A Look Back

The 2024 Sydney International Poetry Festival opened at Parramatta Town Hall on 9 November 2024 and continued for seven days.

Expanding significantly in both scale and international reach, the Festival attracted more than 60,000 participants and audiences through its online and in-person programs.

The second Festival was presented by the Australia International Elite Cultural and Arts Centre, in collaboration with the Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University and a number of poetry and cultural organisations.

Once again, Ying Xia Tang served as President of the Festival. Distinguished Colombian poet Fernando Rendón and renowned Australian poet and University of Sydney professor Mark Tredinnick were invited to serve as Honorary Presidents.

A second international poetry anthology, Walking in the Shimmering Twilight, edited by Phillip Liao, was published in conjunction with the Festival. The collection featured works by 52 poets from five continents, reflecting the Festival’s growing international network and its commitment to cultural and literary exchange.

Beyond the Festival itself, selected poems, essays and critical writings by participating poets have continued to reach wider audiences through international literary journals, academic publications, newspapers and digital platforms, with further collections being prepared for publication.

With the support of the New South Wales Government, the inaugural Sydney International Poetry Festival opened in Sussex Inlet, on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia, in 2022.

Under the theme “Poetry in the Time of the Pandemic,” the Festival sought to bring comfort, connection and hope through poetry after more than two years of isolation, uncertainty and loss. Through the power of language, it celebrated our shared humanity and reaffirmed the importance of compassion, friendship and harmony.

Over three days, the Festival brought together both in-person and online programs, attracting more than 5,000 participants. The program featured poetry readings, literary criticism, panel discussions, literary forums, cultural exchange and artistic performances.

Ying Xia Tang served as President of the Festival. Four internationally distinguished poets who had been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature were invited to serve as Honorary Presidents: Germain Droogenbroodt of Belgium, Francisco Azuela of South America, George Onsy of Egypt, and Muhammad Shanazar of Pakistan.

The Festival also published its inaugural international poetry anthology, Through the Realm of Impermanence, edited by Phillip Liao. The collection brought together works by 47 poets from around the world, including five poets who had been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The anthology was officially launched at NSW Parliament House on 6 October 2022, marking an important milestone in the Festival’s commitment to bringing poetry across languages, cultures and borders.