San Francisco International Poetry Festival 2007

In his inaugural address, San Francisco Poet Laureate Jack Hirschman envisioned creating an International Poetry Festival, reprising a great tradition from the City’s literary past.

In July 2007, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, Mayor Gavin Newsom, Jack Hirschman and the San Francisco Public Library presented their first San Francisco International Poetry Festival. 

The San Francisco International Poetry Festival honors our City’s great legacy of hosting and encouraging cross cultural dialogue.  In 2007, the three-day extravaganza drew thousands of people from the Bay Area for free and open-to-the-public poetry and music at both large and small venues throughout the City, including a street party in North Beach, youth events, book signings, translation workshops and more.

This landmark event showcased fifteen poets from around the world, reading together with the leaders of San Francisco’s own highly regarded literary community, including all past Poet Laureates (Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Janice Mirikitani and devorah major).  The truly international group of poets, from countries including France, Greece, Iraq, Israel and Syria, represented a wide spectrum in the world of poetry, from recognized masters to emerging new talents, who are redefining the art in our evolving times.

Friends of the SFPL is committed to continuing this tradition of diversity, dialogue, prose and poetry for years to come.  The International Poetry Festival will continue as a biennial event, with the next International Poetry Festival in Summer 2009.

In the interim years, Friends will present poetry festivals in a variety of languages, such as Flor y Canto en el Barrio:  A Celebration of Latino Poetry and continue to build cultural bridges, celebrate the literary arts and foster international dialogue.