The Nigeria Prize for Literature, 2013

Last year, Chika Unigwe won the NLNG Prize for Literature, for her novel, On Black Sisters Street which was published in 2009. 

This year, the call for entry seeks poetry. Below are details on how to submit and what is required.

So, dear published Nigerian poets, submit and hope to be the best/lucky one.

Call For Entries The Nigeria Prize for Literature, 2013

Entries are hereby invited for The Nigeria Prize for Literature. The yearly literary prize is endowed by Nigeria LNG Limited [NLNG] to honour the author of the best book by a Nigerian within the last four years.

The prize rotates among four literary genres - prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature. This year, the competition is for Poetry.

The competition is open only to published works by Nigerian writers irrespective of place of residence. It carries a reward of $100,000.

Submission Procedure

Six copies of the entry and, if available, an e-copy, together with evidence of Nigerian citizenship (photocopy of Nigerian passport or National identity card), may be submitted either by authors or publishers, in accordance with the genres in competition.

Books should be submitted to Nigeria LNG Limited’s External Relations Division, promoters of the prize, by the stipulated deadline. Failure to meet the stated conditions will lead to disqualification of the entry.

No book published before January, 2010 will be accepted.

Complete contact information, including full postal address and/or e-mail(s), phone number(s) and other relevant contact information should accompany each submission.

An author in any competition will enter only one published work. Mere manuscripts will not be considered. No book previously submitted for this competition may be re-submitted at a later date, even if major revisions have been made or a new edition published.

The prize will be awarded for no other reason than excellence.

Panel of Judges

·       A panel of judges shall be appointed for The Nigeria Prize for Literature by the Advisory Board for Literature.

·       The appointment of judges shall be done to reflect the genre in competition for the year. Persons appointed as judges are those who have wide experience, peer recognition, good public image, and command respect nationally and internationally.

Literary Criticism

To encourage literary criticism, the Advisory Board for Literature will also reward one critic with not less than N1,000,000.

Since the aim is to promote Nigerian literature in the world, the prize will be open to literary critics from all over the world. Special considerations shall be given to critical essays on new writing in Nigerian Literature.

Contestants shall send in at least three or more critical essays published in a major scholarly journal. Such a journal shall have proven track record of dedication to excellence and shall have an international circulation.

No critical essay previously submitted for this competition may be considered at a later date, even if major revisions of it have been made. Mere manuscripts will not be considered. Entries not submitted by the deadline and according to stated conditions shall not be considered.  Only entries published in the year of the competition or in the three years before then shall be considered.

No member of the Advisory Boards or Panels of Judges can enter their essay(s) for the literary criticism award in the year they are serving.

Public Presentation

Prizes will be awarded at a Public Presentation.

Close of Entry

All entries must be in by April 12th, 2013. Late entries will not be entertained.

Judges

Professor Romanus Egudu                                                      - Chairman

Professor Abiodun Omolara Ogundipe                                  - Member

Dr. Andrew Abah                                                                   - Member

International Consultant

Professor Kofi Anyidoho

Advisory Board

Professor Emeritus Ayo Banjo                                              - Chairman

Dr. Jerry Agada                                                                     - Member

Professor Ben Elugbe                                                             - Member

Entries shall be sent to:

The Nigeria Prize for Literature

External Relations Division  

Nigeria LNG Limited

INTELS Aba Road Estate

Km 16, Aba Expressway

P.M.B 5660, Port Harcourt

Rivers State, Nigeria.

Or

The Nigeria Prize for Literature

External Relations Division

Heron House

10 Dean Farrar Street

London

SW1H 0DX

Makoko: This sea shall be uprooted

Have you read my guest post on Africaisacountry website?

I
Dreams brought us here and we arrived
With no enthusiasm for things stirring
– Currents, currencies – concurrently drift us
Into adamance, but we learnt before to be.

