By Óscar Saavedra
Collective Songs
The future of poetry is today. America rains its name.
The present and poetic future of WPM America are heading towards a fascinating journey of collectivity, sensible poetance, and a collective song that unfolds with the strength of creativity and the Revolution for free speech. Like a symphony of the sun, this Poetic Movement nourishes itself with the cultural diversity and multiplicity of voices that make up the fabric of Latin America and the world. We know that we are all different in our particularities, but equal when it comes to the earth. We are inhabitants of the earth.
Since its inception within the International Poetry Festival of Medellín, the world’s most important festival because it is not easy to achieve peace amidst bombs, it is not easy to shoot words when your heart can be hurt, there are rivers that never end, but there are poems that can drink their waters. WPM America has been “a lighthouse in the fog” that transforms into guiding light for poets in their mission to promote and spread poetry as a fundamental art for humanity without distinction, precisely because it is inclusive and seeks to deconstruct the coercive systems that inhabit and we inhabit. Our policy is poetry. Our militancy: poetance. Our language: words and actions. One is not what one says, one is what one does. And WPM is clear about that.
Throughout the years, our Movement has forged a solid network, a network woven with looms of dialogue, collaboration, and solidarity among the countries that comprise it. Chile, Cuba, Argentina, Venezuela, Honduras, Peru, El Salvador, Barbados, Martinique, United States, Jamaica, Paraguay, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Bolivia converge in a poetic synergy, where the voice of each nation intertwines with the others, like verses of an endless poem. They are the protagonists of a lyrical dance that transcends language barriers, political borders, and cultural differences.
The unity of dialogues and the clarity of objectives have been the foundations upon which the success of WPM America has been built. Through communicational fluidity, via WhatsApp groups and other channels, in addition to creative teams multiplied throughout the continent, the coordinators of each country exchange ideas, plan actions, and strategize to bring poetry to every corner of the region possible: schools, mountains, oceans, communities in their fullest expression, geographies, etc.
In this ocean of voices and visions, a shared mission is forged that goes beyond the individual, in search of a collective impact that transcends the borders in which we believe nothing. We have no flags. We have no limits. We are a single territory called America. We are a single territory called the world. We know that we are all different. We know that each person chooses to be what they want to be. We are all people. Diversities are like languages. Our language is sound and vibration. Perhaps it is there where we communicate, transcending even languages. America and Russia embrace. Ethiopia and Europe embrace. China and Bolivia embrace. Colombia and Chile. Uruguay and Brazil embrace. Australia and Canada embrace. The world embraces in one of its languages called Poetry. There are no distances other than logical ones. I insist, our policy is Poetry and how it can transform the world.
We know that language is what allows human beings to define themselves, to know their steps, to write their lives. The dissemination of poetry is one of the cornerstones of WPM America. Through events, social media publications, and collaboration with diverse institutions and territories, the organization has succeeded in reaching a broader audience with poetry. Every action undertaken by the poets and coordinators of the Movement aims to awaken interest and curiosity in those who have not yet discovered the magic of written or spoken words. And to motivate those who militate in free speech, in the Poetic Revolution.
Dissemination of Poetry
But the reach of WPM America is not limited only to the dissemination of poetry. Our movement is a vehicle for celebrating life, peace, and non-violence, a space where cultural diversity is celebrated and embraced with pride and passion. Through inclusive events and actions, WPM America has promoted inclusion and equality, encouraging poets to write about topics related to cultural identity, political injustices, persecution of poets and artists, and the impacts that affect us as societies.
In its eagerness to recognize the talent and effort of poets, WPM America has established a transversal space, without hierarchies, to honor and highlight those who have left an indelible mark in the field of poetry. Esteemed and emerging poets find in this Movement a place where their voices are valued, and their poetic work is recognized in the brotherhood of free and sovereign speech. It is impossible for me not to remember our beloved poet Jack Hirshman, and how he always treated other poets as equals, even though his experience was and is outstanding. I never saw a trace of ego in him. We want to eliminate that unethical image of ego in words, that institutionality of the heart. We love you, Jack. We honor you.
The promotion of creative poetic education is another fundamental pillar in the work of WPM America. Through workshops, conferences, and educational activities, our Movement has provided children, youth, and adults with the opportunity to enhance their poetic skills and develop their talent. Additionally, we have brought poetry to schools and universities, thus fostering empathy for the art of words from an early age. Pedagogy and teaching intertwine in a poetic universe, where education becomes multiple paths and doors for future generations.
