPoland & Austria
We are thrilled to announce the next events in the 2025 poetry festival season! April is taking its time, gathering us in Central Europe at the end of the month.First, join us for Found in Translation in Gdańsk, Poland, from April 24–26, where poets and translators from around the world will come together to explore the art of translation and the power of cross-cultural literary exchange.Following closely is Literature and Wine in Krems, Austria, taking place from April 24–27, a unique celebration of poetry paired with fine wine, offering an exceptional lineup of poetic readings and lively discussions.Don't miss these fantastic events that promise to be an unforgettable experience for poetry and literary enthusiasts!>> Find out more