Lagos: the Nigerian coastal city is shriveled up by growing population; each new government seeks newer ways to expand the territory. The current governor started by clearing illegal structures and refuse dumps...

read more HERE

Poem on Badalisha Website

A podcast of my poem on Badalisha Website.

Occupying ArtSpace RoundUp #3

Adolphus and I

Jumoke, Didi and Ayo

Joel and Sola

The ArtSpace Roundup held yesterday at the Goethe Institut. It was the first opportunity to present and discuss the Silent Majority Project to the public.  Didi Cheeka was also at the event to discuss a documentary he's making on the violence going on in Northern Nigeria--based on his theory of migration and socio-cultural ecology.


The Silent Majority Project is a collaborative endeavour between four artists. The first level is between a painter and a photographer, another between a photographer and a poet, and the last level integrate the ideas of the four artists in the work of a videographer.

Two poem from the Silent Majority project.

1

A dream that stands have known many waters

And hope learns to swim in bellies of waves

It sets a smile on the mind of the sea

Walks on stilt and carries faith into men’s future

Where time ferry dreams into new waters.

2

Dreams brought us here, and we arrived

With no enthusiasm for things that stir thoughts:

 Currents, currencies, concurrently drift us

Into consonance, where we learn to be dreams.

I would not at this time express the challenges and joys of working with another artist as it is not the intention of this blog entry. Perhaps, I was ready to work even under inevitable circumstances. My belief is that art in any form should become a ladder for others to climb into creative realms beyond the creators’ imagination, and this would aptly describe the journey of the Silent Majority Project that began with Sola Otori (Painter/Photographer) in 2005.

Sola met Adolphus (Photographer) at an event, and he expressed his desire to start a creative enterprise where he can enhance the creativity of the Almajiri children that are found mostly in Northern Nigeria. At this time, he was serving as a Youth Corper. 

It took two years for the project to get considered, and it was in 2009 that any work would even start on it. It also moved to the South-West of the country after Adolphus suggested the first project should be in Makoko—an area he was a bit familiar with as a journalist. They made several trips to Makoko--spanning nine months. At this period, they succeeded in teaching some teenagers in the community, photography skills and also bringing other artists to inspire them. They did this without funding from anywhere or anyone.

On my part, it happened that I needed to work with a photographer, as I was expanding my understanding of the human condition. At first, I began initiating my idea with Toye Gbade photographer, but he needed to work on other projects at the time—so I sought out my friend, Jude Anogwih at  the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos (CAC) and he introduced Adolphus to me.  The instant we met, we found a meeting point. Adolphus loves what he does. He lives photography. 

After our first meeting, I felt all I needed to do was interpret the Urban Space of Makoko through Adolphus’ photographs and Sola’s video camera, but I found myself making some journey to Makoko and even performing poetry on the water while interacting with the inhabitants.  There was a whole lot I learnt from this interaction. 

The outcome of their workshop was that some of the students are using their skills effectively: two of them were entered for the Etisalat Amateur Photography Competition, and were shortlisted among the best 25 nationwide, one of the students from the project is now employed as a part-time photo studio photographer while pursuing his academic ambition, another works in a Maternity Home where she’s developing a photography project.

The latest on the project is that Joel Benson (Videographer) is now making a documentary of the project.  The Silent Majority project  reiterates that ideas  would stand on their own, only when we make them feel their feet and tell it to walk.  

Thanks to Ayo Arigbabu (Architect and Publisher of Dada Books) and the Goethe Institut. Yesterday, became  the first time, the four artists involved would get  together to talk over the project. 

One question which came up many times yesterday in different shades, was the reason behind the project.  I believe this comes from the suspicion with which anyone presenting the ‘slum’ of any particular place in Africa is being viewed at this time. It appears, there is a new ‘concern’ that artists should ‘brand’ the continent and introduce people to the refurbished Africa. There's even growing outright condemnation of this kind of art, as it appears to be favourably in line with what the West wants. 

