Poetry in sign language

This year, Poetry International once again dedicated a series of programs to sign language poetry. On June 15 2025, the best deaf poets from the Netherlands and abroad came to Rotterdam to perform their work. During Poetry International Festival, you got to know top artists from the poetic genres of visual vernacular and spoken sign.

Not fluent in sign language? No problem! The programs were accessible to everyone, thanks to the Deaf, hearing, and speech-to-text interpreters present on the day. In the programs and in the foyer of LantarenVenster, Deaf and hearing poets came together and connected with the audience through performances, interviews, interdisciplinary collaborations, and improvisation!

11:00 – 12:30: Workshop - Diving Deeper into Sign Language Poetry

11:30 – 12:30: The Junior Poetry Summit (7+): Poems with a golden touch

12:45 – 13:15: Poetry Press Conference

13:30 – 14:15: Main performance - Dana Cermane

14:30 – 15:00: Main performance - Ian Sanborn

14:30 – 15:15: Award Ceremony – Johan Polak Poetry Prize

15:15 – 15:45: The Poetry of Sign Language

16:15 – 17:00: BYMEKAAR: Poetry Improvisation

16:30 – 17:30: Erik Jan Harmens in conversation with Akwasi

17:30 – 18:30: Showcase: Spraakuhloos Onbeperkt

18:00 – 19:00: Woorden Worden Zinnen

19:15 – 19:30: Final Declaration & The Last Poem