THE 27th edition of the Poetry Africa Festival will take place in October in three cities.
It will kick off in Joburg on 5 October, then take its pride of place in Durban from 9 to 14 October, and conclude in Bloemfontein on 17 October.
The festival is presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
The programme line-up will showcase a diverse array of established, mid-career and emerging spoken word poets in performances, workshops, masterclasses, panel discussions and book launches.
The announcement of the full programme will be on Saturday, 16 September.
Poetry Africa's curator, Siphindile Hlongwa, said the expansion to Bloemfontein, Free State was inevitable.
"For more than two decades, Poetry Africa has retained its reputation as one of the most significant platforms for contemporary spoken word poetry. After our huge success in Durban and Johannesburg last year, the expansion to Bloemfontein was an inevitable progression," she said.
ALSO READ | Nadia Nakai is BACK IN the game!Opens in new window
Siphindile said in Jozi Poetry Africa will be presented in partnership with the Arts & Culture Centre at the University of Joburg.
In Bloemfontein, the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (Pacofs) will host the prestigious event.
The recently appointed artistic director of Pacofs, Napo Masheane, is an internationally celebrated poet who cut her teeth at the Poetry Africa Festival in Durban.
The director of the Centre for Creative Arts, Ismail Mahomed, spoke highly of Napo.
"She is an alumnus of the Poetry Africa Festival, and she understands how the festival can unearth new talent and simultaneously create newer pathways for established poets. It is not surprising that she intends to make the City of Roses a place where poets can find a nurturing and welcoming space," Ismail said.
