This Sunday at 2 pm at the Bookworm, as part of the 9th annual Bookworm Literary Festival, seven community poets will join two visiting writers/performers for Poetry Beijing, a celebration of verse and the power of the spoken word. But more importantly, it’ll be a spotlight for this community’s regular literary events and the people who run them. For example…

Liz Richards, co-host, organizes the monthly Word of Mouth series at the Bookworm, a poetry open mic that brings together experienced poets and newcomers alike.

Kassy Lee, a published poet, organizes events every two months in the Gulou area, including the unique series “Transmigrant Flow,” which has been described as “poetry speed dating.”

Anna Yates, who’s into performance art, represents Scratching Beijing, a performance platform for multidisciplinary artists.

Anthony Tao, who is probably writing this in third-person, hosted Poetry Night in Beijing at last year’s Literary Festival.

We’ve also invited published poet Edward Ragg, current Beijing International High School Slam champion Vanessa Meng, and the eccentric and wholly unique Elijah Grantham. The lineup’s diversity alone is compelling.

We’ll be joined by two visiting poets, Zohab Zee Khan — the current Australian Slam Poetry champion — and Maxine Beneba Clarke, a widely traveled Australian writer of Afro-Caribbean descent. Khan will have his own solo spoken-word show — Evident — at 8 pm on Sunday. Clarke’s solo performance, Nothing Here Needs Fixing, is on Tuesday at 8 pm.

And now, your chance to see everything for cheap(er): The Bookworm is offering a special deal for BJC readers: attendees of Poetry Beijing can buy tickets for either/both Khan and/or Clarke’s shows for half-price.

In addition, those who purchase a ticket for Clarke’s poetry workshop on Sunday (10 am) will get a free ticket to her solo performance AND a free ticket to either Poetry Beijing or Khan’s “Evident.” Your pick.

There’s a lot of poetry to enjoy this weekend, and we hope you make the most of it.

For a reminder of what Poetry Beijing was like last year, check out these posts.

Hello, poets of Beijing. The Bookworm Literary Festival — one of the largest bilingual cultural events in China — has renewed our community poetry event for this year’s program, which means it’s time to get writing, reading, and workshopping. Last year’s event, Poetry Night in Beijing, attracted a standing-room only crowd, and we can only hope to again get that kind of support. Consider this an open call. If you’re interested, read on.

We’re on the festival’s opening weekend, specifically Sunday, March 15 at 2 pm. As it wouldn’t make sense to call an afternoon shindig Poetry Night, our new title is simply Poetry Beijing. More elegant, isn’t it? Tickets (60 RMB) go on sale this Saturday at the Bookworm.

Our full lineup is yet to be determined, but we’re very fortunate to already have commitments from Zohab Zee Zhan, the current reigning, defending, undisputed Australian Slam Poetry champion, and Maxine Beneba Clarke, a spoken word performer who has graced stages across Australia. Both of them have solo poetry events later in the festival (do check out this excellent slate of events*), and we’re honored to have their presence.

If you’re interested in participating — in possibly reading in the spotlight (though slots are extremely limited) — please get in touch via poetry@beijingcream.com. Or, better yet, meet myself and my co-host, Liz Richards, in person…

There’s an open mic event called Word of Mouth, hosted by Liz, this coming Tuesday, March 3, 8 pm at the Bookworm. Word of Mouth is a platform to encourage both beginner and experienced poets to share their work, and for listeners to create their own. All forms of poetry are welcome. Much like Poetry Beijing, the event’s aim is to buoy poets in our community and inspire one another through the oft-frustrating but ultimately rewarding process of creation.

Those interested in performing/reading at Word of Mouth should sign up by emailing wordofmouth.poetry@yahoo.co.uk. Slots are first-come, first-served. We hope to see you there!

POSTSCRIPT: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the Anthill, a local writers colony for which I’m poetry editor, is currently open to submissions. Submit!

*Disclosure: I’m a BLF 2015 coordinator. We’re very much still looking for volunteers, so sign up now for the chance to attend events for free, etc.