XVI Festival de Poesía en el Centro Kicks Off in Buenos Aires with International and National Poets

The XVI Festival de Poesía en el Centro has commenced in Buenos Aires, offering a free and accessible platform for poets from Argentina and around the world. Running from Tuesday to Friday at the Centro Cultural de la Cooperación Floreal Gorini, the festival aims to foster cultural unity and solidarity. The opening night featured a reading by acclaimed Argentine poet Leopoldo “Teuco” Castilla, followed by a concert from singer-songwriter Paula Maffía and presentations by international guests. This year's international lineup includes Eva Guillamón and Antoni Clapés from Spain, Manuel Parra Aguilar and Julia Melissa Rivas from Mexico, Antonio Nazzaro from Italy, and Alonso Mejías from Chile. The festival continues with two reading sessions daily from Wednesday through Friday, starting at 6:30 PM. Poet Leopoldo Castilla described the festival as more than just a lyrical celebration, calling it a "meeting of worlds" and a "conclave of dimensions." He emphasized that poetry festivals possess the unique power of "not wanting power" and serve as a marketplace where "the most expensive thing is free." Castilla highlighted the festival's role in promoting unity and solidarity among Latin American countries and beyond. The event showcases a diverse range of Argentine voices from across the country, including Santiago Sylvester, Susana Villalba, Dolores Etchecopar, María Negroni, and many others. Organizers have emphasized a commitment to balancing poetic quality with a diversity of voices, representing multiple poetic traditions. This edition notably features poets from Patagonia, such as the Mapuche poet Viviana Ayilef, alongside voices from northern Argentina.

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An international poetry festival is not just a lyrical party; it is a meeting of worlds, a conclave of dimensions from the most perceptible, such as beauty, aesthetics or the rhythmic architecture of poems, to the most hidden such as visions or prophecies, a gift that poets have of anticipating the future.