• 16/04/2025

Transpoesie 2025 - Open Call”

Join us for this year's celebration of poetry and linguistic diversity in Brussels! 
TRANSPOESIE 2025 invites poets to voice the hopes, strives and fears of people living in Europe nowadays.

TURBULENT TIMES

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TRANSPOESIE 2025 seeks poets whose work resonates with "Turbulent Times, a storm is brewing." 

Voicing the fears but also the hopes of the current generation, the urgency to change but also the urge to seek cover and question what is.
How does contemporary poetry react to the times we are living in and voice the current mood in each and every language?

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Since 2011, TRANSPOESIE has been an annual poetry festival organized by EUNIC Brussels, a cluster of cultural institutions and embassies engaging in cultural relations in Belgium. TRANSPOESIE is an international poetry festival, marking the European Day of Languages, celebrated each year on 26 September. The festival hosts a series of events (readings; debates, public writing sessions) showcasing original poems in their native languages. Curated by Philip Meersman, expert on experimental poetry, immersive audience experience - performance festival curator - artistic PhD researcher AP University College and performance poet working with XR.

What do we offer?

• Publication: Your poems in the original language and English in the festival booklet and on the Transpoesie website
• Event Invitation: Participate in our festival in Antwerp on September 18th and in Brussels on September 19th
• Networking: Connect with fellow poets, translators, publishing houses, and cultural operators for potential collaborations
• Exhibition (Extra Poem Publication): Display of your poem in a Brussels public space, introducing your work to a broader audience and on the Transpoesie website

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What do we expect?

• Costs & Logistics: cover travel, accommodation, performance fee for the poet, provide quality translation (EN) & copyright fees for the poems performed. Cover translation (NL & FR) for the 5 line poem (Transpoesie website & Extra Poem Publication), provide country specialities for the official reception on Thursday 18th
• Quality: Ensure poems & translations align with our festival's theme and ethos. Collaborate with literary structures for selection & with experienced translators.
• Promotion: Spread the word about TRANSPOESIE through your communication channels.

Participation

Poet Participation (€550): live performances at the TRANSPOESIE events in Antwerp & Brussels:

• Perform an 8-10 minute poetry reading (with an English translation provided).
• Engage in a public writing session, crafting on-demand poems on diverse topics.
• Have your poem displayed on our website (with a French & Dutch translation provided) including your bio & picture.

Extra Poem Publication (+€250): Have your poem displayed in the. Royal Galleries with a maximum of 5 lines, with translations provided in Dutch & French (same poem as on the
website).

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How to apply?