Lisbon Poetry Festival consists of workshops, gatherings and lots of books

The Lisbon Poetry Festival takes place from the 18th to the 22nd of September. For five days, the Union of Portuguese-Speaking Capital Cities (UCCLA), Fábrica Braço de Prata and the Alcântara Library will have their doors open to families. With the exception of the workshops, which you can sign up for from June 1st, all planned activities are free, from shows and performances to gatherings and book launches.

Under the motto “Poetry is freedom/ The poetics of combat” and curated by musician and cultural producer Alexandre Cortez, this 9th edition pays homage to Maria do Rosário Pedreira. The writer started with Clube das Chaves It is Detective Wonders, two collections of young adult fiction that were adapted for television and sold around a million copies. She later published a novel and scattered short stories in magazines and anthologies, before becoming known above all as a poet. Translated into several languages ​​and awarded the Inês de Castro Foundation Prize, she has participated in numerous meetings of writers in Portugal and abroad and regularly writes columns for the press.

Among the registered poets, with whom you may come across during this festival, are names such as Ana Paula Giudice Anastacio, about to launch independently with Diving – poems from a submerged soul; the poet and essayist Alessandro Eloy Braga, member of the poetic-musical group Poetas Pela Paz and editor-in-chief of Coelhos da Selva; and Jorge Gaspar, who has 80 appearances in anthologies and collections.

The program starts on September 18th, at 7:30 pm, with an opening ceremony at UCCLA, followed by a show at 9:00 pm. Infinitely empty, a tribute to the Afghan poet Nadia Anjuman, murdered by her husband at the age of 24. On Thursday, the 19th, the planned activities will all take place at Fábrica Braço de Prata: an expressive gesture workshop with Deborah Kramer (14.00), a gathering with poets (17.00), a debate on poetry and anti-colonialist liberation movements (19.30) and a concert by JP Simões (21.00).

Starting on Friday, the festival heads to the Alcântara Library, where it will remain until Sunday. The agenda begins on the 19th, at 2 pm, with a workshop on drawing and poetic interpretation of the urban landscape, followed by the launch of the anthology Poetry is freedom, at 5 pm; a conversation about poetry and censorship, at 7.30 pm; and a gathering and performance by Maria Caetano Vilalobos, at 9pm.

On Saturday, 21st, there is a music and word workshop with José Anjos, at 2pm; a conversation about surrealism and freedom, at 5 pm, and another about freedom and 21st century poets, at 7:30 pm; and a performance by Angélica Freitas and Juliana Perdigão, at 9 pm. On Sunday, the 22nd, there is a workshop for children with Inês Rosa Melo, at 2 pm; the launch of the second collection Very contemporaryat 5pm, followed by the delivery of a sculpture donated to the festival and the launch of the book The word nothingby Danielle Teixeira.

Between Friday and Sunday, there is also a Book Fair at the Alcântara Library. Entry is free, as is participation in other activities, except the workshops, for which prior registration (€10) is required from June 1st.

The closing ceremony takes place on the 22nd, starting at 7.30 pm, with the usual prize-giving and the pocket show tidywith Mamá Suen.

UCCLA. 18 Sep (Wed). 19.30; Braço de Prata Factory. 19 Sep (Thu). 14.00; Alcântara Library. 20-22 Sep (Fri-Sun). 14.00. Free entry (workshops cost €10, subject to prior registration)

+ Poetic collectives. They are making Lisbon a poem