It is however sad that those who are genuinely concerned about the welfare of their people—some of them having grown up in places even similar to that which is portrayed in their work, may be discouraged from expressing the abject contempt and the disregard with which the existence of a people are viewed and then neglected by the appropriate authorities. There are indeed artists who have few interactions with Western needs--of imaging, and are simply concerned with expressing what the environment throws (and/or) threw at them. Doing otherwise would in fact be conditioned and writing for patronage. 

So, this project for Adolphus, Sola, Joel and I is integral in getting a deeper level of human understand Makoko beyond the real versus media propagated poverty enshrined in it.  The choice of Makoko other than the many ‘slums’ which abound in Lagos is simply because it captures even more than anything, a distant yet interesting imagery on our minds—and at varying times.

Makoko itself is a city. Moss Hart in his play Act One did write that, “The only credential the city asked was the boldness to dream. For those who did, it unlocked its gates and its treasures, not caring who they were or where they came from.” Makoko is a city that exists despite the inexistent social infrastructures. It has called for attention, reaching far across the borders of this country—actually it is one of the most visited NGO attractions, but the people we met are men, women, children with dreams like you and I.

A flash fiction contest from African Writing

First Place Award: £100 and Publication for 8 shortlisted stories

Competition Guidelines:

Deadlines: Entries close - 31st January, 2011. Winners announced - 4th April, 2011.

Stories must be previously unpublished (and must not be available on any blogs or publicly accessible online repositories).

Stories must be the sole work of the entrant.

Stories must be 750 words or less.

Entry is free.

Only one submission can be made per entrant.

Only online submissions are acceptable. Entries should be emailed to flashprize(at)african-writing.com as an attachment in the .doc or .rtf format with 'Flash Contest' in the subject line.

The email must contain the entrant's name, the title of story, and the entrant's physical address and contact phone number.

Please do NOT include your name on your story. Neither the story nor the name of the attachment should include a reference to the writer's name.

Simultaneous submissions are NOT acceptable. 

More information HERE

Young Writers issue of Sable LitMag.

We invite young writers of colour from all over the world to submit work from all genres and styles, for our Young Writers issue of Sable, including Fiction, poetry, memoir and essays written by writers between the ages of 16-25.

The editor for this issue is Warsan Shire, a 22 year old writer and poet based in London. Her poetry has been translated into Italian and Somali. She has performed internationally in North America, South Africa and all over Europe. Her first collection Teaching mother how to give birth is soon to be published with Flipped Eye. Her work will appear in the forthcoming Black British edition of Wasafiri magazine.

Final extended Deadline for submissions - 3 December 2010.

SABLE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

· All work submitted must include a short bio (maximum of 150 words) and a High resolution photograph.
· Work submitted must be attached in the email and not found in the body of the email.
· ALL work must be labelled clearly with your full name and the title of work.
· Work must not exceed the word limit.
· All work must be in this format or will not be accepted
· Times new roman font
· size 12 font
· double spaced
· Your full name must be on each page of your work (Header or footer)

Fiction
Short stories, extracts from a novel or flash fiction.
Other styles within fiction also welcome.
Length- 2500 words

In Translation
All veteran and budding translators or writers who produce work in their native language and in English, (fiction or poetry) should send translations and other information including a brief write up on author and translator. For translators, what qualities attracted you to the work? We will give ten pages to each writer featured to publish
some of their best pieces along with a photo, biography and any other images that illustrate their work. A sample of your work will also appear on the SABLE website in the future. In Translation submissions should follow the same guidelines for poetry and prose in both their chosen languages of submission and in English.

Memoirs

Memoirs of home, family, or country. Childhood memories, coming of age, change of life. Complete pieces or excerpts. Stimulating, exciting, informative, experimental. Any or all of these are welcome
within your piece.

Length: 2500 words.


