Founded by Ted Hughes in 1967, the major biannual poetry festival returns for the first time since 2019, this time as part of the Southbank Centre’s multi-artform season of events focused on the climate, Planet Summer.
Poetry International examines the environment, celebrating poets as activists and those using their craft to preserve languages and environments.
The line-up includes major ecopoets; CAConrad, John Kinsella, Jorie Graham, Olive Senior and Yang Lian presenting new work and leading workshops for the public.
The next generation of climate activist poetry is celebrated with the Gingko Prize ceremony, a major international award for ecopoetry and Cerys Matthews revisits the beloved fictional world of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood.
Poetry International 2023 also celebrates the National Poetry Library’s 70th Birthday, the largest public collection of poetry in the world, marking 35 years at the Southbank Centre.
The one-off showcase features live readings from CAConrad, Jorie Graham, John Kinsella, Lidija Dimkovska, Belinda Zhawi, Yang Lian and Olive Senior.
Former Poet Laureate Ted Hughes created the festival as a response to the global polarisation of East and West during the Cold War.
Writing in his introduction to the brochure in 1967, Hughes said: ‘The idea of global unity is not new, but the absolute necessity of it has only just arrived, like a sudden radical alteration of the sun.’
In 2023, Poetry International examines one of the most pressing global issues – the climate crisis.
From 21 June to 3 September, the Southbank Centre presents Planet Summer, a landmark that explores themes of care, hope, connection and activism in response to the climate emergency.
From its origins in the Festival of Britain in 1951 to today, the Southbank Centre has a history of producing pioneering artistic programmes, and Planet Summer is no exception, exploring one of the most urgent issues of our time.
Performances, exhibitions, music, new artistic commissions and free programming will connect audiences with a range of environmental issues and highlight the need for active care of the environment and nature.
Poetry International festival (21 – 23 July) gathers ecopoets from around the world with new commissions and collaborations, in spirit with their universal goals to preserve, protect and activate change.
Poetry created by participants all over the country engaging with the new series of Art by Post: Poems For Our Planet activity booklets, designed by artists and activists, will also be presented in an installation during Planet Summer.
The scheme, in partnership with the National Academy for Social Prescribing, provides free poetry and art activities to support anyone with long-term physical and mental health needs, and was first launched during Covid-19.
Full listings: HERE
