Poetry International

At Poetry International Rotterdam we are crazy about poetry, whether from the Netherlands or the world at large. This is why everything we do is geared towards sharing poetry with audiences that are as expansive and diverse as possible, and why we are dedicated to strengthening the exchange between people who write poetry, people who translate poetry, and people who enjoy poetry, both on stage and online. Poetry International was born out of the Poetry International Festival, which has been bringing the absolute best international poets to appreciative Rotterdam crowds since 1970. The annual festival each June remains our most important activity, along with the Poetry Archives online, which collects and showcases poets and poems from around the world. Since 1988, Poetry International has awarded the yearly C. Buddingh’ Prize for the best Dutch-language poetry debut during the Poetry International Festival. We believe one of our most important tasks is also to showcase the strength, quality, and diversity of Dutch-language poetry to readers abroad. Every year Poetry International offers a writing residency to a poet who, due to economic, social or political reasons, is threatened or limited in their profession as a writer in their home country. For six weeks in April and May the poet in residence is offered time and space to write, to explore the city and will be introduced to relevant literary or cultural organisations and events. In schools Poetry International organizes the Louder than a Bomb project (named after the inspiring film of that name), sending spoken-word coaches from Rotterdam into secondary schools for writing and performance classes, culminating in a thrilling poetry slam festival finale. In our Poetry Academy you can learn how to read, write, perform or translate poetry. Thanks to 'Het gedicht is een bericht' the Rotterdam road sweepers and garbage trucks zip around the city streets with lines of poetry on their flanks since 1988.