Travel Narratives

(Travel Narrative submission closed)

Essays

We are looking for contributions on historical, contemporary aspects and future projections
of literature or culture. The work should reflect original thoughts.

Length: 2500 words

Expressions

(Expressions submissions closed)

Length: 1000 words (flexible)

Classic Review

What's in a classic? We're seeking submissions of literary reviews for this review essay section of classic reviews. If you've read a body of work by a writer of colour that has moved you, we are interested in receiving a piece on it - even if they are not 'famous'.

Sable Classic Reviews are opinionated, critical, and to the point. Poetry, fiction and Non-fiction are all acceptable. For completed pieces, we need you to supply titles of books featured, their ISBN's and publisher details.

Length : 1000-1500 words

(Poetry / travel/ Expressions submissions closed)

Note: Please email if you would like to present something new and exciting in creative writing. If you are a photographer or artist who also writes, we welcome your work in the form of comic strips, anime, photo journalism etc.

All Submissions and queries should be sent by email to sableten@gmail.com by Friday 3 December.

http://bookaholicblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/young-writers-issue-of-sable-litmag.html

Call for Submissions: CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN WOMEN’S POETRY

Across the continent as well as in the African Diaspora, African women are well known for their word craft. Over the centuries, African women have accomplished difficult feats using a capacity for words that is only surpassed by their ability for physical labour. This project on Contemporary African Women’s Poetry is looking for submission of poems written by African women from all works of life. We are looking for: (A) poetry about contemporary African life and experience on the continent; (B) poetry about life in the African Diaspora.

Poems may focus on any of the following: the work life, motherhood, wifehood, children, the state and nation, war, Africa’s wealth or lack thereof, poverty, HIV-AIDS, prison, freedom, celebration, grief, happiness, border crossings, marriage, birth, the environment, loss, love, trans-nationalism, migration, gender, race, class, and any other topics or issues that interest African women globally.

Unpublished poems are preferred. The original poems can also be in any African language if the poet will provide a translation into English. If the original is accepted, it will be published alongside the translation. If a translator is used, the author should indicate how credit should be acknowledged. Maximum number of submissions per person is three (3) poems.

For consideration, submissions should reach us before or on December 31, 2010. Please send submissions by email to: Anthonia Kalu (kalu.5@osu.edu); Folabo Ajayi-Soyinka (omofola@ku.edu); Juliana Nfah-Abbenyi (jmphd@ncsu.edu)

For submissions via snail mail, please mail your submissions to:

Anthonia Kalu, PhD

Professor

Department of African American and African Studies

486 University Hall 230 North Oval Mall

The Ohio State University

Columbus, OH 43210-1319

Folabo Ajayi-Soyinka, PhD

213 Bailey Hall,

1440 Jayhawk Blvd.,

University of Kansas,

Lawrence, KS 66045.

Juliana Makuchi Nfah-Abbenyi, PhD

Professor

Department of English

212 Tompkins Hall

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC 27695-8105

Sentinel Magazine (issue 3) is out!

The lastest edition of Sentinel Nigeria edited by Richard Ugbede Ali. It looks good!

Maybe Things {inscribed for LS}

Fairy girl like weathervane spins by the breaths of a sea
Arms stretched in a bow at red fingertips easily
As a Tamil naiad woven of elements . . . we spy her whirling
Of longing like to caress demanding waves, to wind her oneness
With fatal shells lying doomed on shorelines, with lines
Of panicky crabs hastening unto a dumb sea of signs.
We laugh at this dream of safety, fossiled in lines, knowing
Sweet specters never kept from what calls without fail.

We turn to the call of cities that swallow their young
In yawns of grey concrete and high-rise dreamcages
Where organs toll requiems for friends whilst we weary with
Crafting poems into chronic stones as trick offerings to god. . .
But our dreams of flight fritter, clogged by alleys of alternatives
Fairies by seas spread open arms; Turn Here! We stay our curse
In memory of friends past, we know we too shall meet our ends
As all do fated too late and far from butterflown, sun yellow fields

We sigh away to our carnages and let all these creep to the edges
Of poems, to fade there with the Chimera. . .amidst our maybe things.


