Dear Versopolis friends,As November unfolds, we usher in the last three Versopolis poetry festivals before we welcome a well-deserved winter hibernation, finding solace in the serene time for reading and writing poetry away from the vibrant European poetry community. As these communities are essential to us at Versopolis, we delve into their significance in our latest Versopolis podcast.In other exciting news, this month marks the birth of a fresh-off-the-press Versopolis anthology, set to be proudly unveiled in Mexico at the end of the month. If you're considering submitting your work for Poetry Expo 2024, remember that the submission deadline is December 15th. Explore more details here.As the autumn leaves change hues, and a rosy-cheeked freshness blankets Europe, we invite you to find poetry in this season's embrace. Take a moment to peruse our meticulously curated Newsletter, a poetic journey waiting to unfold.

With poetic regards,
Your Versopolis teamNEW EUROPEAN POETRYVersopolis anthologyWe are thrilled to announce the forthcoming publication of the Versopolis anthology in Spanish translation, published by Círculo de Poesía. This landmark collection will feature the works of more than 80 Versopolis poets in both their original languages and in Spanish translation. The anthology will be unveiled at the esteemed Guadalajara International Book Fair in Mexico, taking place from November 25th to December 3rd.

Alongside the launch of the anthology, the Versopolis platform will be highlighted through a series of events at the book fair, where this year's guest of honor is the European Union. Poets from the Versopolis roster and festival directors from the Versopolis network will participate in readings and discussions not just at the book fair in Guadalajara, but also in Mexico City and other cities and venues across Mexico. This series of events is set to be an unprecedented celebration of contemporary European poetry's richness and diversity, strengthening cultural bonds and artistic dialogue between Europe and Latin America.

The Anthology includes a selection and postface of Adalberto García López and a preface by Aleš Šteger.

POETRY COMMUNITIES Versopolis podcast #9Poetry communities have played a vital role in the cultural and artistic development of societies throughout history. Modern poetry communities of the 20th century like The Harlem Renaissance and The Beatniks used poetry to express countercultural and anti-establishment sentiments. Today, online poetry communities and social media platforms have democratized poetry, allowing poets to reach broader audiences and receive instant feedback. The Wordcraft Collective is a community of Brussels-based authors writing in English. It is a place for poets, novelists and storytellers, for everyone with a creative spark and an itch to compose with language. In this episode, Dr Mitja Drab hosts its two co-founders, poets Emma Woodford and Katja Knežević.>> Listen here

NOVEMBER FESTIVALSNicosia, Istanbul & BratislavaWe're excited to wrap up the 2023 poetry festival season with a trio of remarkable European festivals! First, we head to the picturesque sea-girt shores of Cyprus for the International Literary Festival in Nicosia, happening from November 1 to 19. Then, we'll be in the vibrant metropolis of Istanbul for the Offline International Poetry Festival, taking place from November 2 to 4. Lastly, we return to Bratislava for the second installment of the International Ars Poetica Poetry Festival, running from November 15 to 22. These events promise a rich tapestry of poetic experiences and cultural exchange, and they're not to be missed!                                                                 Find out more about the upcoming festivals >>

AUTHORS OF THE WEEKLithuania, Spain & Czech RepublicLithuania | Ramunė Brundzaitė: Poetry and addiction

It’s June 2023, I’m sitting on my mum’s terrace on Pavasario Street in Vilnius, and I smell jasmine from a blooming bush beside me. The weather is warm, it has just rained after a long drought, everything’s fine – none of my relatives are sick or dying, my sister’s children are playing outside ...>> Keep reading
Lithuania | Laima Kreivytė: A portrait of the contemporary Lithuanian women poets

To write about women’s poetry is to cheat both women and poetry – as if there existed a separate gender of women’s poetry full of lamentations and enchantments. Nevertheless, the voices of poets and poetesses[1] do often differ in intonation, in levels of intimacy, in the tensions of their strings ...
>> Keep reading

Spain | Peru Saizprez: Why does poetry feed our souls, but not our stomachs?- Mum, I’d like to be a poet.
- That’s great, darling. And how will you make a living?

I don’t know if this sounds familiar or if it has by any chance happened to you in the past. But that is what my mother said to me when I told her I had the uncontrollable urge to be a poet ...>> Keep readingSpain | Pep Olona: Ediciones Indómitas & Feria del Libro MadridIn ancient Greece, poetry was not meant to be read but heard, and poems were transmitted by word of mouth and passed from town to town, from generation to generation. Later, after the invention of the printing press, poetry, just like other types of texts, was no longer copied by hand but printed ...>> Keep reading

Czech Republic | Tomáš Gabriel: The end of the endWhat makes sense to write today? Some would ostentatiously answer anything, meaning the limitlessness of creation, some would say nature poetry because nature is just being destroyed by us, some would answer poems realising a new social and identity imagination because human empathy at the level of society is failing ...>> Keep readingCzech Republic | Karel Piorecký and Zuzana Husárová: A proposal for
a different understanding of artificial intelligence in cultureThe phrase ‘artificial intelligence’ is undoubtedly one of the most frequently used terms in contemporary technological, social and art discourse. But don’t worry, this short essay has a rather different purpose than dozens of other texts coming at us from various corners of the internet every day, repeatedly telling us how amazing and terrifying AI is ...>> Keep reading

AMIDST GLOBAL LITERARY COMMUNITYVersopolis at Frankfurt Book FairAt this year's Frankfurt Book Fair, where Slovenia was celebrated as the Guest of Honour, the Versopolis poetry platform captivated attendees with a presentation at the Slovenian pavilion. The event was attended by Aljaž Koprivnikar, the coordinator of the platform, and featured a curated lineup of poets — Uroš Prah (Slovenia), Eka Kevanishvili (Georgia), Martin Piekar (Germany), Valentina Colonna (Italy/Spain), Dejan Aleksić (Serbia), and Alen Bešić (Serbia) — who gave readings in their native tongues alongside German translations. The session, moderated by José F. A. Oliver, president of PEN Germany, wasn't just about poetry recitals; it sparked a conversation on the relevance and transformation of poetry in contemporary times. The gathering underscored Versopolis' commitment to the promotion and interconnection of poetry across Europe, demonstrating its achievements and the profound impact it has in bridging poets with audiences across cultural and linguistic spectrums.

MOVED BY VERSOPOLISAlexis Bernaut, Diana Anphimiadi & Claus HøxbroeAt Versopolis, there's nothing more thrilling than embarking on a poetic voyage with our authors, and we're delighted to bring you the latest from our "Moved By Versopolis" series on our social media channels.

Each of them graciously shared their distinct encounters and adventures from the European poetry festivals they graced these past few months In August, Alexis Bernaut (France) joined the distinguished guests at North Macedonian Struga Poetry Evenings, an event celebrated for its rich literary tradition. Diana Anphimiadi (Georgia), in her poetic odyssey, immersed herself in the vibrant atmosphere of Poetik Bazar in Brussles. And Claus Høxbroe's (Denemark) journey led him to the enchanting world of Lithuanian Druskininkai Poetic Fall. Their accounts, both visual and written, published on Versopolis's social media offer a glimpse into the magic and wonder of these poetry festivals.>> Stroll down their memory lane

VIR: Versopolis