Kolkata, India's cultural capital, is gearing up to host poets from across the world as the eighth edition of Chair Poetry Evenings – Kolkata's International Poetry Festival returns from November 28 to 30, 2025. This prestigious event reinforces the city's position as a global hub for literary arts and cross-cultural dialogue.
A Gathering of Global Poetic Voices
Over three immersive days, the festival will feature poets from thirteen different countries presenting their works in sixteen diverse languages. This remarkable linguistic variety underscores the event's commitment to celebrating cultural diversity through the universal language of poetry.
The impressive lineup includes internationally acclaimed poets such as Susan Rich, Simon Armitage, Mona Arshi, Sasha Debevec-McKenney, Bibhas Roy Chowdhury, Madara Gruntmane, Efe Duyan, Melanie Leblanc, Raka Dasgupta, Peter Verhelst, Gurtej Koharwala, Laura Giordani, Shirish Mourya, Jyoti Shobha, Basilio Belliard, Felipe Juaristi, Kira Wuck, Jonaki Ray, Minakshi Patil, and Raquel Santanera. This gathering promises a rich exchange of poetic traditions and contemporary voices from around the world.
Festival Venues and Special Events
The festival events will commence at the Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad auditorium, followed by readings and discussions at the Samilton Hotel's Cloud Tavern. The celebration will conclude with the festival's much-loved signature event, "Poetry on the Cruise", held aboard a vessel on the historic River Hooghly.
The inaugural evening will feature a special folk and fusion musical performance by Urmi Choudhury, Sohini Mukherjee, and Prajna Dutta, adding a melodic dimension to the celebration of verse. Two new poetry collections from Chair Poetry Books will be launched during the festival: Buried History of Poverty by Efe Duyan and Lost and Recovered Light by Vladimir Korkunov. Both works represent poetry in translation, highlighting the festival's growing commitment to cross-cultural literary dialogue.
Building Bridges Through Poetry
Hosted by the Chair Literary Trust, this year's festival receives support from several international and local organizations, including the Dutch Foundation for Literature, Flanders Literature (Belgium), Instituto Cervantes, Embassy of Spain, Embassy of the Dominican Republic, Latvian Literature, Poetry Book Society (UK), Samilton Hotel, and Vivada Cruises Pvt. Ltd.
Over the past eight years, Chair Poetry Evenings has featured poets from more than thirty countries, cementing its position as one of India's foremost platforms for contemporary world poetry.
Eminent Hindi poet and festival director Tushar Dhawal Singh emphasized the importance of poetry in today's world: "Poetry stands as resistance — a quiet yet powerful act against dehumanization, violence, and apathy. In an age ruled by noise and conflict, the poet's voice becomes a bridge to understanding. Chair Poetry Evenings is a tribute to that diversity — of thought, of emotion, and of the countless ways humanity continues to sing, even amidst the storm."
Poet and festival director Sonnet Mondal added, "At a time when the world is shadowed by wars and shrinking spaces for free thought, poetry remains a refuge for the human spirit. Kolkata, long celebrated as India's cultural heart, continues to nurture this dialogue through art and literature. With this festival, we hope to rekindle faith in imagination and empathy — to let poetry remind us of what binds us, even in divided times."
