Discover how your poetry can reach thousands and millions of people across the world

March 21st- 23rd 2025

Online 

Registration: $595

Delhi Poetry Slam, the most loved literary organization in India, has officially launched World Poetry Project 2025. The initiative aims to bring attention to authentic writing by poets in new markets and foster cross-cultural collaboration between the East and West, regardless of borders and boundaries that separate us. 

The Idea

Because poetry has always had the tremendous potential to connect people, it's about time we acknowledge how our words can touch the minds and hearts of readers worldwide. 

It's fascinating to think how Rumi—the Persian poet and Sufi master, is the most best-selling poet of the United States. Likewise on the other side of the world in India, teenagers every year draw inspiration from the feminist poet Maya Angelou taught in schools.

This only proves that poetry, with its innate ability to shed light on the complex human experience, resonates with people everywhere. We are not divided. So we must try to build a bridge, so that our words travel far and wide.

Who is this for?

Someone who considers themselves a global citizen first—belonging to the entire world and secondly, a poet who wishes to broaden the scope of their creative reach and legacy. If you fit the two conditions, then you are a World Poet.

The Benefits of World Poetry Project

Join us on a three-day journey to becoming a truly international poet. Your poetry can travel overseas and rewrite your future. A curated agenda empowers you to: 

✔️ Attend Growth Sessions 

Discover how poets are sourcing opportunities in publishing, reading tours, workshops and residencies outside their home country. 

When publishing international poets or inviting them to literary festivals, what are organizers looking for? Those who are shaping the future of poetry speak up!

✔️ Share Your Own Poetry

During the livestream, each poet will be allotted 5 minutes to read out an original poem and share their poetic journey. Talk about your inspiration, the essence of what poetry means to you, achievements and future goals.

We strive to create a safe and inclusive space. The livestream will be moderated by Delhi Poetry Slam.

✔️ Get Published 

World Poets will be published in an anthology that will be available at boutique bookshops, libraries and online for global distribution. This gigantic poetic catalogue is a testimony to the richness of human experience— across races, nationalities, cultures. 

Your original poems (upto three) will be published along with a dedicated author biography in the book. The anthology proudly showcases special contributions by celebrated poets— Nandana Dev Sen, Shruti Chauhan and Saumya Choudhury. Get two complimentary copies of the anthology with free shipping worldwide. 

✔️ Global Networking

Network with the brightest poets across the world. With a mashup of diverse poets from USA, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, UK, Germany, Australia, Singapore etc— imagine the powerful movement of change we're creating together in the world.

Upon registration, you will receive an invite-only link to join our Facebook group and introduce yourself there. 

Schedule

Held on the World Poetry Day weekend – March 21st (Friday), March 22nd (Saturday) and March 23rd (Sunday) via Zoom, the program will be held at the timings mentioned below. 

Fees

Being a global event, the registration fee depends on a sliding scale for different countries. We strive to make the World Poetry Project affordable for all poets. Poets from developing countries with economic instability have been given a concession, aiding participation.  Please refer below to see the rate according to your country.

Meet the Host

Saumya Choudhury is the founder of Delhi Poetry Slam, an independent organization making waves in the literary landscape in South Asia. A poet, performance artist, publisher and arts residency manager, Saumya is the award recipient of Gulen Institute Youth Platform at Washington D.C  in USA and the prestigious 35th Y. Kumar Award for International Understanding presented to her by the late Sitaram Yechury.  She has led workshops at world-renowned universities such as Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Management, BITS Pilani and partnered with global organizaions like Poetry Slam For Peace founded by Laurence Singer in New York, Cultural Humane Art of Science (ChaOS) by Sinisa Rudan in Serbia, and most recently, French Institute in India. 

Register Now

For your convenience and security, international payments are processed through PayPal. Payment method requires a PayPal account. Once you enter the payment page, select PayPal under Wallet section. 

As our organization is located in India, the currency shown during checkout will be Indian Rupees (INR).

Registration Fee: $595

Learn more about the publication

Special Features

Get published in an anthology with special features by celebrated poets of Indian origin — Nandana Dev Sen, Shruti Chauhan and Saumya Choudhury. Meet your co-authors.

Nandana Dev Sen

American actress, poet and daughter of Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen and acclaimed Bengali writer Nabaneeta Dev Sen

Lives in New York, USA

Submission Guidelines

• All nationalities are welcome.
• Poems must be written in English. Translations of poems in English are also eligible.
• Poems must be no more than 80 lines.
• Entries are limited upto 3 poems per participant.
• There is no restriction on theme or style.
• Poems published in other magazines or publications are allowed to be entered.
• We do not accept works predominantly generated by artificial intelligence.
• Poets are encouraged to write about topics and experiences that spark their poetic genius (in whatever form they choose). 

