In a harmonious celebration of Greek poetry, the Greek School of Manchester and the Manchester Poetry Library joined forces to host a captivating open mic event on Thursday 16th November 2023. The event was well-attended, a testament to the deep appreciation for Greek poetry within the Manchester community. Amongst the audience were a few first-time readers who performed favourite poems by contemporary Greek poets, as well as works from the Greek poetic canon, including C. P. Cavafy, Manolis Anagnostakis, Tasos Leivaditis, Nikiforos Vrettakos, Phoebe Giannisi, Varvara Christia, and others.
Encouraged by the evening’s intimate atmosphere in the library’s welcoming space, some attendees took the stage to share their own creations, contributing to the varied and vibrant tapestry of voices. We were particularly proud that one of our former pupils performed her own poem “Love”, which had been submitted to the Mother Tongue Other Tongue poetry competition and included in the competition’s anthology earlier in the year.
The event was extremely well-received and was described by many attendees as “touching”, “moving”, a “beautiful flow of words,” and even “absolute perfection”. There was also an expressed desire for a repeat Greek poetry evening in the not-too-distant future. The excitement from the event still lingers with us and we look forward to showcasing more of Greek culture to the local community in Manchester.