Richard Ali (c) 2010

A Season’s Trial – for Jos

the season came with its own promises

but good harvest meant more smoked asses

when dreams would be kicked into abyss

hunters jumped into the field

harvested souls not for salvation

but as redemption for vaporised love

a fertile soil for retaliation

the ground was planted with

coaled skins

breached spirits

and whipped bones

hopeful scythes detached necks from bodies

daggers dragged inside; outside as web expo

vile red - and a heavy cry-fall hit the land

women’s scream fed the soils with humour

nerves bloomed into waiting roll of bullets

fallen flowers, now wilted, littered grounds

but there is no child to pick them into leis

and on clay laid clay which the turf rejected;

tomorrow stayed awake, but in bloody clumps

amber defined the colour in the men’s eyes

demoed their dreams as un-fleshed pieces

Agony sprang up vigilantes to keep guard

But the rain of red, didn’t cease to fall

The soggy soil drew a notice for stranger

Attn: fear and anger defends this area

HIROSHIMA - By Tolu Ogunlesi

Tolu Ogunlesi posted this on fb, and I love it! love it! love it....do enjoy!

HIROSHIMA

forty, for a woman, they say, is Hiroshima.

fifty, perhaps, would be Nagasaki,
and History the helpless audience destined
to witness the bio-illogical warfare:

a dance, planted
on the feet at dawn
shriveling at noon
into a self-conscious shuffle;

a perplexed man stepping gingerly
around the sealed tomb of his living wife.
seeking the music he used to take for granted.

forty, for a woman, they say, is Hiroshima,
fifty, perhaps, would be Nagasaki.
sex at seventeen is Sodom, and an orgasm at seventy
Is a visa to Gomorrah.

But for you, her darling husband,
sex at seventeen
is sunrise;
and an orgasm at seventy is prophylaxis

for prostate cancer. eventually,
everything before forty turns out for you,
to be The Lost, Irrelevant City of Atlantis,
herald of a f**king new civilisation…

2010 (c) Tolu Ogunlesi

The memories of Lillehamer

I was guest poet at the Norwegian Literature Festival (May 25 - 30, 2010).

The poem below was written for Lillehammer - the town the festival held, upon my return to Nigeria.

Lillehammer

In the cold of its sun, summer slept with one eye open
I flow with Lake Mjøsa as it advises
A newcomer
It says: “Strangers are at home in this land.”

Early May is home here, where the sun shines warmly
On the teeth of those of, this land.

Here
Green blows a kiss
Sun rays are inward
Blue night sky winks
Lures me into a confrontation with nature

“How dare you deny me of sleep?”
I think, but I awake in sleep
Relaxed in the arms of a land that lights dusk

Small land
Harbouring mountain secrets.
“Do you wish to know what has happened here?”
It asks.

Oppland Mountains spread pictures of the past
Steady streams of legs walk into an episode
Of dreams
Go with a vengeance for perfection

Out. In. Out. Almost In. Almost out…
Strangers leave as owners
Here
Someone else’s memory parts with everybody

I go home now. With you.

Creative Writing Workshop

Fidelity Bank sponsors a week-long international creative writing workshop from July 16 - 22, 201 in Abuja with Helon Habila. He will be supported by Madeline Thein a prize-winning author from Canada and the Jamaican-born Collin Channer.

To apply, send an e-mail to - creative.writing@fidelitybankplc.com

Your e-mail subject should bear the title – Workshop Application.
The body of the e-mail should contain the following –
1. Your name.
2. Your address.
3. A few sentences about yourself.
4. A writing sample of between 200 and 800 words.
Please indicate whether your sample is fiction or non-fiction. Acceptance will be based on the quality of the writing sample.
All writing material must be pasted or written in the body of the e-mail.

