Taipei begins countdown to poetry festival

2014-10-16

Taipei Poetry Festival is to kick off Oct. 18 at Guangfu Auditorium in historic Zhongshan Hall, spotlighting the metropolis’ rich cultural and creative heritage.

“Since its inception in 2000, the annual festival has helped build the city into one of culture,” Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin said. “It remains the driving force behind cultural education and the development of grass-roots poetry.”

Organized by the local government’s Department of Cultural Affairs, this year’s event is themed Labor for Ideal. It features artistic performances, book exhibitions, documentary screenings, poetry readings, seminars and various crossover activities such as poetry installations.

Some of the city’s most famous cultural venues will play host to the activities. These include Bihu Weaving House, Eslite Spectrum, Huashan 1914 Creative Park, Kishu Ann Forest of Literature, Spot Taipei and Taipei Lecture Hall.

“Not just a feast for the mind, the event is also a smorgasbord of Taipei’s finest cultural traditions,” DOCA Commissioner Liou Wei-gong said. “More than 30 literati and scholars from home and abroad are set to take part, with the tribute for Japanese poet Shuntaro Tanikawa a special highlight.”

Another is Project Baudelaire, inspired by Japanese writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa, who once said “A single line of Baudelaire is worth more than an entire life.”

The festival, which runs until Nov. 2, is expected to prove popular with locals and visitors alike.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=222878&CtNode=413)