29 poets from 16 countries and 5 continents gathered at the 3rd Naoussa International Poetry Festival, titled “Aristotle and the World”
Greece, correspondent
The 3-day 3rd Naoussa International Poetry Festival was held on September 27-29, with the official opening ceremony at the Naoussa Cultural Industrial Heritage Center Lanaras and the conference room VETLANS. A total of 29 poets from 16 countries and 5 continents gathered at the 3rd Naoussa International Poetry Festival, titled “Aristotle and the World”! For three days, the Heroic City of Naoussa was filled with renowned poets who performed readings at various locations. Workshops were held, accompanied by musical and dance performances at the festival venues. The 3rd International Poetry Festival was co-organized under the auspices of the Municipality of the Heroic City of Naoussa and the Movement for Arts and Poetry. Entry to all events was free for the public!
Invitations to participate in this festival were made with cultural diplomacy in mind, aiming for friendship and peaceful coexistence through poetry. As a result, poets from all over the world have been invited to participate, leading to an impressive lineup! Theatrical performances, musical and dance interludes rounded the events up.
The festival has been supported by various international organizations since its inception, including several journalists, many of whom will be present this year to showcase their work on Saturday evening. Representatives of the International Chamber of Writers and Artists (CIESART), based in Barcelona, will also attend, and their European television network will broadcast the festival online to a global audience.
This year’s activities included guided tours of the area’s ancient monuments, poetry readings in traditional buildings—such as the Tomtsi Family Traditional Costume Workshop, the Vlachs Folklore Museum, and the Argyroupolis Archive at the Ponti Association—as well as at the “ERIA” Industrial Heritage Museum. The Saint George Peristereota Association in Rodohori provided the hospitality for the poets at its newly renovated guesthouse.
Local shops in Naoussa have generously sponsored this festival. The festival started with a magnificient chocolate tasting and lunch at the local bakery and chocoland Thanasoulis. Delicacies like cheeses, and fruits, as well as the excellent wines of the region were sponsored by the cooperatives Naougusta and VAENI, while Naoussa’s public buses provided transportation for the poets. “The immense support from private individuals is truly touching,” says Xanthi Hondrou-Hill, the heart and soul of this festival, which will conclude with the presentation of the “Aristotle” poetry awards and the announcement of the festival’s International Scientific Committee.
The participating Greek poets were Rania Angelakoudi (Greece / Sweden), Lina Vatatzi , Andromachi Diamantopoulou, Pertha Kalemi , Andreas Karakokkinos (Greece / Cyprus), Chloe Koutsoumbeli, Dimitris P. Kraniotis, Theocharis Bikiropoulos, Eleni Nestora, Athina Xanthidou, Androula Shati, Sophia Tomaso, Ilias Tsechos, Elli Frengidou, Xanthi Hondrou-Hill (Greece / Germany) and Andry Christofidou Antoniadou (Cyprus)
The poets from Abroad were Ashraf Aboul Yazid (Ashraf Dali) – Egypt, Lily Baylon – Peru/Spain, Andy El-Arabi – Egypt, Hussein Habash – Kurdistan / Germany, Francisco Heredia – Spain, Helen Jarvis – Australia / UK, Mick Mezza – Australia, Alexandra Nicod – Switzerland, Peter Nyberg Mollung – Sweden, Aycan Sarachoglou – Cyprus, Lucilla Trapazzo – Switzerland / Italy, George Wallace – USA and Bob Whelan – USA
POETRY AWARDS “ARISTOTLE” 2024 FOREIGN POETS: GOLD POETRY AWARD “ARISTOTLE”, George Wallace [USA], SILVER POETRY AWARD “ARISTOTLE”, Lucilla Trapazzo [Switzerland / Italy], BRONZE POETRY AWARD “ARISTOTLE”, Peter Nyberg Mollung [Sweden]
GREEK POETS: GOLD POETRY AWARD “ARISTOTLE” Chloe Koutsoumbeli [Greece] , SILVER POETRY AWARD “ARISTOTLE”, Elli Frengidou [Greece], BRONZE POETRY AWARD “ARISTOTLE”, Andry Christofidou Antoniadou [Cyprus] SPECIAL AWARDS: SPECIAL CULTURE AWARD “ARISTOTLE”, Bob Whelan [USA]
PEACE POETRY AWARD “ARISTOTLE”, Androula Shati [Cyprus]
The international scientific committee of the festival has the poet Dimitris P. Kraniotis [Greece], as the president, with international advisers Bob Whelan [USA], George Wallace [USA], Giuseppe Napolitano [Italy], Hussein Habash [Kurdistan / Germany], Isilda Nunes [Portugal], Lily Baylon [Peru / Spain] and Lucilla Trapazzo [Switzerland / Italy].
Read: Greek town Naoussa hosts 1st International Poetry Festival
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