Do NOT send any attachments.
Applications with attachments will be automatically disqualified.
Deadline for submission is June 20, 2010. If accepted, you will be notified by July 4, 2010

View poster on: Abuja Writers

David Yezzi on the 'new generation' of British Poetry

The best books of poetry being published in the United States these days are not by Americans; they’re by Brits. For American readers of poetry—typically poets themselves, alas—this will come as a bitter pill, though I suspect few will quiet their amour-propre long enough to swallow it. The pat arguments against British poetry—too well-mannered, too mired in tradition—have become so pervasive and entrenched that one almost forgets that sceptered isle ever produced a Herbert or a Milton. (Never mind how much these two meant to Americans like Bishop and Lowell, respectively.)

Contemporary American poets like to sound American, as well they should. No one wants to read about blokes in Wichita tucking into steak and kidney pies at the Ferret and Trouserleg. For many American poets, however, capturing the way that English is spoken here and now is not the primary goal, or even a goal at all. A poem can only be truly American, they would argue, if pushed to some stylistic extreme, to a radical innovation of some kind; poetry must be willing to break though boundaries of precedence and even sense.
READ MORE

Fairbanks Writers Fellowship

This is an exciting fellowship opportunity for writers living in Africa or the Caribbean.

The Bread Loaf Writers Conference, which was founded by Robert Frost in 1925 and is the oldest and most distinguished writers' conference in America, is offering a fellowship or tuition scholarship to either an African or Caribbean poet, fiction or nonfiction writer to attend the 2010 conference, August 11-21.

Named after Michael and Marylee Fairbanks, the Fairbanks International Fellowship is in its sixth year of existence. Previous winners have included Doreen Baingana, Glaydah Namukasa, both novelists from Uganda, Stanley Gazemba, a writer from Kenya, and Joanne C. Hillhouse, a writer from Antigua.

Starting this year, writers, according to their qualifications, may apply for either a fellowship (meaning they have published at least one but not more than two books in English within the past four years) or a tuition scholarship (meaning they have published individual poems, stories, etc. in significant journals and magazines but have not yet published a full-length book). More information and application forms can be found on our website, http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/blwc/apply/ This year's application deadline will be April 2, 2010.

The conference is sponsored by Middlebury College and is held every summer at the Bread Loaf campus in the Green Mountains of Vermont. It is an opportunity for intense conversation and exchange which most writers find inspiring and beneficial. The fellowship is conceived as a way to include international writers early in their careers who would benefit from exposure to the North American literary and publishing world.

The recipient of the fellowship/scholarship receives free tuition, room and board, as well as travel money to attend the conference.

SPREAD THE WORD!

Opportunities for writers

With the internet, the opportunities abound. These opportunities, most times, range from residency programmes or countless poetry or short story competitions - paying and non-paying. It's not always a bonanza type or a lotto thing, where you may end up with some money, without a dint of hard work, if followed by excess luck.

Writing opportunities usually need luck, after dedication. It has also determined the course of many writers' professional rise. Over the years, accept it or not, writers are beginning to write for the prize. The soul-call, the muse-call and that so much sought after inspiration just have to be found and then the techniques of writing mastered to the latter. It's just about the prize - no. Aside that we're all we're human after all, there's got to be something to race for, isn't that what life is about anyway? Us always running after something.

And, while most writers complain about the lack of money (which is usually the course of our race for the prize), I do not know how many of us would retain the 'inspiration' and continue in the line of the 'muse' should that internal flow of wealth come along.

I've had talk with writers who explain that they enter prizes simply because they need validation. I don't know, I won't mind if this turns into some debate of some sort. Why would you as a writer enter for a prize?

Okay me? I enter because I love to compete. (Like we all aren't).

And so over to you?

Anyway, here are a some writing opportunities, the way we know it....

A residency in Egypt

and a chance for publication and prize money.

