Gronthee Int'l Poetry Festival in London 26-27 January

The Gronthee, an award-winning Bengali literary platform in UK is hosting an International Poetry Festival at Espacio Gallery in Bethnal Green on 26 and 27 January 2019, said a press release.

In collaboration with British-Brazilian organisation Arts4Democracy, eXXiled Arts and Bengali folk music organisation RadhaRaman Society, the festival starts each-day at 7:30pm with an additional networking and open-mic opportunity on 25 January at Kobi Nazrul Centre in Brick Lane.

The festival is featuring 27 powerful poets and spoken-word artists of South Asian, Latin American, African, Persian, American and European origin living in London.

Curated by Bengali poet Ahmed Kaysher, the festival will also promote major works of some pre-and post medieval poets of different traditions e.g. Dante, Madhusudan Dutt, Rimbaud, Tagore etc. through reading, talks and vocal music.

A special issue of Gronthee literary magazine is being published during the festival. On Saturday, the 26th of January, the festival will offer live reading performance of prominent Chilean poet Carlos Reyes Manzo, BBC slam champion David Lee Morgan, Gujrati poet Sofia Amina, American poet Jah-Mir Early, Bengali poets Tanvir Ratul and Farah Naz, Ezra Miles, Rose Drew, Peter Bearder and Nick Sawyer, said the release.

Tanjina Nur-I Siddique will bring the works of post medieval Bengali poet Madhusudan Dutt live and Ajanta Deb Roy will recite from modern Bengali poet Jibananda Das.

Prominent singer Dr Imtiaz Ahmed will sing from the compositions of Tagore, the first Nobel Laureate in literature from the East.

On Sunday the 27th of January, the finale of the festival will feature prominent Persian poet Ziba Karbassi, pagan poet from English and Norse tradition Math Jones, Welsh poet Lawrence Mathias, Urdu poets Ayub Aulia and Jenumz Naqvi, Oxford-based Argentine poet Gaby Sambeccetti, and Bengali poets Ahmed Kaysher, Rezwan Maruf, and Shamim Shahan.

Italian poet Giulia Matilde Vitiello will recite from Dante and Brazilian poet Marcia Mar will read from her own and few other all-time great poets from Portuguese tradition.

Elocutionist and TV presenter Urmee Mazher will read from Madhusudan Dutt and singer Soma Das will present major works of Bengali revolutionary poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, the release added.