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Festival

55th Poetry International Festival Rotterdam

55th Poetry International Festival Rotterdam

55th Poetry International Festival Rotterdam / 12-15 June

The Poetry Summit: Laureates & Legends

Join us from the 12th-15th of June 2025 for a poetic gathering that promises to be both cheeky and profound. This year’s theme takes inspiration from the United Nations with the first-ever global Poetry Summit, co-curated by Poetry International and Dutch Poet Laureate Babs Gons. We bring you a line-up featuring only the most esteemed voices, recognized with the highest (inter)national honors.

As representatives of their countries, they will engage in readings, discussions, workshops, interviews, debates, and performances that will showcase the rich tapestry of poetic cultures. Together with you, they will explore poetry's role in shaping both nations and the world. Be a part of this historic occasion where the world’s leading voices unite for one time only to celebrate the 55th Anniversary of Poetry International Festival.

In a groundbreaking moment, the festival will witness the adoption of the Declaration of Future Poetry Generations, a visionary document about the vital importance of poetry, aimed at securing the future of poetry for generations to come.

Let’s make poetry the universal language this June in Rotterdam! See you there.

New readings, performances, and workshops are added here every week!

Highlights

Program

In conversation with Dutch Poet Laureates: on the role and the reverence

June 13 / Talk.
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June 13 / Reading

Main reading - Chris Tse

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June 13 / Talk

In conversation with Dutch Poet Laureates: on the role and the reverence

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June 13 / Reading & Talk

A Dragon in the Halls of Diplomacy

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June 13

The State of Poetry – Keynote by Babs Gons

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June 13 / Interview

In conversation with Kwame Dawes

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June 13 / Special

Bombing of Poems: Epilogue

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June 13, 14, 15

Poetry Press Conference

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June 13 / Reading

Main reading - Momtaza Mehri

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June 13 / Talk

The International Poetry Summit: Making Resolutions

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June 13 / Reading & Talk

Reading and interview - Ramsey Nasr

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June 13 / Reading

Main reading - Astrid H. Roemer

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June 13, 14, 15

Meet the foyer

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June 13 / Workshop

Workshop writing poetry - through the photographic lens

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June 14 / Special

Arise, Socialists!

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June 14 / Reading

Main reading - Kwame Dawes

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June 14 / Interview

Guiding Voices x Poetry International: Chris Tse

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June 14 / Reading

Main reading - Maricela Guerrero

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June 14 / Reading

Main reading - Nadia Mifsud

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June 14 / Reading

Main reading - Lyuba Yakimchuk

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June 14 / Reading

Main reading - Diana Anphimiadi

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June 14 / Reading

Main reading - Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer

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June 14 / Reading

Main reading - Esther Phillips

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June 14 / Reading

Poetry International x Skrifi present: Eline Marengo & Koloku

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June 14 / Special

THE WHOLESOME POETRY BATTLE

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June 14

The Poetry Debate

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June 14 / Workshop

Workshop – Make your own poetry book in only one hour!

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June 14 / Workshop

BATTLE POETRY – workshop & performance

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June 15 / Deaf / Hard of Hearing

Main performance - Dana Cermane

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June 15 / Reading

Main reading - Jean D‘Amérique

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June 15 / Deaf / Hard of Hearing

Main Performance - Ian Sanborn

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June 15 / Reading & Talk

Erik Jan Harmens in conversation with Akwasi

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June 15 / Reading

Main reading - Patricia Jabbeh Wesley

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June 15 / Reading

Main reading - Luljeta Lleshanaku

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June 15 / Film

Film: Manual for the displaced

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June 15 / Reading

Main reading - Simon Armitage

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June 15 / Reading

Main reading - Derek Otte

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June 15 / Reading

Main reading - Joke van Leeuwen

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June 15 / Special

What poetry preserves – Indonesia: 80 years of independence

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June 15 / Deaf / Hard of Hearing

Poetry in sign language

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June 15 / Special

Translating together: a live experiment

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June 15 / Kids

The Junior Poetry Summit (7+): Poems with a golden touch

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June 15 / Workshop

Poëzie lezen – Close reading: Esther Jansma

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June 15 / Workshop

Workshop – Storytelling in Poetry

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Workshops

Visitor information

Visit the festival

Upon arrival at LantarenVenster, you will receive a wristband that gives access to halls 1, 5, and 6 of LantarenVenster upon presentation of your festival ticket at the festival desk.

All programs and rooms are free to walk in and out, but full = full applies. So be on time for a program starts to secure a place.

Prices, discounts and service costs 

Day tickets
Friday/Sunday: € 27,50
Saturday: € 35

Passe-partouts
€ 77,50 (Friday to Sunday)

Opening program
€ 22,50 (Thursday, not accessible with a passe-partout)

Workshops
€ 27,50 (per workshop)

There are discounts for holders of RotterdamPas and students.

Purchased tickets cannot be cancelled or exchanged. If you wish to re-sell your ticket, we recommend using Ticketswap.

Ticket sales 

Workshop tickets, day tickets and passe-partouts for the festival on 13, 14 and 15 June 2025 can be only be purchased online. After your order, you will receive e-ticket(s) in your mailbox.

With a day ticket/passe-partout, you visit all festival programs in LantarenVenster. The programming in the foyer of LantarenVenster is freely accessible and can also be visited without a festival ticket.

For questions about tickets, ticket sales and festival programming, please contact: info@poetry.nl

 

Accessibility

LantarenVenster
Otto Reuchlinweg 996, 3072 MD Rotterdam, Wilhelminapier

Story House Belvedere
Rechthuislaan 1, 3072 LB Rotterdam, Katendrecht

Theater Zuidplein
Gooilandsingel 95, 3083 DP Rotterdam, South

All locations are easily accessible by public transport, car, bicycle, water taxi and on foot. Paid parking is possible on parking lots and garages nearby.

For more information on accessibility, click here.

Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
College Fine and applied arts - University Illinois
Rotterdam festivals