Poems are best received when they are heard being spoken aloud, when their emotional content is being expressed by the human voice, and not just printed ink and paper. The intimate act of listening to poetry can be enjoyed in many ways. 'Poetry with Prakriti' is a new festival being presented in Chennai by Prakriti Foundation in December '07, where poets from varied backgrounds in multiple languages will read and share their poetry at many different locations across the city. This will allow multiple groups of people to enjoy creative expression rendered through poetry. The 25 poets have been drawn from Tamil and English, Kannada and other regional languages. These poets use different methods of expression in their work - from regular poetry to haiku, from deeply personal work to a comment on our times.

A poetry contest on the theme of 'Newness' will be judged by a three member committee and the winner announced on the last day of the Festival. Details are available on www.poetrywithprakriti.in

The Festival will open with a reading by French Senegalese poet Amadou Lamine Sall with the cultural collaboration of the Alliance Francaise, Chennai and conclude with a performance of Racine's play 'Phaedre' in Tamil directed by a noted French director at the Museum Theatre on the 30th, also with the collaboration of the Alliance.

Morning sessions will typically be timed from 11 a.m to 12 noon, and evening sessions are expected to be between 4.30 p.m to 5.30 p.m. What makes the festival unique is that these sessions will be held in places as diverse as parks, schools, cafeterias, malls, large office complexes and bookshops, bringing poetry closer to people in a very special way.

The participating poets are:

Anjum Hasan Kuttirevathi T.R. Joy Priya Sarukkai Vivek Narayanan K. Srilata Pratibha Nandakumar Arundhathi Subramaniam

Meena Kandasamy George K Sridala Swami R.J. Kalpana Vasantha Surya Gieve Patel K. Ramesh Jeet Thayil

Sujatha Shankar Kumar Vasanth Sushil Sivaram Sharanya Manivannan Sukiertharani Siddhartha Menon Anuradha Vijayakrishnan

Schedule

15th December 2007 - Saturday
1. Anjum Hasan - Apparao Galleries -11.am
2. Vasantha Surya - Goethe Institute - 11.am
3. Anjum Hasan - Subway (Besant Nagar) - 4.30 pm
4. Vasantha Surya - The Park - 4.30 pm
5. Amadou LAmine Sall - Alliance Francaise - 6.30 pm

16th December 2007 - Sunday
1. Anjum Hasan - Fab India (Ilford House ) - 11 am
2. Kutti Revathi - Apparao Galleries - 11.am
3. Meena Kandaswami - The Park -11.am
4. Anjum Hasan - Evoluzione - 6 pm
5. Meena Kandaswami - Chamiers - 4.30 pm

17th December 2007 - Monday
1. Anjum Hasan - Queen Mary’s College - 11 am
2. Gieve Patel - The School- KFI - 11.30 am
3. K.Ramesh- Kalakshetra - 11am
4. Gieve Patel - Landmark(Nungambakkam - 6.pm
5. T.R.Joy - Landmark(City Centre) - 6 pm
6. K.Ramesh - Landmark (Spencer) - 6 pm

18th December 2007 - Tuesday
1. Gieve Patel - Apparao Galleries - 11 am
2. K.Ramesh - The School, KFI - 11 am
3. T.R.Joy - M.G.R.Janaki College - 11 am
4. Sujatha Shankar Kumar - AMM School - 11 am
5. Gieve Patel - Leather Bar Park - 4.30 - 5.30 pm
6. K.Ramesh- Landmark (NGKM) - 6 pm
7. T.R.Joy - Landmark ( Spencer) - 6 pm
8. Sujatha Shankar Kumar - Landmark citycentre - 6 pm

19th December 2007 - Wednesday
1. R.J.Kalpana - M.G.R.Janaki College - 11 am
2. Priya Sarukkai , Jeet Thayil , Vivek Narayanan - Pasha Park - 11am
3. Priya Sarukkai - Landmark( Ngmkm) - 6 pm
4. Jeet Thayil - Landmark( Spencers) - 6 pm
5. Vivek Narayanan - Landmark( City Centre) - 6 pm

20th December 2007 - Thursday
1. K.Srilatha - Apparao Galleries - 11am
2. Jeet Thayil - Café Coffee day Accendas - 11am
3. Priya Sarukkai - Café Coffee day Ngmkm- 11 am
4. Vivek Narayanan - Kumararani Meena Muthiah College, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar - 12 noon
5. K.Srilatha - Prana Anna Nagar - 4.30 pm
6. Jeet Thayil - Landmark (Ngmkm) - 6 pm
7. Priya Sarukkai - Landmark (City Centre) - 6 pm
8. Vivek Narayanan - Landmark (spencers) - 6 pm

