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Poetry Parnassus at Southbank Centre

Come and be part of history in the making as Southbank Centre hosts the UK’s largest gathering of the world’s poets. Meet inspirational authors from across the globe as they give readings and masterclass workshops, including Simon Armitage, Seamus Heaney, Wole Soyinka and more. Plus get involved with over 100 free events and activities.



Poetry Parnassus will begin on Tuesday 26th June with The World Poetry Summit: Finding Poetry's Place In The World, an all day global gathering of leading directors, publishers and writers from 9.30am in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. 

This will be followed by the spectacular Rain of Poems, from 9pm, in which 100,000 bookmark-shaped poems will be released from a helicopter over the Southbank Centre's Jubilee Gardens. 

Rain of Poems, Berlin 2010

Other programme highlights will include Continental Shift featuring five poets from five continents, including Carcanet poets Bill Manhire and Kay Ryan from 7pm on Friday 29th June. Click the link for booking information. There will also be a chance to join Carcanet and PN Review from 3pm - 4pm for an international celebration of new poetry from the USA, Zimbabwe, Jamaica, Iraq and elsewhere as part of the International Poetry Fair in the Clore Ballroom. Readings will include Fawzi Karim, Kei Miller, Togara Muzanenhamo and  Kay Ryan.

We hope you can join us! Follow Carcanet on Twitter for updates on all our poets.