Thessalian Poetry Festival: A Meeting Point for Greek and Foreign Poets Aiming to Strengthen the Visibility of Poetry in Greece

Τhe 12th Thessalian Poetry Festival opens its gates from 26 to 30 August 2024 with the participation of a great number of Greek and foreign poets, musicians and artists, in five days full of poetry readings, artistic events and live music performances.

The Thessalian Poetry Festival is an international five-day festival organized by the non-profit company Thraka, in collaboration with the Vicemayorality of Culture of the Municipality of Larissa. It takes place in Larissa, Volos (Makrinitsa), Trikala, and Karditsa (Fylakti). Each year, more than seventy Greek and international poets participate in the Festival’s program, alongside musical events and an art exhibition coordinated by Antigone Kapsali.

In the words of the festival’s director, Thanos Gogos, “The Thessalian Poetry Festival started 12 years ago, with the desire to bring together poets who come from Thessaly or live here, and to popularize poetry on the occasion of World Poetry Day (March 21). So its core has always been meeting and interacting between poets, as well as strengthening of visibility of poetry in Greece. 12 years later, step by step, the Festival has now come to be considered one of the most important international literary festivals in the country, with the participation of poets from Thessaly, the rest of Greece, but also from all over the world. It lasts 5 days, takes place in 4 cities, and includes over 70 Greek and international poets, artists, musicians… During this growth, the festival’s core and purpose remained the same in all aspects. It grew organically, from a place of purpose. It is designed in a way that, in addition to the live events that are truly a celebration of poetry, it also creates the conditions that enable poets to meet and interact with each other. The poets travel from city to city in the same bus and stay in the same hotels and dine in the same family restaurants – all this gives participants the time and space to truly get to know each other’s work deeply, and engage in the creative exchange”.

The theme of this year’s 12th Thessalian Poetry Festival is “Future”. People have always envisioned their future—what it could ideally be or what it should never be—and the poetry they wrote reflected these concerns. We can write about our own future or the future of other people, places, living creatures, and plants, about cities and countries, rivers and lakes, or even our entire galaxy. Many literary works have been created with the intent to make a prediction, to communicate a fear, or to express the desire to imagine how our present will exist later. The awareness of the impermanence of life and the temporality of all beings naturally causes existential anxiety in everyone, along with the desire to preserve and honour what we consider valuable in life.

As the festival’s assistant director, Marija Dejanović, explains, “Literature is deeply societal, so literary events should be curated in a way that, while preserving the high artistic quality of content, they also address the needs of the community and society they are a part of. The need to articulate, or at least witness public articulation of topics that are important to the people who are a part of the festival – whether as poets or as audience members. The theme of Future struck me as relevant because I believe that this topic is important both to our communities, and the poets. The reality of the present moment is hard. Can literature provide analysis and critique, or a distraction, escape? Or hope, alternative? I wanted us to gather many different articulations of the visions of the future and to read them at the same time. Maybe, at least for five days, we can really change the course”.

The first day of the festival which will take place at the Garden of the city’s Diachronic Museum will comprise the opening of the art exhibition “Time Machine: A trip to a Better World” curated by Antigoni Kapsali. The finalists of the Thraka Award for the best unpublished first poetry manuscript will read their poems and there will follow the announcement of the recipient and the award ceremony. There will also take place poetry readings by Nada Topić (HR), Patrick Dubost (FR), Athena Farrokhzad (SE/IR) Nikola Madžirov (MK) with Athanasios Zervas and Pavlina Mavrin reading the translations, as well as poetry readings by Greek poets Sotiris Pastakas, Eleni Anastasopoulou, Danae Sioziou, Pavlina Marvin with Kreon Kanakaris. The event will be accompanied by live music by Spyros Kavalieratos and Christina Lioliou.

During the second day of the festival, which will take place in Volos (Makrinitsa) and will be moderated by Lina Fitili, there will be poetry readings by Greek and foreign poets, namely Elena Psaralidou, Spyros Kiosses, Dimitris Karakitsos, Lina Fitili, Dragica-Anta Djipalo Patsea (GR/RS), Socrates Kabouropoulos, Vasilis Moschos, Marija Andrijašević (HR), Ondřej Lipár (CZ), Marija Dejanović (HR/GR), Eftychia Alexandra Loukidou, Nikos Varalis, Sofia Gourgouliani, Phoebe Giannisi, Antigoni Katsadima, Mina Patrinou, Eleftheria Tsitsa, Haritini Malissova. The event will be accompanied by live music by Kreon Kanakaris.

