Poetry International

Make space in your diary for Poetry International, bringing together voices from around the world from Thursday 23 to Sunday 26 Jul. 'A poem is a sword. It's our form of resistance.' (Sahera Sharif). Encounter poetry from the Middle East by poets from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Kurdistan, Iran, the Palestinian territories and Syria. True to the vision of the festival's founder, Ted Hughes, this year's festival is inspired by contemporary news, events and conflicts in the world today. Join us for talks, readings, workshops and free events that illuminate poetry's enduring ability to anticipate and envision change and transcend barriers of censorship, prejudice and conflict. The festival features Choman Hardi, Warsan Shire, Eliza Griswold, Kei Miller, Imtiaz Dharker, Jo Shapcott, Malika Booker and Aamir Iqbal, among many others. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/festivals-series/poetry-international Highlights of the festival Poetry in Conflict: Talks Pass Sat 25 Jul This afternoon of three talks presents the stories of poets and poetry in the news from Afghanistan to Pakistan via Iraq. Modern War Poetry Voices from outside the US and UK describe their different experiences of conflict, making war personal in the way only poets can. Why Afghan Women Risk Their Lives to Write Poetry Find out from the poets themselves and award-winning poet and investigative journalist Eliza Griswold, who shared these women's work and stories in The New York Times. Free of the Taliban We hear the story of poets in remote north-western Pakistan who were ordered to compose jihadist messages of war, brutality and conformity. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/poetry-in-conflict-talks-pass-92272 Sex in the Afternoon Sun 26 Jul Join Forward Prize-winner Kei Miller, inaugural Royal Shakespeare Company Poet-in-Residence Malika Booker, African Poetry Prize-winner and first Young Poet for London Warsan Shire, plus performance maker and curator Rachel Mars as they share poetry and prose exploring sex in all its pain and glory. Their readings are followed by an open and frank Q&A session with historian of sexuality Dr Jana Funke. Presented as part of the Wellcome Collection's Sexology Season. Curated and produced by People Brands Events, with special thanks to Apples and Snakes, Free Word and Spread the Word. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/sex-in-the-afternoon-92386 Poets on the Front line Fri 24 Jul Poets Choman Hardi (from Iraqi Kurdistan) and Ghareeb Iskander (from Iraq) are joined by UK-based Jamaican poet Kei Miller to offer poetic dispatches from the front line and discuss the challenges of capturing conflict in verse. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/poets-on-the-frontline-92189 Take part in poetry workshops How to write Activist Poetry Fri 22 Jul Work with renowned Palestinian performance poet and human rights activist Rafeef Ziadah to explore poetry as resistance, look at examples of activist poetry and create your own. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/activism-poetry-writing-work-92211 How to write Poetry of Witness Fri 24 Jul Draw on personal and collective experiences to learn how to write poems that combine the individual with the universal and political. This workshop is led by poet Karen McCarthy Woolf. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/poetry-of-witness-workshop-92158 How to write Ghazals Sat 25 Jul Learn about an ancient Arabic verse form that powerfully invokes love, longing and loss, and write your own ghazals with Aviva Dautch. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/how-to-write-ghazals-92322 How to write Landays Sun 26 Jul Discover the power of landays, a form of folk poetry from Afghanistan with a rich history. Award-winning poet, investigative journalist and landay translator Eliza Griswold introduces you to some of the greatest poems in the form and helps you write your own. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/introduction-to-landays-92446 Global poetry Scorched Glass An evening of modern Iranian poetry Sat 25 Jul Hear lyrical poetry from Iran as we celebrate the launch of the latest Modern Poetry in Translation magazine. In Partnership with Modern Poetry in Translation and the British Council. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/scorched-glass-iranian-poetry-92260 Re:Play Sat 25 Jul Catch provocative new excerpts from five new pieces of work, exploring issues including women's rights in UK detention centres, migration and identity, and transracial adoption. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/replay-92224 I Was Your Daughter: Poetry in Her Name Sun 26 Jul Poets from the Mirman Baheer literary society, a group of Afghan women poets based in Kabul and often writing in secret, are joined by celebrated and emerging British poets and musicians. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/i-was-your-daugher-poetry-in-her-name-1000980 Poetry International Launch Party Poetry International Launch Party Thu 23 Jul Join us for a toast and to hear the festival's featured poets preview their work alongside performances of their favourite poems from the library's collection. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/poetry-international-launch-pa-92148 MORE FROM THE SAISON POETRY LIBRARY: Drop in to the Saison Poetry Library installation on The Clore Ballroom floor or come along to the daily library tours at 11am throughout the festival, giving you a chance to explore our collection of ghazals and landays, as well as over 200 poetry magazines. Families are invited to learn songs and poems from Afghanistan and Pakistan at our Rug Rhymes sessions, and to create an artwork out of their favourite poem from home in Around the World in 80 Poems. Kind Regards, The Poetry Library info@poetrylibrary.org.uk