Best of luck!

See you at the Lyrikline Poetry Festival

Okay, not physically. You can meet me through the Nigerian Poet, Remi Raji, who will be reading from his latest publication, Gather My Blood Rivers Of Song in - a worldwide poetry reading - holding in Berlin. He would be performing alongside nine other poets from the United States, South America, Europe and Africa.

You can follow the performance live on Twitter.
He would use the opportunity to introduce the works of some Nigerian poets to the international audience - poets confirmed for this online presentation are Ogaga Ifowodo, Jumoke Verissimo, Tade Ipadeola, Niran Okewole, Ify Omalicha and Perpetual Emenekwum.

And if you're in Berlin, Germany...Below is programme for the event:
*******

Press Release
Literaturwerkstatt Berlin Poetry Festival
26 – 31 October
world wide poetry: 10 years of lyrikline.org

Week of events in Berlin
We are celebrating lyrikline.org, come and celebrate with us! For ten years now, the website for poetry has been seeing to it that international poetry is freely available and accessible everywhere. Reason enough to celebrate with a whole week of events opened by German President Horst Köhler. Sixteen Embassies and cultural institutions are joining the Literaturwerkstatt Berlin in organising a week of poetry readings throughout Berlin to mark this occasion.
And if you can’t get to Berlin, never mind. You can listen to the final event of the week on 31 October 2009 at 20 hours CET in a live streaming in the Internet, as well as having the opportunity to take part in a special chat. Berlin-based poet Steffen Popp will be commentating the event live on Twitter.

lyrikline.org has been an ongoing success story since its inception in 1999. There is a huge audience for poetry, even if book publications and sales are in a world-wide decline and publishers are ever more wary of it. There are now 600 poets online on lyrikline.org with 5,500 poems in 50 languages, with translations into 48 languages. Partners in 40 countries collaborate in lyrikline.org, which began as an initiative by the Literaturwerkstatt Berlin.

The week of events to mark “10 years of lyrikline.org” is under the patronage of the EU Commissioner for Multilingualism, Leonard Orban.

The week of events is taking place in cooperation with: the Embassy of the Republic of Argentina, the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia, the Embassy of the Republic of Finland, the Embassy of the Republic of Iceland, the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia, the Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia, the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Flemish Representation, the Greek Culture Foundation, Berlin branch, the Ramon Llull Institute – Berlin, the Italian Cultural Institute, Berlin, The Royal Norwegian Embassy, the Titu Maiorescu Romanian Cultural Institute, Berlin, the Slovakian Institute, Berlin and the Québec Government Office in Berlin.

With kind support from:
The Working Group of Literary Societies, Foreign Office, Senate Chancellery – Cultural Affairs, Prussian Maritime Foundation, the Representation of the European Commission in the FRG, The Heinrich-Böll Foundation, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Mandala Hotel

Programme of the week of events to mark 10 years of lyrikline.org

Mon. 26 October
Password: Poetry
Opening
7,30 pm, Palais, Kulturbrauerei, Schönhauser Allee 36, 10435 Berlin, Entrance free, Advance reservation required at mail@literaturwerks tatt.org till 21st October
Featuring Lebogang Mashile (South Africa), Monika Rinck (Germany)
Music: Aki Takase (Japan)
In the presence of German President Horst Köhler

Tues. 27 October
Greece: The Blast of Time
6.30 pm Greek Culture Foundation, Wittenbergplatz 3a, 10789 Berlin, Entrance free
Featuring Dionýsis Kapsális (Greece), Moderated by: Anna Lazaridou

Estonia/Finland/ Iceland/Norway
North-North- East: a Nordic-Baltic evening
8 pm Nordic Embassies, Felleshus, Rauchstrasse 1, 10787 Berlin, Entrance free, please reserve a seat at info@nordischebotsc haften.org
Featuring Simen Hagerup (Norway), Lauri Otonkoski (Finland), Steinunn Sigurðardóttir (Iceland) Elo Viiding (Estonia)

