about PI
Nederlands ►The Poetry International Foundation is a literary organisation based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It aims to present quality poetry from the Netherlands and worldwide to an international readership, encouraging poetry translation, stimulating the international exchange of knowledge about poetry, and facilitating an international community of poetry readers.
The main activities of Poetry International are the Poetry International Festival, established in 1970, the Poetry International website and National Poetry Day in Netherlands and Flanders. The analogue archive of the Foundation is currently being digitised, and will be integrated with the material on the Poetry International website. The Foundation also participates in Netherlands-based projects such as education programmes and poetry awards.
The Poetry International website
First launched as the English-language Poetry International Web in November 2002, and integrated with the Dutch-language festival and organisation websites, the Poetry International website brings you information about the annual Poetry International Festival in Rotterdam and other activities run by Poetry International, along with news, articles, audio and video recordings, interviews and links to other poetry organisations – but, first and foremost, thousands of poems by acclaimed modern poets from all around the world, in the original language and in translation.
In keeping with the spirit of the web, it is a truly international collaboration. The central staff in Rotterdam works with editors from around the world. These active international domains publish poems, translations, audio recordings, interviews and relevant articles.
Advice and archive
Manuscripts, letters, photos, films and audio recordings, translations: Poetry International's archive (currently being digitised) contains unique documentation related to the poets who have been guests to the festival since 1970. Publicists, researchers and literary organisations in the Netherlands and worldwide can make use of these items. The Poetry International Foundation also answers questions about contemporary Dutch poetry.
The board of Poetry International
Piet Holthuis | chair
Peter Frima | secretary
Robert Anker
Michiel Laan
Anne Schroën
Wynold Verweij
Advisors
The Poetry International Advisory Board consists of various poets from around the world. These include:
Remco Campert, Netherlands
H.M. Enzensberger, Germany
Lars Gustafsson, Sweden
Seamus Heaney, Ireland
Judith Herzberg, Netherlands
Gerrit Kouwenaar, Netherlands
Makoto Ooka, Japan
Wole Soyinka, Nigeria
Leo Vroman, Netherlands
The Foundation also receives advice from fellow organisations, translators, publishers and academics in the Netherlands and worldwide.
For information about current editors and central office staff, see our contact page.