11th Thessalian Poetry Festival – Review
The Institute for Experimental Arts members, Sissy Doutsiou and Tasos Sagris presented multi media spoken word performances at the 11th Thessalian Poetry Festival in August 2023.
The Thessalian Poetry Festival began in 2013, when it was organized for the first time in Larissa, as part of the celebration of World Poetry Day. Over the years, the event has evolved into a week-long festival, with international participations, and it takes place in the four cities of Thessaly: Larissa, Volos, Trikala and Karditsa. From the beginning, Thraka Publications continuously undertook the organization of the Festival, which is now jointly organized with the Deputy Mayor of Culture and Science of the Municipality of Larissa. There is frequent collaboration with other cultural institutions of Thessaly, such as the Thessalian Theatre, the Diachronic Museum, the Mill Museum, the Art Association of Larissa “8”, the French Institute of Larissa and the Dance Theater “OffArt”, thus connecting the poetry with music, dance and painting, calling upon a conversation of the arts, an inter-artistic collaboration. Their mission is to cultivate the public side of poetry and to connect the Thessalian Poetry Festival with the world, the local community, young poets and the international environment.
As was written by the art journalist Vasilis Natsios:
” The main goal is to gather new talented poetic voices alongside the already established poets. And they do it brilliantly every year. This year the Festival exceeded all expectations. Its originator and creator together with his remarkable staff, implemented their intentions without losing their identity and authenticity. This year was probably the best in terms of the participation of poets as well as the impeccable organization by Thanos Gogos and his team. A thousand thumbs up! ”
Rendezvous at the 12th Panthessal Poetry Festival!
Warm thanks to Thanos Gogos, Marija Dejanović, Efstathia P.
Tasos Sagris (art director of the International Poetry Festival) wrote:
” My participation in the 11th Thessalian Poetry Festival was a wonderful experience that will remain deeply engraved in me. The dozens of poets who participated proved to each other the power of our own voice. Traveling and living together for days in five different parts of Thessaly gave us the opportunity to understand each other’s work in a way that would have been impossible simply by reading the books.
Our conversations became much more penetrating after the public readings, when one had become acquainted with the other’s poetry, late at night, in the forest of Pelion, high in the old guerrilla villages above Lake Plastira, or drunk under the statue of Asklepios in Trikala.
Many people saw the events, felt the poetry and met the poets and their books. The public exists, reads, expresses its love, seeks us and meets us when we find the strength to organize our small forces, to be open and exposed to their gaze.
However, our friendship, this conspiracy of poets is what supports us all these years to continue to reflect on freedom, to look with courage at the depths of the human heart, to walk the world together. All we have is each other.
And we sincerely thank Thanos Gogos, Marija Dejanović, Efstathia P. and all the creative team of Thrakas Periodiko and their publications who “found a way to meet”.#