Weds. 28 October
Croatia: Mirrored Words
6 pm Embassy of the Republic of Croatia, Ahornstrasse. 4, 10787 Berlin
Entrance free. Please reserve a seat on 030-2192-5514
Featuring Branko Cegec (Croatia),: Dieter M. Gräf (Germany), Karen Kiwus (Germany), Zvonko Maković (Croatia) and Andriana Škunca (Croatia)
Moderated by: Alida Bremer

Flanders/Netherland s:
Poetry Below Sea-Level
8 pm Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Klosterstrasse 50, 10179 Berlin
Entry free, please reserve a seat at: bln-pcz@minbuza. nl
Featuring: Luuk Gruwez (Flanders), Ramsey Nasr (The Netherlands) , Victor Schiferli (The Netherlands) and Mark van Tongele (Flanders)
Music: Ma Rain (The Netherlands)

Thurs. 29 October
Slovakia: Electromagnet Love
6 pm Berlin Slovakian Institute, Zimmerstrasse 27, 10969 Berlin. Entrance free
Featuring Martin Solotruk (Slovakia) Music: David Kollar (Slovakia) Moderated by: Angela Repka

Catalonia/Qué bec
The Poetry of Obstinacy: reading and discussion
8 pm Literaturwerkstatt Berlin, Knaackstrasse 97, 10435 Berlin, Entrance free
Featuring Nicole Brossard (Québec), Teresa Pascual (València) Translators: Juana Burghardt (Argentina), Tobias Burghardt (Germany), Odile Kennel (Germany)
Moderated by: Frank Heibert

Fri. 30 October
Macedonia: On the borders of poetry
5 pm Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia, Koenigsallee 2, 14193 Berlin
Entrance free
Featuring: Claudia Keelan (USA), Nikola Madzirov (Macedonia), Zvonko Maković (Croatia) and Uljana Wolf (Germany / USA)

Slovenia: The Magic of Slovenian Poetry
6.30 pm Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia, Hausvogteiplatz 3-4, 10117 Berlin
Entrance free
Featuring: Milan Dekleva (Slovenia), Gregor Podlogar (Slovenia)

Argentina / Italy:
Transeurope Hotel & Argentinian Visions
8 pm Instituto Cervantes, Rosenstrasse 18, 10178 Berlin, 2576180
Entrance free
Featuring: Bruno Capezzuoli (Italy), Luigi Cinque (Italy), Silvana Franzetti (Argentina), Daniel Samoilovich (Argentina)
Moderated by Timo Berger & Rike Bolte

Romania: POETRY LIVE – The Long Night of Young Romanian Poetry
10 pm (expected to last until 3 am), Literaturwerkstatt Berlin, Knaackstr. 97, 10435 Berlin
Entrance free
Featuring: Constantin Acosmei (Romania), Svetlana Carstean (Romania), Rita Chirian (Romania), Gabi Eftimie (Romania), Sorin Gherguţ (Romania), Vasile Leac (Romania), Stefan Manasia (Romania), Vlad Moldovan (Romania), Ioana Nicolae (Romania), Olga Stefan (Romania) Moderated by Răzvan Ţupa

Sat. 31 October
world wide poetry
Finale
8 pm Tape Club, Heidestrasse 14, 10557 Berlin (Near main station and Hamburger Bahnhof gallery), Entrance EUR 5/3 with concessions, tickets on the door
Featuring Nicole Brossard (Québec), Babangoni wawa Chisale (Malawi), Elke Erb (Germany), Claudia Keelan (USA), Nikola Madzirov (Macedonia), Thomas Möhlmann (Netherlands) , Joseph Molapong (Namibia), Remi Raji (Nigeria), Daniel Samoilovich (Argentina), Lutz Seiler (Germany)
Moderated by: Knut Elstermann (journalist based in Berlin)