I've been so lucky to be involved with the Reykjavík Poetics event series since I arrived here in Iceland. Reykjavík Poetics is a community-oriented event series celebrating the voices of local and international writers and showcasing new writing. The event is hosted in English and encourages contributions from any and all languages, to be as inclusive as possible. Established authors read alongside new writers. Poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction, music and performance – all of it is welcome. Reykjavík Poetics celebrates them all.
I first attended Reykjavík Poetics #7, an open mic night in January 2024. Some of the stories I heard that night still stick with me. It was a great introduction to the writing community here in Reykjavík, and many of the people I met that night and other events since have become colleagues and friends. It's so rare to find a community that is so immediately welcoming.
This event series has now been running for a full year, thanks almost entirely to the incredible writer and organiser, Ewa Marcinek, and the backing of UNESCO Reykjavík City of Literature. Now with an expanded team, Reykjavík Poetics runs two events most months: the Reyjavík Poetics curated events, where guest curators bring together some of the best local and international talent, and Reykjavík Open, an open mic series. I also feel very lucky to have read a piece of my own writing at the first Reykjavík Open event.
When Ewa asked me to join the organising Board of this new expanded Reykjavík Poetics I jumped at the chance. It's been a joy to work with the others on the Board to develop a full list of events for the year to come. I've also been heavily involved in the development of a new website, where you can see photos from past events and check out audio recordings too! The website continues to be updated, so keep an eye on it. Also keep an eye on the Facebook page for new events as they come up.
The first birthday celebrations took place at 7:30pm, 26 June at Mengi. Thanks everyone for coming and enjoying some cake.
Happy birthday Reykjavík Poetics 🥳🎂
The Reykjavík Poetics Board: Gabe Dunsmith, Martyna Daniel, Ewa Marcinek and me. Photo credit: Kjartan Már Ómarsson (Reykjavík Bókmenntaborg UNESCO).