Patras World Poetry Festival 2021

4th “Patras World Poetry Festival 2021

13^th - 19^th of December

LIVE & ON LINE EVENTS

This year, the 4^th “Patras World Poetry Festival” boasts a variety of original literary events taking place between the 13^th and 19^th of December 2021, hosting a total of 70 poets from 20 different countries.

The occasion of a calendar year combining on one hand the memory of the Greek people’s fight for freedom, and on the other hand the contemporary experience of confinement, led us to this year’s thematic center: “CONFINEMENT-FREEDOM-HUMAN REVOLUTIONS”. We bring novel aims and ideas, along with a greater and more essential need for expression, synergy and communication.

For 2021, the festival’s programme will be extended from 4 days to 7, hosting a multitude of events for audiences and participants both Greek and foreign, raising the bar and aiming to establish a tradition of cultural celebration.

This year too, for its most part, the Festival will be held online, a blended programme combining physical and online activities as adjusted to Covid-19 regulations, in a shifting terrain of cultural events during the pandemic.

The events of the week’s programme will take place in three (3) different places in Patras, each one of them a space for hosting cultural events. The events will be broadcasted ONLINE on the website www.culturebook.gr including both main and side events:

Main Events:

15^th-18^th December 2021

Five (5) Online Poetry Meetings including Readings and Roundtables: There will be lecterns where the guest poets will be presented; their works will be read (in 2 languages). The guest poets will also participate in the roundtables and discuss topics revolving around poetry and criticism.

18^th December 2021

Online Award Ceremony for the Greek “Jean Moréas” Poetry Award for 2021: The annual ceremony for the “Jean Moréas” Awards for Greek poetic art and production in its entire spectrum.

16^th December 2021

Newcomer Poet Marathon: A night of presentations and readings of new poets, combining physical and online presence.

Parallel Events: (11^th -19^th of December 2021)

Festival Anthology: Limited trilingual book edition plus eBook.
Online shows:
#meet_the_poets: tributes and interviews online at the culturebook.gr channel.
#videopoetry: presentation of video-poetry online.
Poetry Set to Singing: music radio tributes to poetry set to singing.
Exhibitions:
Poetry exhibition: presenting the works of poetry
Book exhibition of Newcomer Poets: presenting poetry collection books from new poets; participation from established poets and publishing houses.
Art Exhibition: “CONFINEMENT-FREEDOM-HUMAN REVOLUTIONS”
Poetry Alley: Presentation of poets and poems (the ones participating in the festival) on a central pedestrian precinct of Patras.

During both the physical and the online events, there will be participation from internationally acclaimed academics, novelists, critics, and representatives of institutions.

The Patras World Poetry Festival 2021 is organized by the “Grafeion Poiiseos” Poetry Foundation, the literary website Culture Book (culturebook.gr), while it is annually held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism*. The festival’s events are supported by the Greek Library of London, the University of Western Macedonia, the Hellenic Open University and many other esteemed institutions, since the festival takes place under the aegis of the Hellenic Republic’s President.

The Patras World Poetry Festival is one of the largest literary institutions in Greece, certainly the largest of its whole region, and it has already drawn attention amongst esteemed festivals internationally. Every year, the city of Patras hosts important figures of world literature and offers a richness of events, including poetry readings, seminars and cultural activities. The festival’s vision is to promote Greek literary expression worldwide and turn this capital of Western Greece into a European center for literary studies. Through its actions, the festival communicates with various departments of Greek literary studies all over the world and it chronicles contemporary poetic expression.

A detailed programme will soon be posted on the festival’s website www.culturebook.gr.

Sincerely,

On behalf of the Scholarly Representatives

Kotopoulos H. Triantafyllos

Chair of the “Patras World Poetry Festival”

Skiathas D. Antonis

Chair of the “Grafeion Poiiseos” Poetry Fountation

---

EVENT MANAGER

Maria Alaniadi

Communication:

poetryfestival@culturebook.gr

grafeion.poihseos@culturebook.gr

Archival content available on www.culturebook.gr

Chryssa Vlachou, Greece

Patras World Poetry Festival PWPF 2021 Participants

Τετάρτη, 08 Δεκεμβρίου 2021

0 Σχόλια

Chryssa Vlachou, Greece

The Red Peacocks

The Poems

The Red Peacocks

I came down the stairs of the house. Red peacocks fluttered in
my amputated arms. The young ladies of Avignon, beaks of surviving birds,
pecked at the April plaster. A strange gum-tree smell was coming
from the climbing room. I opened the door. A middle-aged man with a wooden
leg was asking for the exit. We stared at each other as if we had
met before. We were seeking escape. But the water level had risen
so high. Then we both knelt down extolling that strange immobilization.

Suddenly the red peacocks sucked up all the water. Left in the room were
the ropes revealing some future hanging situation.
We reached the railway station. We were still kneeling. People were looking
at us bewildered. They crossed themselves. But they, too, were in the same position.

(translation : Gounelas X.D. )

Τα κόκκινα παγώνια

Κατέβαινα τις σκάλες του σπιτιού. Κόκκινα παγώνια φτερούγιζαν στα
κομμένα μου χέρια. Οι δεσποινίδες της Αβινιόν, ράμφη επιζώντων πτηνών,
τσιμπούσαν τον Απριλιάτικο γύψο. Ερχόταν μια παράξενη μυρωδιά σκίνου
απ' το δωμάτιο αναρρίχησης. Άνοιξα την πόρτα. Ένας μεσήλικας με ξύλινο
πόδι ρωτούσε πού είναι η έξοδος. Κοιταζόμασταν σαν να είχαμε
ξαναϊδωθεί. Ζητούσαμε διαφυγή. Μα η στάθμη νερού είχε ανέβει τόσο
ψηλά. Τότε γονατίσαμε και οι δυο υμνώντας εκείνη την παράξενη απραξία.

