The www.europeanpoetryfestival.com finds its origin in The Enemies Project and the three European Poetry Nights that took place in London in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
European Poetry Night
The Enemies Project is about collaboration in poetry and literature as a way of building community, and though based in London, this remit is specifically aimed at crossing borders. All the more because the project is based in the UK, it is vital we show our European character, our immense passion for the poets of Europe, as the continent we are part of is going through a remarkable renaissance in avant-garde and innovative poetry. The European Poetry Night is a way to bring together the finest of this generation to London and other cities, to collaborate, to perform, to build connections that will last for decades. Curated by SJ Fowler.
Videos below from EPN London 2017, 2016, 2015 and links here to EPN Norwich 2017 and EPN Edinburgh 2015 & 2016. Thanks to the over 100 poets and many dozens of institutions who have supported EPN.
EPN London 2017 - May Saturday 6th : Rich Mix Arts Centre
A near legendary evening, with over 130 people witnessing 13 new collaborations - brand new innovative performance works of poetry from pairs of poets drawn from over a dozen European nations. The works performed were written for the night, works, in their originality, energy and collaborative quality, firmly against the divisive and counter-intuitive idea of a reduced closeness of spirit across the continent.
Featuring Kinga Toth & Simon Pomery / Endre Ruset & Harry Man / Bas Kwakman & Jen Calleja / Alessandro Burbank & Max Hofler / Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir & SJ Fowler / Vanni Bianconi / Tom Jenks & Weronika Lewandowska / Henriette Støren & Astra Papachristodoulou/ Livia Franchini & Maarten van der Graaf / Frank Keizer & Dan Aleksander Ramberg Andersen / Damir Sodan & Tomica Bajsic / Martin Glaz Serup & Aušra Kaziliūnaitė / Iris Colomb & Serena Braida
European Poetry Night 2016 in London. May Saturday 14th: Rich Mix
The first ever European Poetry Night as part of European Literature Festival in 2016.
An amazing evening with some of the most exciting contemporary poets from all over Europe, as over 20 poets travelled to London to share brand new collaborative poems, premiered on the night and written for the occasion, in pairs, across languages, styles & nations. These are the best and brightest, from Iceland to Turkey, from Ireland to Russia, from France to Slovakia – a unique evening of modern literature which will show the power of 21st century poetry in the literary and avant-garde traditions, and the possibilities of collaboration, to bring out that power. It was a unique live experience to well over a 100 in attendance. Curated by SJ Fowler and featuring Vanni Bianconi (Switzerland) & Billy Ramsell (Ireland) / Alessandro Burbank (Italy) & Alexander Filyuta (Russia / Germany) / Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir (Iceland) & SJ Fowler (UK) / Ulrike Ulrich (Switzerland) & Jen Calleja (UK / Malta) / Nurduran Duman (Turkey) & Jonathan Morley (UK) / Christodoulos Makris (Ireland / Cyprus) & Martin Bakero (France) / Giovanna Coppola (Italy / US) & Colin Herd (Scotland) / Ariadne Radi Cor (Italy) & Iris Colomb (France) / Ana Seferovic (Serbia) & Agnieszka Studzinka (Poland) / Rufo Quintavalle (UK / France) & Ian Monk (UK / France) / Niillas Holmberg (Sami) & Peter Sulej (Slovakia) / Efe Duyan (Turkey) & Livia Franchini (Italy)
The inaugurual EPN is the last event of European Literature Festival in London and supported by EUNIC, led by Czech Centre London and curated by Jon Slack. / The European Poetry Night is supported by Arts Council England, The Embassy of Switzerland in the United Kingdom, Culture Ireland, Literárne informačné centrum Slovakia (LIC - The Centre for Information on Literature)
The European Camarade - November Friday 20th 2015 at Free Word Centre
A mini-festival of European poetry in collaboration, in the heart of London. Nearly two dozen poets from across the continent presented brand new collaborations in the literary and avant-garde traditions to a sold out audience of nearly 100 at Free Word Centre. British poets wrote these works with visiting writers from Slovakia, Finland, Iceland, Lithuania, Austria, Hungary, Norway and more, firmly rooted in 21st century poetic practise, in one of London's hubs for modern literature.
Featured: Michal Habaj (Slovakia) & Christodoulos Makris (Ireland / Cyprus) / Katarina Kucbelova (Slovakia) & Karen McCarthy Woolf (UK) / Gabriele Labanauskaite (Lithuania) & Camilla Nelson (UK) / Luke Allan (UK) & Christoph Szalay (Austria) / Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir (Iceland) & Richard Scott (UK) / Endre Ruset (Norway) & SJ Fowler (UK) / Ville Hytonen (Finland) & Colin Herd (Scotland) / Kinga Toth (Hungary) & Kim Campanello (US) / Erlend O. Nødtved (Norway) & Christopher Stephenson (UK)
The event was introduced by Rosie Goldsmith of the European Literature Network.
The Camarade series explores collaboration exclusively between poets, taking the form of events which pair writers to produce and premiere new collaborative poems or artworks, to be performed live. The European Camarade will pair European poets from outside of the UK with British counterparts, featuring some of the most dynamic poets & textual artists working across the contemporary European scene, this event will evidence the cross continental dialogue so prevalent in the avant-garde and literary scene.
Supported by Literárne informačné centrum Slovakia (LIC - The Centre for Information on Literature), The Freeword Centre, European Union National Institutes for Culture - London, The European Literature Network, Lithuanian Cultural Institute, Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania, The Balassi Institute, the Austrian Cultural Forum, The Royal Norwegian Embassy London, Embassy of the Slovak Republic.