Department of Cultural Affairs

Hung Hung and Yang Chia-Hsien, organizers of the Taipei Poetry Festival put together by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government, invite poets and artists to light up our spirits and lives during the pandemic outbreak with the theme of “Reboot of the Soul”. This event will run from September 25 to October 10 at venues including Zhongshan Hall, Kishu An Forest of Literature, Eslite Spectrum Songyan Store, SPOT – Taipei Film House, and the Performance Hall of the Mayor’s Residence Art Salon. Online exhibitions will also be launched to bring the public an autumn full of imagination.

Use poetry and words to reflect on life and destiny──Poet in the City S. Quanan
This year, the festival in residence includes poet S. Quanan, a pioneer in Hong Kong’s modern literature and a crossover creator who was involved in a wide range of literary practices and the several major literary magazines he founded. In 2017, he was awarded “The Artist of the Year”, acknowledging his life-time achievement and commitment to the literary arts. S. Quanan’s journey of creativity has been unique, from his lonesome teen years to his growth in literature, his writings have clearly made a huge difference to the development of Hong Kong’s written word. Furthermore, his knowledge of astrology has also caught people’s attention as he re-enlightens the thinking of human nature through astrology. The two seminars will allow poetry fans to see a different side of S. Quanan from the dialogues of Hong Kong literature to astrological poetry across Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Opening poetry performance: “The Poetry Performed and the Time Transformed” – dance, drama, music, and video with poetry
In response to changes of the times, poets continue to face the essence of life and social changes through poetry. Poetry performances this year include digital crossover artists Liu Kuan-Hsiang, Chen Wu-Kang, Koh Choon-Eiow, Lo Si-Rong, Lin Tse-Yu, and Ye Mimi. These artists will reinterpret poems from well-known poets with their diverse performances presenting the figures and lives of the poets, as well as their moods in the changing world.

Poetry Installations and Activities “The Songs and Poetry that Make the Souls Alive: Yu Pei-Jen + Klaire Wu
Yu Pei-Jen, awarded with the Best New Talent Award and the Best Composer Award at the Taipei Film Festival, alongside Klaire Wu with a wide range of music styles including Samba, BossaNova, blues, and folk, are two renowned music creators. The works of their favorite modern poets are selected and re-interpreted with their unique musical styles which will be performed dramatically, demonstrating the abundant energy of contemporary music creations.

“He’s Still Young” Wu Sheng literary documentary – Special screening
With down-to-earth and natural poetic styles, Wu Sheng has been reminding people to look after the earth through his poetic creations. The documentary “He’s Still Young” is a rare work from Wu Sheng that closely links the writer’s beliefs and life encounters. Director Lin Jing-Jie and Wu Sheng spent over three years filming the documentary in rice fields in Xizhou and Zhuoshui River, Changhua County. They also flew to Iowa and Vancouver for material for the documentary. During filming, the incident that occurred at the Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corporation also prompted Wu Sheng’s anger and struggle as a father who then sought comfort in literature.

“Between Light and Shadow: Screenings of Post-war Literature-themed Movies in Germany” – Film Screening
With the theme of “Poetry Without Boundaries”, five literary documentaries by German post-war poets have been selected for film screening, including the pilot film “Group 47” and documentaries by two Nobel Laureates Heinrich Böll and Günter Grass, as well as the beloved poets Ingeborg Bachmann and Paul Celan. Through these films, the public is offered a glimpse of Germany’s most famed post-World War II literary figures.

[2021 Taipei Poetry Festival]
Period│September 25 (Sat) to October 10 (Sun)
Official Website：poetryfestival.taipei
Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/Poetry.Taipei
Phone│0974-125-241 (Please call during business hours Monday to Friday 10:30-18:00)

*Ticketing and admission may be subject to changes in COVID-19 outbreak policies, which will be adjusted in accordance with the preventive measures of the Taipei City Government and Central Government regarding crowds and gatherings. Changes will be disclosed on the official website and Facebook page of the Taipei Poetry Festival.