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Organised by the Faculty of Arts of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), International Poetry Nights in Hong Kong 2015 (IPNHK2015), a biennial gala in celebration of poetry and poets, will be held from 26 to 29 November.  A total of twenty renowned poets from all around the globe will participate in the event.  It is the biggest international gathering of poets in the history of Hong Kong, and the activities will be extended into Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Shanghai this year.

The poets participating in IPNHK2015 are: Mohammed Bennis, Morocco; Chen Li. Taiwan; Peter Cole, USA; Najwan Darwish, Palestine; Jean-Michel Espitallier, France; Gemma Gorga, Spain; Kim Hyesoon, Korea; Ko Ko Thett, Burm; Étienne Lalonde, Canada; Lau Yee-ching, Hong Kong; Nikola Madzirov, Macedonia; Agi Mishol, Israel; Noriko Mizuta, Japan; Fernando Pinto do Amaral, Portugal; Gleb Shulpyakov, Russia; Song Lin, China; Yoko Tawada, Japan; Anne Waldman, USA; Wang Xiaoni, China; and Ghassan Zaqtan, Palestine.  A special poetry recitation, named “Hong Kong Night”, will take place on 28 November. Ten local poets, including Chan Chi Tak, Cheng Ching Hang, Chow Hon Fai, Fan Sin Piu, Zeit Fong, Lau Wai Shing, Liu Wai Tong, Ng Mei Kwan, Chris Song and Jacky Yuen, will recite their poems on the occasion.

The theme for the 2015 International Poetry Nights in Hong Kong is ‘Poetry and Conflict’. War and peace is one of humanity’s eternally controversial and recurrent themes. Although seventy years has passed since the end of the Second World War, the world has never been free from war, invasion, destruction, slaughter, and the degradation and spiritual trauma that follow. The progress of civilization seems to be ‘the good’, making fodder of ‘the evil’, under the mantle of freedom in a quest for domination, as the globalisation of power and capital continue to carve up the world to better rule it.

Since antiquity, poetry has been sourced in humanity’s suffering as a driving force for the overcoming of darkness. Now, amid proposed conflicts between civilizations, histories, religions, and languages, what can poetry do?  In the bedlam of the morbid fantasies of some, what can poetry do? In retracing the source and course of our spiritual knocking at language’s door, what can poetry do?

Event details of IPNHK2015:

Activities of IPNHK2015 will be conducted multilingually.  The organiser will also publish a series of poetry collections for the participating poets, to include poetry selections in English, Chinese and other languages.  Poetry lovers of all nationalities are welcome to attend the activities, with prior registration preferred.  For more details, please visit the website of IPNHK – www.ipnhk.com or Facebook page “International Poetry Nights in Hong Kong”.

General Enquiry / Seat Reservation: ipnhk.cuhk@gmail.com
Miss Helen Lam 3943 6546   Miss Amy Ho 3943 6548