November 11, 2011

The International Poetry Nights in Hong Kong 2011 kicked off yesterday. It follows on the success of the first festival held two years ago and is co-organized by the Centre for East Asian Studies of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences of City University of Hong Kong and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

According to the website, the event has four objectives: the first is to promote poetry appreciation among secondary and university students and the general public. The second: to provide a platform for the people of Hong Kong to reach out to local and international poetry. The third: to remind people the value of poetry which still plays an important role in life in a modernised and materialised world; and fourth: to broaden the literary experience of Hong Kong readers, strengthen the components of imagination and creativity in local education and, thereby, enable Hong Kong to take one step forward in becoming an international cultural metropolis.

The programme runs till 13 November 2011, and is held at various venues, e.g. the afternoon sessions on the first day were at CUHK and CityU where poets from Russia, India, Germany, China, Mexico, Brazil, Ireland and the USA are gathered together for discussions on ‘Masters and Mother Tongues’ and ‘Americas: New Wor(l)ds.’  The poetry recitals at night are accompanied by music. For details, visit the IPNHK website.

Written by: Audrey