Poems on the Underground campaign launched at the Polish Embassy in London. As part of the event, meetings with poets, Spoke'n'Word festival, slam poetry workshops and a haiku competition go to 8 different countries across the globe, promoting Polish poetry and inciting international exchange among young poets
The main goal of the "Wiersze w Metrze" / "Poems on the Underground" campaign is to popularise contemporary poetry through showcasing it on the underground and in urban spaces. The first three editions, which took part in Warsaw in 2008-2010, focused on modern European poetry. In 2011, within the framework of the Polish EU Presidency, contemporary Polish poets and their poetry will not only be present in Warsaw, but will also visit 8 cities besides London: Paris, Madrid, Kiev, Beijing, Tokyo, Brussels and Luxembourg. Poetry exhibitions on the underground will be accompanied by meetings with authors, happenings, a haiku competition, Spoke’n’Word performance-poetry festival, slam workshops and a promotional campaign.
"The Wiersze w Metrze" / "Poems on the Underground" campaign was initiated by the Book Institute in Warsaw and British Council. The Warsaw campaign was inspired by similar projects taking place in Dublin, Paris, New York, Barcelona, Stockholm, Stuttgart and Moscow, and above all Poems on the Underground, which has been regularly taking place in London since 1986.
The campaign, taking place as part of the Polish EU Presidency, enjoys the Honorary Patronage of the Mayor of the Capital City of Warsaw, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski.
The campaign partners include: City of Warsaw Promotion Department, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Polish Cultural Institute in London, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London, Polish Cultural Institute in Paris, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Paris, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Madrid, Polish Cultural Institute in Kiev, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Beijing, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tokyo, the European Commission and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
A poetry meeting with Agnieszka Wolny-Hamkało and Piotr Sommer, conducted by a British poet Mark Ford launched the campaign at the Polish Embassy in London on the 8th of August at 5 pm.
The UK campaign included:
• a poetry meeting with Agnieszka Wolny-Hamkało and Piotr Sommer
• Polish poetry exhibitions in the London underground
• exhibitions in a public space (Regents Park)
• Spoke'n'Word Festival with Polish and British poets performers organised in co-operation with Apples & Snakes
• slam poetry workshops
• haiku competition devoted to Poland and Warsaw
For more information on the Spoke'n'Word festival, see article: Spoke'n'Word in London.
For more on Poems on the Underground, see: www.poetryfrompoland.com
Date: 8th-22nd of August, 2011, project inauguration on the 8th of August, at 5 pm
Venue: Polish Embassy in London, London underground central line, Regents Park, Club Rich Mix, London
Organised by: Warsaw Destination Alliance
Project cofinanced by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.
Source: Adam Mickiewicz Institute