Αίφνης τα κόκκινα παγώνια ρούφηξαν όλο το νερό. Στο δωμάτιο έμειναν
τα σχοινιά μαρτυρώντας κάποια μελλοντική κρεματόρια συνθήκη.
Φτάσαμε στον σιδηροδρομικό σταθμό. Είμασταν ακόμα γονατιστοί.
Οι άνθρωποι μας κοίταζαν σαστισμένοι. Κάνανε το σταυρό τους. Μα κι
αυτοί, την ίδια στάση είχαν.

* * *

Addendum Ending in Rain

Family supper, with the loose speed of last-minute polyphony.

Every clash collides with the and. A change of place at the table
leaves a portion of responsibility with others as well. Meanwhile an awkward
lizard is cut into three. Each of its pieces is different for the other. The
next Spring we see it whole confronting us with its icy
gaze. So frozen, that we throw over it a green cloth.

Intermission.
A bit of plain with foamy mountain and smudged waterfall. This
is the dessert.

At the dregs of dusk, deeply you disturb the future.
If the rain speaks to you it will be of Ai Strati.
If it suggests a spark it will be from Ioulia.

Bear in mind the evening downpour.
Scattering blossoms and salamanders.
Yellow for decay, black for luck.
And for the feather sleigh the fall is at fault.

(translation : Gounelas X.D. )

Επίμετρο λήξης με βροχή.

Οικογενειακό δείπνο, με έκλυτη ταχύτητα πάρωρης πολυφωνίας.

Κάθε ρήξη προσκρούει στο και. Μια αλλαγή θέσης στο τραπέζι κι έχεις
αφήσει ένα μερίδιο ευθύνης και στους άλλους. Εν τω μεταξύ μια
αλλόκοτη σαύρα κόβεται στα τρία. Κάθε κομμάτι της αδιαφορεί για το
άλλο. Την επόμενη Άνοιξη την βλέπουμε ολόκληρη να μας συναντά με
το κρύο βλέμμα της. Τόσο παγερό, που της πετάμε ένα πράσινο ύφασμα.

Διακοπή.

Λίγη πεδιάδα με αφρόκρεμα βουνού και πασαλειμμένο καταρράκτη.

Αυτό είναι το επιδόρπιο.

Στο κατακάθι δειλινού, βαθιά κινείς το μέλλον.
Αν σου μιλήσει η βροχή, θα 'ναι του Άη Στράτη.
Αν σου μηνύσει φλόγιστρο θα 'ναι της Ιουλίας.

Να 'χεις στο νου σου τη βραδινή νεροποντή.
Πετά ανθούς και σαλαμάνδρες.

The Poet

Chryssa Vlachou was born in Laconia and lives in Thessaloniki. She studied at the School of Law and Economics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and then she studied at the Philological Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She works as a philology professor in secondary education (high school). She has published six poetry collections and a book of essays on poetry. • "Tropi" published by Thermaikos, 2012 • "In the hour of oblivion" published by Thermaikos 2013 • "tarachi tou nostou", published by Thermaikos 2015 • Parafora and autopathy", published by Rome-2017 • "Ostria - the intermediate silences of the wind" ed. Thermaikos 2017 • " Schediasmata" published by Thermaikos 2019. • Essays on poetry Ed. Rome 2021 Her critiques of the work of poets and visual artists have been published in various literary magazines. Awards: 1. Award for the debutant-poet Maria Polydouri 2012 2. Finalist and honorable mention award at the Mediterranean Poetry Competition in Rome. 2021 He is a member of the Board of the Writers' Association of Thessaloniki

Η Χρύσα Βλάχου γεννήθηκε στη Λακωνία και ζει στη Θεσσαλονίκη. Σπούδασε στη σχολή Νομικών- Οικονομικών Επιστημών στο ΑΠΘ και στη συνέχεια στο φιλολογικό τμήμα της φιλοσοφικής ΑΠΘ. Εργάζεται ως φιλόλογος στη δευτεροβάθμια εκπαίδευση. Έχει εκδώσει έξι ποιητικές συλλογές κι ένα βιβλίο με δοκίμια για την ποίηση. «Τροπή» εκδ. Θερμαϊκός, 2012 «Εν ώρα λήθης» εκδ. Θερμαϊκός 2013 «Η ταραχή του νόστου», εκδ. Θερμαϊκός 2015 «Παραφορά και αυτοπάθεια», εκδ. Ρώμη-2017 «Όστρια- οι ενδιάμεσες του ανέμου σιωπές» εκδ. Θερμαϊκός 2017 « ΣχεδιΆσματα» εκδ. Θερμαϊκός 2019. «Μίτος εκηβόλου ματιάς» Δοκίμια για την ποίηση Εκδ. Ρώμη 2021 Κριτικές της για το έργο ποιητών και εικαστικών έχουν δημοσιευθεί σε διάφορα λογοτεχνικά περιοδικά. Βραβεύσεις: 1. Βραβείο πρωτοεμφανιζόμενου-ης ποιητή-τριας Μαρίας Πολυδούρη 2012 2. Βραβείο Finalist and honorable mention στο Μεσογειακό διαγωνισμό ποίησης στη Ρώμη. 2021 Είναι μέλος του Δ. Σ. της Εταιρίας Λογοτεχνών Θεσσαλονίκης