The Lahti Poetry Marathon

Lahti Poetry Marathon

The Lahti Poetry Marathon association was established in Finland in 1982. The three main functions of the association are the organizing of the events and contests and the publishing of the poetry collections.

The Poetry Marathon

The poetry events initiated with the poetry weekend held every second summer under the Mukkula oak trees in Lahti under the name “The Poetry Marathon”; rune singers continue going hours and hours under the Nordic midnight sun hence the event was named The Poetry Marathon. The Poetry Marathon event
traditionally gathers internationally well-known poets to one of the most beautiful parts of the Finnish lake district at Mukkula Manor on Lake Vesijärvi.

The Poetry Weeks

Since the foundation year Lahti Poetry Marathon has organized 7 poetry weeks. The Poetry Week collects together national and international poets for various poetry events. In addition to the Poetry Marathons, these weeks have played an important role in Lahti Poetry Marathon’s internationalization process while several foreign poets have been invited to present their own production and culture. At present the Poetry Weeks are arranged every second year.

The Poetry Contests and Anthologies
Lahti Poetry Marathon has organized 14 poetry contests. During its existence Lahti Poetry Marathon has collected over 52 000 poems from private poets and published 13 anthologies. Lahti Poetry Marathon is expanding its functions into the Finnish Swedish poetry. At the end of the year 2009 the association will publish two new anthologies both in Finnish and in Swedish which are composed from the best poems of the Blue Moments poetry contest held in the spring 2009. The contests are held every second year along with the Poetry Week.

International cooperation

The Lahti Poetry Marathon Association has started several ‘the art of words’ projects throughout Finland and abroad. From 2001 – 2003 The Lahti Poetry Association administered The European Union funded project ‘The City of words and poetry’, which paved the way for enhanced international co-operation in the field of poetry. The association is also working in close cooperation with several non-governmental organizations and enterprises in Finland, Sweden, Russia and Kuwait. During the recent years many foreign visitors have participated The Poetry Marathons and weeks, for instance a poet and translator Reem Kais Kubba from Iraq and South African cultural player and poet Vonani Bila.

26.10.2009

Publications

Year and Title in English

  • 1984 New Poetry
  • 1985 Me in the World, World in Me
  • 1987 Looking for Finland
  • 1990 A Trip for Tomorrow
  • 1991 Poetry Grows from Earth
  • 1993 Joy has the Wings of Life
  • 1995 Driving Fast, Singing Loud
  • 1998 I Love, You Love, He Loves
  • 2000 I am Looking faraway, Listening
  • 2001 Freedom Now
  • 2002 Dreams and Masks
  • 2005 Too Big for The Carousel
  • 2006 THE POETRY MARATHON AND THE GLOBAL POEM – SEMINAR

The next poetry marathon will be on the 8-10st July 2009 in Lahti, at Mukkula Manor.  

E-mail: toimisto@runomaraton.com , TEL + 358-50-594 74 65.