Dear Versopolis friends, This August, poetry takes the long road, weaving its way through sunlit streets, across quiet riverbanks, and into open-air stages where every breeze seems to carry a verse.

Dear Versopolis friends,

This August, poetry takes the long road, weaving its way through sunlit streets, across quiet riverbanks, and into open-air stages where every breeze seems to carry a verse. From the crisp Nordic evenings of Helsinki to the golden vineyards of Slovenia, from the lively heart of Serbia to the starry skies over Malta, four extraordinary festivals invite audiences to listen, share, and be moved.With a hint of salt and mischief, August carries poetry into the open. Join us in person or online!Wiith poetic regards,
Your Versopolis Team

PUBLISHING INDUSTRYNew Versopolis Class
Welcome to the eighth class of the Versopolis Traineeship, a series dedicated to expanding the horizons of poetic and literary practice. This session – Publishing Industry: Authorship, Process, and Promotion – features a candid and empowering lecture by Canadian author, educator and writing mentor Kern Carter, offering a behind-the-scenes exploration of what it truly means to be a writer navigating the publishing world today.Drawing on his own journey – from self-doubt to self-publishing, from being rejected to being read – Carter speaks directly to emerging authors about how to build a sustainable literary career while remaining true to your voice. More than just a how-to guide, this class is an honest and deeply personal reflection on the realities, pitfalls and possibilities of the publishing industry from someone who’s walked the path.Whether you’re a poet, novelist, or writer seeking authentic ways to publish and promote your work, this class offers practical guidance and inspiring insights from an author who’s turned his journey into a platform for others.>> Join the class

POETRY OF THE NAMELESSVersopolis Podcast #29
What does it mean to write about those who remain unnamed? In this compelling episode, we explore the idea of the “nameless” in poetry – those lives, stories and presences that escape the spotlight of history and language, yet linger powerfully on the margins.Theresa Lola’s work lives at the intersection of identity, language and performance. Upon migrating from Nigeria to the UK as a teenager, her name was ‘chewed up and spit out,’ a jarring initiation into the reality that belonging often demands erasure. Switching to her middle name, Theresa, was not a rejection of heritage but a survival tactic, a way to reclaim control over perception. In her 2024 poetry collection Ceremony for the Nameless, published by Penguin, names become both armour and mirror.>> Listen here

AUGUST FESTIVALSHelsinki, Ptuj, Kraljevo, Malta
Whether you find yourself in a historic wine cellar, by the Baltic Sea, or under Mediterranean skies, August is a month where poetry travels far — and invites you along for the journey.

Poetry Moon — Helsinki, Finland | 14–24 AugustIn the Nordic light of late summer, Helsinki becomes a stage for poetry in all its forms. From lakeside gatherings to city park readings, Poetry Moon invites you to discover words that shimmer like the August sun on water.

Days of Poetry and Wine — Ptuj, Slovenia | 18–23 AugustSet in Slovenia’s oldest town, this festival pairs the elegance of verse with the richness of fine wine. Expect open-air readings in historic courtyards, intimate conversations, and the warm hospitality of a community where poetry and life flow together.

Metamorphosis Festival — Kraljevo, Serbia | 18–23 AugustIn the heart of Serbia, Metamorphosis transforms city streets into a vibrant hub of poetic exchange. With performances, workshops, and cross-cultural encounters, it’s a celebration of change, creativity, and connection.

Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival — Malta | 26–30 AugustOn the sunlit edge of Europe, Malta’s shores welcome poets from across the Mediterranean. From harbour readings to night-time performances under the stars, this festival brings together voices that carry the salt and warmth of the sea.>> Find out more

AUTHOR OF THE WEEKPoland
Today when we read the poems of Polish poets who pierce capitalist bubbles and reflect on lost opportunities and mediocre visions of the future – such as Tomasz Bąk, Justyna Kulikowska or Szczepan Kopyt – we are not far from what was happening in poetry half a century ago.The generation of 1968, in Poland known as the New Wave (Nowa Fala), became one of the most significant points of reference for contemporary poetic movements, precisely because of its ability to reconcile moral responsibility, including opposition to the crimes of communism …>> Read more

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