The European Poetry Festival 2023

Such a brilliant, and enormous, undertaking. The third festival I’ve curated, chasing out the back of lockdown, in 30 months. It was such a joy, so many friends visiting, so many new friends made. So much work made too, all over London and the UK. Check out all here https://www.europeanpoetryfestival.com/2023 seriously, tonnes of work into the documentation.

This page is soon to be properly fleshed out, in summer 2023, as the administrative load has made finishing touches hard to keep up with. For now, performances here, and notes below.

11 free events and 99 new performances to nearly 1000 people. Poets from two dozens nations across our continent, and across the UK, came together for one of the grandest celebrations of European poetry ever to take place in Britain. It was a celebration of liveness, collaboration and cross-linguistic collective inventiveness.

Some of my performances during the festival!

All the events of the festival

Event #11 - The Liverpool Camarade at Open Eye Gallery : May 11th 2023

For all videos and more pictures, and info, visit https://www.europeanpoetryfestival.com/liverpool

With Kārlis Vērdiņš and James Byrne / Hanna Komar and Michael Sutton / Katerina Koulouri and Patricia Farrell / Yasmin Hafedh and Sarah Dawson / Ailsa Holland and Stephen Sunderland / Robert Sheppard and Sarah-Claire Conlon / Tom Jenks and SJ Fowler / Stanimir Dimitrov and Michael Egan

A remarkable Camarade taking place in one of Liverpool’s most brilliant galleries celebrating European poetry in collaboration with local writers. This event was part of Open Eye Gallery’s program as a commissioned organisation for EuroFestival, which took over Liverpool in the lead up to The Eurovision Song Contest and was part of HOME: Ukrainian photography inspiring UK words (4 May–28 May 2023), an exhibition of photography and poetry across 40 venues in Liverpool.

Event #10 - Latvian Poetry Celebration : May 10th 2023 - National Poetry Library, Southbank Centre

For all videos and more pictures, and info, visit https://www.europeanpoetryfestival.com/latvia23

With new poetry and performance collaborations by Kārlis Vērdiņš and Vik Shirley / Ivars Šteinbergs and Nick Murray / Agnese Rutkeviča and Kayona Daley / Agnese Graudiņa and Calliope Michail

Four remarkable contemporary Latvian poets visit London’ iconic National Poetry Library to present new collaborations, made for the night, with British counterparts. The sixth Latvian celebration at the European Poetry festival, this will be an unforgettable night of both literary and experimental poetry, live!

Event #6 - Catalan Poetry Celebration - April Saturday 29th at Rich Mix

For all videos and more pictures, and info, visit

A brilliant, joyous, energised event of collaborative poetic performance featuring five leading lights of the contemporary Catalan scene! Visiting poets presented new works, made for the night, with British based counterparts in 'Camarade' pairs. All performances below.

Featuring Eduard Escoffet and James Knight / Xavier Mas Craviotto and Han Smith / Rushika Wick and Míriam Cano / Jaume Pons Alorda and Michael O’Mahony / Albert Pellicer and Landa wo / Agnes Schneidewind and Martina O’Shea / Tomica Bajsić and James Byrne / SJ Fowler and Alessandro Burbank / Hannah Kaip and Ana Seferovic

Event #5 - Austrian Poetry Celebration at Austrian Cultural Forum, London - April Thursday 27th 2023

For all videos and more pictures, and info, visit

Three remarkable Austrian poets visited London to present new collaborations, made for the night, with British compatriots in an atmospheric and memorable night in the Austrian Cultural Forum. This was a celebration of both literary and experimental poetry, live, representing one of Europe’s most remarkable poetry scenes. https://acflondon.org/events/european-poetry-festival-2023-austrian-poetry-celebration/

With new poetry and performance collaborations on the night by Franziska Füchsl and Mary Paterson / Agnes Schneidewind and Stephen Emmerson / Esther Strauss and SJ Fowler / Regina Dürig and Ollie Evans / Haris Psarras and Daniel Kramb / David Spittle and Alessandro Burbank / Wiebke Leister and Tomasz Mielcarek

Event #4 - Swiss Poetry Celebration: April Wednesday 26th 2023 - National Poetry Library, Southbank Centre

For all videos and more pictures, and info, visit

Brilliant contemporary Swiss poets visited London’s iconic National Poetry Library to present new collaborations, made for the night, with British counterparts. The fifth Swiss poetry event at the European Poetry Festival, this was a wonderful, playful, communal celebration of both literary and experimental poetry, live.

With new poetry and performance collaborations by Michel Mettler and Serena Braida / Regina Dürig and David Spittle / Chris McCabe reading Sascha Garzetti and Shani Cadwallender

Event #3 - European Poetry Festival : Norwich National Centre for Writing : Dragon Hall April 24th 2023

For all videos and more pictures, and info, visit

The 2023 European Poetry Festival came to Norwich and The Dragon Hall with an event celebrating literary poetry, avant-garde performance and the potentials of collaboration. Pairing some of the finest poets of the thriving Norwich poetry scene alongside writers visiting from Norway, Slovakia, Italy and beyond, nearly 20 poets presented new works made for the night spanning languages, literatures and the European continent. www.nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk Photos below by Holly Ainley.

with poems and performances by Aasne Linnestå and Sam Jordison / Bård Torgersen and Dario Fariello / George Szirtes and Andrew McDonnell / Sophie Essex and Jane Wilkinson / Philip Terry and Doug Jones / Anna Reckin and Alice Bridgwood / Roz Counelis and Shakiah Johnson / Matthew Gregory and Cat Woodward

Event #2 - Norwegian Poetry Celebration 2023 - April Saturday 22nd at Iklectik Artlab

For all videos and more pictures, and info, visit

In what was a brilliant, wholly memorable and uniquely experimental poetry event, poets visiting from Norway presented brand new collaborations of literary performance, readings and sound poetry, made especially for the night! Alongside other local and European poets, and hosted in Waterloo’s Iklectik Artlab venue, this was a grand representation of the European Poetry Festival.

Featuring Bård Torgersen and Dario Fariello / Endre Ruset and Arne Ruset featuring Bjørn Tomren / Aasne Linnestå and Jaka Škapin / Jon Ståle Ritland and Vilde Bjerke Torset / Zuzana Husarova and SJ Fowler / Patrick Cosgrove and Martin Wakefield / L. Kiew and Mirka Abelova / Peter Zavada and Aljaž Koprivnikar. Photographs by Alexander Kell.

Event #1 - Versopolis in London : The opening event of the EPF 2023 - April Wed 19th at Iklectik Artlab

For all videos and more pictures, and info, visit

Versopolis is one of the biggest poetry projects to ever take place in Europe, linking together innumerate poets and festivals, constantly creating connections and collaborations. What could be a better partner for the opening event of the European Poetry Festival 2023? This was a special Camarade event, where Versopolis poets from across the UK and visiting from multiple nations presented new works made with poet pairs - a series of premiere performances of literary and experimental poetry, all at the brilliant Iklectik Artlab in Waterloo!

featuring Peter Zavada and Kornelia Deres / Aljaž Koprivnikar and Aušra Kaziliūnaitė / Harry Man and Julia Rose Lewis / Em Strang and Astrid Alben / Billy Ramsell and Sean Borodale / Yanita Georgieva and Stathis Dimitriadis / Simon Tyrrell and Mark Rutter / Paolo Pergola and David Collard / SJ Fowler and Benedict Taylor / Egidija Čiricaitė and Sam Harvey