“In the Footsteps of the Poet” will travel through Santiago, Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Melipilla, Rancagua, San Fernando, Isla Negra, Cartagena and other locations from November 13 to 22

SANTIAGO, CHILE. — Poetry will once again travel across Chile in November 2026 with the 20th International Poets of the World Gathering, “In the Footsteps of the Poet”, an international initiative that will bring together writers and poets from different countries and continents for ten days.

From November 13 to 22, participants will travel through a significant part of Chilean territory, bringing their voices to universities, schools, libraries, museums, social organizations and other spaces where they can meet local communities.

The itinerary includes Santiago, Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Huechuraba, Melipilla, Rancagua, San Fernando, Pomaire, Isla Negra and Cartagena, in a journey that seeks to connect literature, territory, memory and citizen participation.

This is not simply a literary festival. For its organizers, the gathering is a true poetic pilgrimage, in which words leave books and traditional stages behind to meet people directly.

A tradition that began in 2005

The gathering is part of the history of Poets of the World, an international movement founded in October 2005 by Chilean poet Luis Arias Manzo, which currently brings together more than 9,000 poets from 143 countries.

From its beginnings, the movement has promoted a vision of poetry connected not only with artistic creation, but also with consciousness, fraternity among peoples, peace and the preservation of the environment.

Its guiding motto is:

“For Peace and the Preservation of the Environment.”

Within this framework, the Chilean gathering has become one of the main international activities of Poets of the World, bringing poets from different cultures and languages back to the country where the organization was founded.

From Santiago to Valparaíso: following in the footsteps of Neruda and Mistral

The journey will begin on Friday, November 13 in Santiago, with the arrival of international delegations, accreditation and accommodation. That evening, a welcome ceremony will be held with poets, writers and authorities from Santiago.

Saturday will focus on the legacy of Pablo Neruda. After visiting the traditional Brasil neighborhood and the Central Market, the delegation will visit La Chascona, the Nobel Prize-winning poet’s house museum, where a poetry reading will take place in its amphitheater.

On Sunday the 15th, the caravan will continue to Valparaíso, a city closely linked to Neruda’s life and work. The program includes a visit to La Sebastiana, another of his house museums, followed by a poetry reading at the Plaza de los Poetas.

The day will continue in Viña del Mar, where another poetic gathering will take place.

The choice of these locations is not accidental. Chile is also the homeland of Gabriela Mistral, another universal figure of poetry, and of a literary tradition that has projected the country far beyond its borders.

Poetry enters the schools

One of the distinctive features of the gathering is the decision to bring poets into spaces where poetry does not traditionally occupy the center of cultural activity.

On Monday the 16th, the delegation will travel to Huechuraba, where a presentation will be held at the municipal library, followed by poetry readings in schools.

After lunch, the poets will continue to Melipilla, beginning a new stage of the journey.

The city will have a particularly important role in the gathering, as it will host several activities and become the main base for much of the program during the final days.

Melipilla, Rancagua and San Fernando

On the afternoon of November 16, participants will settle in Melipilla, followed by an evening poetry event.

The following day, Tuesday the 17th, the caravan will continue to Rancagua, where a meeting will take place at the Municipal Library and an activity with the Óscar Castro Foundation, before continuing to San Fernando.

New cultural activities and a presentation connected with a traditional Chilean event are planned there.

Poetry will continue the following day in educational institutions in San Fernando before the delegation returns to Melipilla.

Pomaire, Isla Negra and Cartagena

Thursday the 19th will be devoted mainly to Melipilla, with presentations at schools followed by a visit to Pomaire, known for its traditional crafts and cultural heritage.

The day will conclude with dinner in the community.

On Friday the 20th, the poets will travel toward the coast once again. The itinerary includes a visit to Isla Negra and Pablo Neruda’s House Museum, followed by a visit to Cartagena, where they will visit the museum dedicated to poet Vicente Huidobro, another major figure in Chilean and Latin American literature.

The journey will therefore offer international visitors an opportunity to experience different dimensions of Chilean cultural history, from Neruda and Huidobro to popular traditions, local communities and educational spaces.

Poetry seeking to meet society

Saturday the 21st will be a rest morning, while the afternoon will feature poetry readings in social organizations in Melipilla.

That evening, the official closing ceremony will take place at the Edetrem Cultural Center in Melipilla, bringing ten days of activities and travel across different parts of Chile to a close.

On Sunday the 22nd, participants will begin their return journeys to their respective countries.

For the organizers, however, the true conclusion of the gathering will not necessarily come with the final event.

The experience will continue in the cities and countries to which participants return, carrying with them what they experienced in Chile.

An independent gathering

An important aspect of the initiative is its independent nature.

The gathering does not receive subsidies to cover participants’ personal expenses. Travel and accommodation costs are assumed by each poet, while Poets of the World provides logistics, coordination and the support network necessary for the activities.

This approach reflects a principle maintained by the movement since its origins: an independent cultural organization without political, religious or institutional affiliations, sustained primarily by the voluntary commitment of its members.

Its organizers believe in bringing together those who share the conviction that “poetry can contribute to building a more humane, conscious and supportive world.”

A caravan for peace and life

“In the Footsteps of the Poet” thus proposes an experience that goes beyond poetry readings.

It is a journey through Chile, but also a journey through its cultural memory; an encounter between people from different countries and an opportunity for poetry to engage with students, workers, social organizations, artists and local communities.

In a world marked by wars, environmental crises, inequality and deep divisions, the organizers maintain that poetry still has a task to fulfill: awakening consciousness, bringing people closer together and defending the right to life in all its forms.

Since the first international experience born within Poets of the World, words have continued traveling from one country to another.

In November, they will travel through Chile once again.

This time, following the footsteps of those who made poetry a form of memory, consciousness and hope.

Because poetry knows no borders.