Transpoesie - News

• 09/04/2026

Transpoesie 26: Open Call”

EUNIC Brussels invites poets, poet-performers and poet-translators to participate in this year’s edition of Transpoesie: Where Voices Meet, a thematic exploration of language, space, and poetic resistance through and within translation.

We are looking for poets whose work engage with: • translation as creative practice;   • local histories, ecological  knowledge, or community memory;  •  geography, displacement,  or peripheral territories;  •  multilingual practices, code-switching,  accent, or linguistic friction;  •  experimental, performative, or oral  approaches to poetry ; •  minor, endangered, migrant, hybrid,  or “unofficial” languages; •  local foregrounds, situated voice and untranslatable experiences;

We particularly welcome those who work at the intersection of language and space, writers whose poetry emerge from borderlands, diasporas, rural or marginal regions, and in doing so explore how meaning shifts across cultures, histories, and territories/regions. Similarly, we particularly welcome writers whose languages are considered vulnerable or endangered within their respective countries or regions. Transpoesie is interested in poetic practices that embrace fragmentation, repetition, silence, multilingual layering, and productive misunderstanding. We seek voices  that are authentic and thought-provoking.

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What is Transpoesie?

Since 2011, TRANSPOESIE has been an annual, international poetry festival organized by EUNIC Brussels, a cluster of cultural institutions and embassies engaging in cultural relations in Belgium. TRANSPOESIE is an international  poetry festival, marking the European Day of Languages, celebrated each year on 26 September. The  festival hosts a series of events (readings; debates, public writing sessions) showcasing original poems in  their native languages. Curated by Philip Meersman, expert on experimental poetry, immersive audience  experience - performance festival curator - artistic PhD researcher and performance poet.

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What do we offer?

Publication: The poet’s work will be printed in the festival gazette and featured on the Transpoesie website (in its original language and English translation).

Event Invitation: The poet be invited to participate at our festival from September 17th to 19th, 2026

Networking: The poet will get the chance to connect with fellow poets, translators, publishing houses, and cultural operators for potential, future collaborations.

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What do we expect?

Costs & Logistics: •  The travel, accommodation & performance fee for the poet (participation fee for the poet is  €550) are to be covered by participant; •  The EN translation will need to be provided & any related copyright fees for the performed poems covered by participant; • Translation (NL &FR) for one 5 line poem des  tined for the Transpoesie Social Media  & website will be covered by participant; • Country specialties for the official reception to be provided by participant.

Quality: • Ensure poems & translations align with our festival’s theme and ethos; • Collaborate with literary structures for selection & with experienced translators.

Promotion: Spread the word about TRANSPOESIE through your communication channels.

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Participation

Poet Participation (€550): The live performances at the TRANSPOESIE events include: • Performing an 8-10 minute poetry reading; • A public writing session where the poet will be able to write on-demand poems on various topics related to the festival’s theme. • Additionally, the poet’s work will be displayed on our social media & our website along with a French & Dutch translation and a bio & picture.

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Deadlines

• Submit your participation untill 20 April 2026: name, bio, photos of the participating poet., logo, name and social media information sponsoring institution(s).
• Submit the requested materials until 29 May 2026: the 5 line poem with translations in NL & FR; the poems which will be read during events (8-10 minute set) with EN translation for the Transpoesie Gazette & the translation aides during the performances.

These deadlines are strict and final. Late submissions can be refused.