War Poetry at Poesiaeuropa

Imagine a group of poets, artists, and researchers of different ages from various parts of the world—Taiwan to Arizona, Iraq to Austria—gathered on a small lake island with nowhere to go for five days straight.

Things start happening. Readings go well into the night, with or without stars. Literary walks are followed or preceded by aperitivos with Aperol Spritz and local red wine. It was a pleasure to be among those invited to the inspiring and thought-provoking sixth edition of "Poeasiaeuropa" on Polvese Island (Lake Trasimeno) in the Umbria region, Italy.

If you would like to know more about it and take a look at the 2024 program, check their website: https://www.spaziohumanities.it/poesiaeuropa

I thank poetess Maria Borio, the founder of this initiative, and all the volunteers (mostly Italian poets!) who worked hard to make this happen.

I also thank the Canada Council of the Arts (https://canadacouncil.ca) for providing the necessary travel funds for me to take part in the initiative and represent the Canadian literary scene for the occasion. During the literary festival, I was invited to give a talk on "War Poetry in the 21st Century" and to read from my latest collection of poetry, "Untied Loves, Lost Scores. Memetic Poetry in Times of War."

I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts