Novelties of the Bucharest International Poetry Festival 2017

During May 15-21, the Romanian Capital is hosting the 8th edition of the Bucharest International Poetry Festival (FIPB). Over 100 participants from 30 countries are expected this year.

A special project of this edition is the 95th anniversary of the PEN Group Romania, part of the prestigious PEN International organization, celebrated by several events coordinated by writer Magda Cârneci, president PEN Romania.

Events dedicated to high school pupils represent a novelty this year. Under the motto „Poetry Face to Face”, nine contemporary poets will attend meetings with young readers within three events hosted by „Al. I. Cuza” High School, „Spiru Haret” and „George Coșbuc” National Colleges. „Tudor Arghezi” Mărțișor memorial house will host several workshops for the little ones.

Another new event is the one dedicated to the experimenal poetry. The „metaMorph ~ a point going out for a walk” event will bring ten Romanian and foreign poets, including Canadian poet Christian Bök, author of univocalic poetru volume „Eunoia” and one of the early founders of the conceptualism, as well as multimedia artist multimedia LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs from Harlem NY, awarded for the language originality of her last volume , TwERK, theatre and opera female director Maja Jantar from Holland and Steve J. Fowler, British poet, artist and curator, editor of the online avant-garde literary magazine „3:AM magazine”.

There will be three conferences having translators into the limelight: „To translate vs to misinterpret”, „Putting a Blotch across the Sun, Tripping up for Good at the Soul: A Translator’s Evolution” and „Hospitality in language in poetic translation” are performed by Bruno Mazzoni (Italy), Adam J. Sorkin (USA) and Victor Ivanovici (Romania/Greece).

A traditional event of the FIPB is the „Poetry and Jazz Marathon”, marking the European Night of the Museum through poetry, blues and jazz. This year, 17 poets from various literary generations and geographies are part of this project, with each of them performing a 7-minute public reading session. Mike Godoroja & Blue Spirit Romanian blues will resonate with the poems of the marathon’s 17 guests.

More details about the participant poets from those 30 countries are available here.

The Romania Journal supports the festival as media partner.