Τhe third day of the festival – the “Christos Diamantis” Day” – will take place in Karditsa and will be moderated by Danae Sioziou. There will take a presentation of Poets’ Cycle and Versopolis (Athens World Poetry Festival) with the participation of Selahattin Yolgiden (TR), Antonis Skiathas, Popi Aroniada, Athena Farrokhzad (IR/SW) and Nikolas Koutsodontis. There will also take place poetry readings by Greek and foreign poets, namely Evi Liakea, Alma Braja (AL/GR), Josip Čekolj (HR), Nikola Madžirov (MK), Rania Orfanakou, Athanasia Kakarantza, Ilias Bartziokas, Panagiotis Nanos, Christos Koltsidas, Panagiotis Kechagias, while videos with the poetry and music of Christos Diamantis will be projected.

During the fourth day of the festival, which will take place In Lithaio’s Little Theatre in Trikala and will be moderated by Thanos Gogos, there will be presented the Ulysses Shelter Program (2022-2026), the international residency program for emerging authors and translators, with the participation of Aitana Ahrens (ES), Nežka Struc (SI), Josip Čekolj (HR), Marija Andrijašević (HR), Ondřej Lipár (CZ), Alexandra Büchler (UK) and Thanos Gogos. There will take place poetry readings by Greek and foreign poets, namely Ilias Kefalas, Georgia Koloveloni, Paraskevi Alexi, Eleni Alexiou, Gogo Ponirakou, Antonia Botonaki, Marko Pogačar (HR), Tonia Tzirita Zacharatou, Patrick Dubost (FR), Vangelis Tasiopoulos, Ledia Dushi (AL), Ioanna Lioutsia. The event will be accompanied by live music by Kreon Kanakaris.

Photos by Nikos Katsaros

The fifth and last day of the festival, which will take place in Larisa and will be moderated by Constantina Karidaki, will be marked by a Poetry Marathon themed Future with the participation of Anna Manolopoulou, Chrisa Mastorodimou, Petros Skithiotis, Lambros Anagnostopoulos, Ilias Kourkoutas, Pinelopi Zardouka, Giorgos Saratsis, Efthimios Lentzas, Ioanna Giannakopoulou and Chrisa Alexiou. A short movie titled “Now that Spring is Here” by Christina Kaliroi Garbi and a videopoem “Dakar” based on the poetry of Thanos Gogos by Jože Slaček (SI), as well as the videopoems “Univergender” by Anastasia Gkitsi, “Elle de 5a 5h58” by Eleni Laki, and “This Could Be Us” by Aitana Ahrens (ES), will be projected. There will also take place an audiovisual poetic performance by Nežka Struc (SI), as well as poetry readings by Ledia Dushi (AL), Marko Pogačar (HR), Selahattin Yolgiden (TR), Alma Braja (AL/GR).

During the festival there will also be presented the following programs: the international residency program “Ulysses’ Shelter” (funded by the Creative Europe programme), “Versopolis” (in collaboration with the Poets’ and the Athens International Poetry Festival), “Counterpoints 2” (funded by EFFEA), and the “Writers’ Exchange,” co-organized with the Croatian Writers’ Association. Additionally, two awards will be presented at this year’s Festival: the “Makis Lachanas” Award to Dimitra Ch. Christodoulou for her valuable contribution to Greek poetry, and the “Thraka” Award for the best unpublished first collection, which will be announced during the Festival’s opening ceremony.

The festival is organized with the support and under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, the Region of Thessaly, and the University of Thessaly. It is supported by Creative Europe, the Municipality of Trikala, the Municipality of Lake Plastiras, Magniton Kivotos, EFFEA, the French Institute in Larissa, the Cervantes Institute in Athens and the Embassy of Spain in Greece. Its local sponsors include Ermis, Kaltzas Bookstore, KUBRICK Pure Social Club, and it is media sponsored by ERT3, ERT Larissa, ERT Volos, Efimerida ton Syntakton and Bookpress.

A.R.

TAGS: LITERATURE & BOOKS | READING GREECE