The expansion of WPM America is manifested in the creation of Facebook pages, Instagram accounts, and other social media platforms in different countries of the region, such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Honduras. These digital platforms become spaces for gathering and disseminating poetry, where followers can nourish themselves and discover new poetic voices. But WPM America goes beyond the digital realm. The creation of poetry libraries in rural and urban areas is a tangible objective of its commitment to the mobility and exchange of poetic actors and acts. These libraries will become literary oases, places where words find a home and readers find refuge in the beauty of poetry and nature.
Poetry Proyects
Within the fabric of WPM America, there are internationally renowned festivals such as the International Poetry Festival of Havana, Costa Rica, Medellín, San Cristóbal de las Casas, the World Poetry Festival of Venezuela, and the World Poetic Festival of Montevideo, as well as the Permanent International Poetry Festival on TikTok that will begin development in August of this year in Chile, among others. These poetic gatherings are meeting points where different poetic traditions intertwine and create a mosaic of words and emotions.
In the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the intervention of Freddy Ñáñez, Minister of Communications and Sectoral Vice President of the country, a member of the Coordinating Committee of WPM, led to the creation of the National Student Poetry School, an unprecedented pilot program worldwide. This project extends from primary to secondary education, with the vision of training the new generations in the art of words and poetic sensitivity. Cuba and other countries in the region have followed the same path.
WPM America is working towards creating an IP TV channel for its organization, with the purpose of further amplifying the poetic voice in the audiovisual field and the new era of AI.
In Colombia, a group of 100 poets has decided to join WPM, adding their talent and vision to the movement. This fact becomes an example for the region and the world, demonstrating that the unity of forces is the key that opens the doors to transformation and progress.
The geography of WPM America extends throughout Chile, where poetry unites the north, central, and southern regions of the country in a powerful and attractive poetance for children, youth, and adults. Creative energy and poetic passion come together in multiple corners, nourishing the Movement with its geographic and cultural diversity.
In Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Venezuela, Cuba, Chile, Colombia, and other countries, poetic education has become a tangible reality. Workshops, talks, and educational projects are multiplying, bringing poetry to classrooms and awakening artistic sensibility in youth and adults. These joint efforts strengthen the poetic fabric of the region and lay the foundations for a future where poetry is valued and appreciated as a tool for social change.
For over a decade, WPM America has carried out hundreds of poetic actions throughout the continent. Poetry readings, performances, interventions in public spaces, workshops, poetry schools, dialogues, and talks unfold in a constant flow of words and emotions. These poetic actions become tools that grow according to contexts, societies, and the present times we live in, as receptive human beings.
In Chile and the Mapuche Nation, the constant support and assistance in design, the creation of flyers and support videos for the Movement are a demonstration of the commitment and passion of its members. Graphic art becomes an additional form of expression, complementing the written word with images and symbols that enhance the impact of the poetic message.
The International Poetry Festival of Medellín and the World Poetry Festival of Venezuela, emblematic festivals of the region, join the Movement’s impetus by financing this World Congress of WPM, a gathering that brings together the largest number of coordinators and actors of poetry. This congress is a space for exchange, reflection, and growth, where new goals are set and the commitment to poetry, the democracy of language, as a transformative force is reaffirmed.
In every corner of Latin America and the world, the words of WPM America resonate with strength and hope. It is a call for unity, for infinite and beautiful unity that arises when our actions unify our differences and celebrate our diversity. In this real writing, each word is a strand that joins others to form a living text, where borders blur and hearts embrace in a global hug.
It is necessary for our actions to sing in unison, without any word competing, eliminating those big egos, knowing ourselves as workers of the word, not entrepreneurs of it, in a collective chant that transcends the limits of individualism and preserves the magic of community. Our texts become threads that weave with other threads, forming an infinite network of voices and social actors of language, moving away from the old dictatorial dinosaurs.
In this poetic country or world, words navigate like wise beings of water and waves in search of new horizons. WPM America seeks for the word to be a bridge that connects people, rather than a barrier that separates them. Uniting our projects into a universal project, uniting our books into a single and inclusive book. No to the private ownership of words. Yes to the word that walks towards its people, towards its people. In that journey, we find each other, recognize each other, and mutually strengthen each other.
In conclusion, World Poetry Movement América is a living force in constant evolution that has achieved significant progress in the promotion and dissemination of poetry worldwide. With its tireless work, it has made poetry more accessible and visible, sparking the interest of new generations and making an impact on society. United in free words, we form a poetic community that triumphs with imagination and creativity. The Movement transcends borders, connecting continents in a universal poem called life. We dream of a world where poetry and free words prevail over capitalism and where linguistic and cultural diversity is valued and respected. In the poetic embrace of WPM América, our voices intertwine and resonate in a symphony of hope and transformation. In the free and sovereign word that defines us. In that América that is also the World. In that World that embraces the five continents. In that world that knows itself as an atom within the universe. In the humility of knowing ourselves as life. In the life that words give us.
