In its third and most expansive edition to date, Poetry Expo 2025, curated by Versopolis, once again affirmed poetry’s role as a dynamic force for global dialogue, creative transformation, and cultural resilience. Held entirely online, the Expo offered a vibrant space for artists, institutions, and literary thinkers to explore the intersection of poetic expression and the world’s most pressing challenges.
Under the unifying theme “Igniting Change, One Verse at a Time,” this year’s Expo invited participants to reimagine the role of poetry in shaping our collective futures. The event brought together over 190 individuals and organisations from across the globe, each contributing works that reflected on the power of the poetic word to inspire, to challenge, and to connect.
Spanning six thematic pavilions, Poetry Expo 2025 became a stage for innovative, moving, and urgent contributions from writers and creatives working across genres, platforms, and languages. The six curated themes included:
- Re-imagining Identity through Poetry – exploring migration, hybridity, belonging, and the shifting geographies of selfhood.
- The Ecology of Language – Poetry and Environmental Action – highlighting the bond between poetic voice and ecological consciousness.
- Technopoetics – AI, Digital Media, and the Future of Creativity – engaging with artificial intelligence and digital tools as co-creators in the poetic process.
- Healing Narratives – Poetry, Mental Health, and Collective Trauma – addressing internal landscapes and collective grief with empathy and vulnerability.
- Cultural Resilience – Literature as a Force for Social Justice – elevating marginalized voices and advocating for equity, inclusion, and justice through literature.
- Poetry and the Digital Commons – New Platforms, New Audiences – showcasing digital innovation in poetic form, access, and engagement.
Over the course of six weeks, from early February to mid-March, the Expo unfolded as a global digital exhibition, featuring video performances, readings, conversations, installations, and cross-media collaborations. The contributions came in many languages and forms, embodying the diverse ways poetry continues to shape thought, spark action, and build bridges across continents.
As the virtual curtains closed on Poetry Expo 2025, Versopolis extends its deepest gratitude to all who participated — from poets, festivals, and collectives to cultural institutions and individual creators. Your voices enriched the dialogue, expanded the poetic commons, and reaffirmed our shared belief in poetry as a catalyst for reflection, change, and connection.
The success of this year’s edition proves once again that poetry — when given space to flourish — can illuminate the path forward in uncertain times.
We invite you to carry the spirit of this Expo forward and join us again next year for Poetry Expo 2026, where we will continue to explore the boundless potential of poetry to shape a more just, connected, and imaginative world.
Ege Dündar & Carlos Egaña