21st December 2007 - Friday
1. K.Srilatha - Goethe Institute - 11 am
2. K.Srilatha - Landmark (Ngmkm) - 6 pm
3. Vasanth - Landmark city Centre - 6 pm
4. David Israel - Landmark Spencers - 6.30 pm

22nd December 2007 - Saturday
1. Sujatha Shankar Kumar - FabIndia Illford House - 11 am
2. David Israel - Apparao Galleries -11 am
3. Sujatha Shankar Kumar - Café Coffee Day - Adyar - 4.30 pm

23rd December 2007 - Sunday
1. Prathiba Nandakumar - Chamiers - 11 am
2. Vasanth - Kalakshetra - 11 am
3. Arundathi Subramaniam- Fabindia - Anna Nagar - 11 am
4. Prathiba Nandakumar - Café Coffee Day - Ngmkm - 4.30 pm
5. Vasanth - Café Coffee day - Adyar - 4.30 pm
6. Arundathi Subramaniam- Café Coffee Day - Accendas - 4.30 pm

24th December 2007 - Monday
1. Arundathi Subramanian - Chamiers - 11 am
2. Prathiba Nanda Kumar - Fab India - Besant Nagar - 11 am.
3. Sushil Sivaram- Apparao Galleries - 11 am
4. Arundathi Subramaniam -Landmark (Ngkm) - 6 pm
5. Prathiba Nanda Kumar - Landmark (spencers) - 6 pm
6. Sushil Sivaram- Landmark (City Center) - 6 pm

25th December 2007 - Tuesday
1. Sharanya Manivannan- Apparao Galleries - 11 am
2. Meena Kandaswami - Café Coffee Day - Accendas - 11 am
3. Susil Sivaram- Mehta Jewellery - 11 am
4. Sharanya Manivannan - Landmark ( Ngkm).- 6 pm
5. Meena Kandaswami - Landmark (Spencers) - 6 pm
6. Sushil Sivaram- Landmark (City Centre) - 6 pm

26th December 2007 - Wednesday
1. Vasantha Surya - Apparao Galleries - 11 am
2. George .K - Prana Anna Nagar - 11 am
3. Sharanya Manivannan - Taj - 11 am
4. Vasanth - Landmark (Ngmkm) - 6 pm
5. George .K - Landmark (City centre) - 6 pm
6. Sharanya Manivannan - Landmark (Spencers) - 6 pm
7. Vasantha Surya Landmark (Nungambakkam) 6 pm

27th December 2007 - Thursday
1. Sukierhtarani - Chamiers - 11 am
2. George .K - Mehta Jewellery - 11am
3. Sharanya Manivannan - 11 am
4. Vivek Narayanan - Kumararani Meena Muthiah College - 12 noon
5. Sukierhtarani - Landmark City Centre- 6 pm
6. George.K - Landmark (Spencers) - 6 pm

28th December 2007 - Friday
1. Sukierhtarani - Subway ( Spencers) - 11 am
2. Siddartha Menon - Café Coffee Day - Accendas- 11 am
3. Sridala Swami - Forum - 11 am
4. Sukierhtarani - Landmark (Spencers) - 6 pm
5. Siddartha Menon - Landmark( Ngmkm) - 6 pm
6. Sridala Swami Landmark (City Centre) - 6 pm

29th December 2007 - Saturday
1. Siddartha Menon- Kalakshetra - 11 am
2. Anuradha VijayaKrishnan - Taj - 11 am
3. R.J.Kalapana -Café Coffee Day- Accendas - 11 am
4. Sridala Swami - Apparao Galleries - 11 am
5. Anuradha Vijaya Krishan - café Coffee day - Accendas - 4.30 pm
6. Sridala Swami at Subway (Nungambakkam) 4.30 pm
6. R.J.Kalpana - café Coffee day- Ngmkm - 4.30 pm

30th December 2007 - Sunday
1. Anuradha Vijayakrishnan- Kalakshetra - 11 am
2. Aftab Seth - Chandralekha Mandala - 6 pm
3. Anuradha Vijayakrishnan - Museum Theatre - 6 pm
4. R.J.Kalpana - Museum Theatre - 6 pm
5. Phedre by Jean Racine directed by Astrid Bas assisted by Koumarane Velavane, lighting Georges Lavaudant - Museum Theatre - 6 pm.
In association with Alliance Francaise. Prize giving ceremony.