Tainan stages international poetry festival

2015/09/07

Formosa International Poetry Festival is underway in Tainan, highlighting the commitment of the local government to promoting the southern Taiwan city as a center of literary excellence.

Organized by Tainan City Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, FIPF features 50 poets from Taiwan and 20 from 11 countries and territories. An array of activities is scheduled at the nine-day event, including anthology exhibitions, campus tours, lectures, poetry readings and seminars.

Tainan Mayor William Lai said at the opening ceremony Sept. 2 that the city’s history offers a rich creative soil for sowing the seeds of the development of grass-roots poetry. “The festival draws upon this heritage and also serves as a platform for people around the world to discover more about lives and culture of our storied metropolis.”

An early highlight of FIPF was a visit Sept. 3 to Li Ming High School by Taiwan poets Fang Yaw-chien and Lin Yang-min, as well as Malachi Smith of Jamaica. The guests were greeted with student performances of indigenous Bunun songs, an English drama and locally grown pomelos. Moved by the warmth of the welcome, Smith penned an impromptu poem to inspire LMHS young talents.

Another activity certain to prove as equally popular is a poetry exhibition at National Museum of Taiwan Literature. Running until Sept. 30, it features more than 70 collections by well-known poets, including thrice Nobel Prize in Literature nominee Lee Kuei-shien and World Poetry Movement founder Luis Arias Manzo of Chile.

“I’m honored to have this opportunity to interact with my Taiwan counterparts and take part in this event,” Manzo said. “My wish is to express passion for life through delicate and glamorous words while sharing feelings with the world.”

In addition, a special commemorative book “Flame Trees are in Blossom” featuring pieces by all FIPF participating poets is set for release. Named after Tainan’s official tree, Delonix regia, it comprises poems in Chinese and English celebrating the rich culture and creative heritage of the city.

Other activities include dance-poetry performances and recitals at such attractions as Anping Treehouse, Chikan Tower and Chimei Museum, as well as a lecture at the facility about Chilean poets Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=234625&ctNode=413)