Additional materials such as an author biography, photographs, videos, social media handle and links to published poems/ books are requested. We use the media to promote our poets across our social network of 100,000 followers. This is of course, fully optional, and depends on your consent to be marketed. 

A short bio will be featured within the anthology. 

Email interview will be conducted by a staff writer of Delhi Poetry Slam, exploring your poetry. This interview will be published on the Delhi Poetry Slam website frequented by thousands of poetry lovers monthly, bringing visibility to your work.

Success Stories of International Collaboration

Since a decade, Delhi Poetry Slam has expanded its reach to support international poets gain experience touring and teaching in India and publishing their poetry. Be part of our global community, committed to opening new doors for poets. Here are some of our key highlights:

Neal Hall

Neal Hall, a poet from the United States, received $1400 (One Lakh Indian rupees) as an advance to commission his poetry book The Systems We Caste and winning Wingword Poetry Prize 2020's international edition. The prize is fully sponsored by Delhi Poetry Slam. 

We selected his work because of his focus on systematic oppression towards women in India and Dalits, the untouchables. Given his own hypersensitivity to being judged first and foremost on the basis of race, he has been able to empathize with the lowest of the low strata in Indian society—while giving them a voice, dignity and hope for change.

Graduate of Cornell and Harvard Universities, Neal Hall is an acclaimed poet who has composed poetry and performed readings in the U.S. and internationally.  Hailed as the Malcolm X of poetry, Hall is a poet of intellectual passion and artistic significance.  Hall’s poetry consistently champions socio-economic and socio-political issues pertinent to social advocacy. 

The Systems We Caste is available to read for free on our website

Nandana Dev Sen

Award-winning American poet and actress, Nandana Dev Sen received $1,000 (Eighty Five Thouasnd Rupees) for conducting a workshop at Delhi Poetry Slam and winning the Wingword Poetry Prize 2022's international edition.

Her program Workshop Your Poems spontaneously delivered feedback to the poets' works, helping them craft more polished poems. The workshop was attended by participants of all ages, from the youngest being a pre-teen to the oldest being a retired government official of age 75. A few enthusiasm participants had travelled from the distant cities of Sahranpur, Patna and Kolkata to attend the workshop. 

Kyle Louw & Ikenna Onyegbula

We invited two poets  — Ikenna Onyegbula, a poet of Nigerian descent and Kyle Louw, a South African poet for a fully funded three-months long artist residency in 2016. The residency provided them with a monthly stipend, accommodation and covered inter-city flights.

During their residency, they had the opportunity to conduct weekend workshops for youth poets at Delhi Poetry Slam, teach at Springdales School and tour for readings in the cities Ahmedabad and Dharamshala. The residency enabled the poets Kyle and Ikenna to collaborate with artists and organizers on a variety of literary projects, and receive press coverage, while seeking creative inspiration through the organized chaos that India stands for.

JustJamaal The Poet 

JustJamaal The Poet, a Canadian poet, was invited to India to teach at writing retreats consecutively three times, held first at a Portugese villa by the riverside in Goa (2015), secondly at a eco-resort in Rajasthan (2016) and finally at a heritage bungalow in Jaipur (2023).  

 

As a poet, Jamaal was selected to be Ottawa's first English Poet Laureate after 27 years in which the position had gone unfilled, while his career in arts education has earned him 2016's Ontario Arts Educator Award. 

His relationship with Delhi Poetry Slam began in 2015 when we called him to teach expressive poetry in an intimate writing retreat for youth in Goa. His next fully paid teaching project was offered to him in 2016, where two separate batches of teen poets and youth poets were guided to write and perform their works without inhibitions. In 2023, our friendship grew even more: he was called once again to mentor poets on how to infuse raw authenticity and not be afraid of social norms at a 19th-century restored haveli in Jaipur.

Christia Madacsi, Javon Rustin and Timothy E.G. Bartel

In 2022, American poets Christia Madacsi, Javon Rustin and Timothy E.G. Bartel participated virtually in a cross-cultural dialogue with young Indian poets.

In partnership with American Cultural Centre, the event was attended by a live audience size of 200 people in New Delhi. Powerful themes of racism, social inclusion and free speech were explored during the showcase.

We were all surprised in many ways. While on the Indian front   — we seemed to commonly read many American poets from Walt Whitman to Frank o-Hara, it was voted that on the American front   — there was little know-how of non-Western poetry.

Peeping into the varied expressions of poetry, as performed by US poets Christia, Javon, Timothy and the Indian poets, it was a good starting point to cross boundaries in artistic collaboration. 

Eeva Maria al-Khazaali

Eeva Maria al-Khazaali, a poet from Finland, was invited to conduct a workshop More Love Letters Please at Delhi Poetry Slam's headquarters (2023).

During this workshop, participants developed new ways of interpreting feelings and visual stimulation, leading to evolution of their works.