Poetry on the Lake Festival 2006

"Poetry on the Lake is the most wonderful poetry festival in the world - a secret jewel that glows forever in the heart" - CarolAnn Duffy

On Lake Orta, with the 6th Poetry on the Lake festival, poetry has become dynamic.
No more sitting around but poetry with dance and music that roams all over the enchanting little town of Orta San Giulio, from the main square, Piazza Motta, up into the woods and chapels of Sacro Monte and over the water to the island. The Californian poet Alan Bern, together with the dancer Lucinda Weaver (from New York) and the translator and performer Barbara Villanova (USA) give an open air performance in the square at dusk, with the musicians Oliviero Giovannoni and Max Pizio. Poetry rapidly changing tongue from English to Italian to Spanish and to Russian and Georgian with Nunu Geladze; poetry that goes on a pilgrimage round Sacro Monte with John F.Deane, gathering followers along the way; takes the boat to the island and finds company in the sweet notes of the guitar of Dario Fornara in the frescoed concert hall of the antique Villa Tallone. Poetry that roams from the 16th Century Palazzotto, in which Massimo Bocchiola and Robert Morley, from the University of Pavia, present Nine Poets for Montale (in English and in Italian) to Casa Gramsci, where Leslie Tate leads the workshop Contemporary Poetry and the Sacred, and into the magnificent splendours of Palazzo Penotti-Ubertini where John F. Deane, the founder of Poetry Ireland and Poetry Ireland Revue, elected Secretary-General of the European Academy of Poetry, reads and presents his latest book In Dogged Loyalty, the poetry of religion, the religion of poetry (ed. Columba). Poetry that stays up late:after midnight at the ‘open mic’ event in the cobbled court of the Jazz Café.

From the moors and mists of northern Britain Ian Horn of Northern Voices brings the voice of the contemporary working class to Orta’s antique banks, while two ‘Ortesi’: Laura Pariani, author of novels which have won prestigious literary prizes, and the historian Cesare Bermani, lead participants round the Baroque chapels, relating of Nietzsche and of Ragazzoni.

Poems selected from the over 400 submitted to the spring competition and printed in the anthology Stranger, many with fine translations by the young Italian poetess Laura De Matteis, were presented at the Palazzotto, in the framework of the exhibition of posters created with computer art over the six years of Poetry on the Lake by the young graphic designer Giacomo Saporito. The authors of winning poems, Pat Borthwick, Joan Fry and Michael Swan were awarded splendid objects of design offered by Alessi and presented by the director of the British Council, Milan, Chris Dove in the course of a ceremony in Sala Tallone.Others reading: Caroline Carver, Ruth O'Callaghan, Pat Earnshaw, Keith Francis,Oz Hardwick,Valerie Josephs, Elisabeth Rowe, Andrew Robinson, Anne Stewart,Barry Tempest.

From the meetings and discussions over the three days of the festival, new ventures have been programmed. The event Nine Poets for Montale will be held at the University of Pavia in 2007 and at the British Council, and a publication is envisaged. Another publication, this time on the simbology of Romanesque church carvings expressed in verse, has been suggested by Oz Hardwick, whose trip to Orta to read at the festival was supported by the Arts Council.

To attend the Poetry on the Lake festival poets and participants come from countries as far as USA and Canada, as well as from UK, Ireland, and other European countries. Patrons are: CICT-UNESCO, British Council, Regione Piemonte, Provincia di Novara, Città di Orta, and the festival is supported by Alessi, Hotel San Rocco and Azienda Agricola Madonna dell’Uva supplied organic wine fronm their vineyard at Borgomanero, which poets visited Sunday afternoon.

However, the expenses of organising this rapidly expanding festival are vastly exceeding the support given and it is not at all certain that this annual festival will be able to continue.

Poetry on the Lake – Isola San Giulio – 28016 Orta NO - Italy

poetryonthelake@yahoo.co.uk tel: (+39)347-8464227

World Poetry Day 2006
Sunday, 19th March
Poetry on the Lake held its annual reading to celebrate World Poetry Day, as declared by UNESCO, on Sacro Monte, Orta. Poets and poetry lovers were invited to attend and to read their favourite poems on this year’s theme: Poems of Joy and Delight. . We were delighted to have with us Carol Ann Duffy, who read from Rapture; Nunu Geladze read Anna Achmatova in Russian and Italian; Robert Morley read his own compositions as did the three young poets, Ella, Rosie and Annie, and further poems were read in Italian, Spanish and Georgian.