Million’s Poet jury successfully completes Jordan tour

The jury of the fifth session of the Million’s Poet competition finished interviews of the second stop in Amman as part of its tour to meet the poets who wish to participate in the popular poetry contest. The jury successfully interviewed hundreds of poets throughout three consecutive days (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) in the Jordanian capital. Many of the contestants came from outside Amman to try to snatch an approval in a bid to reach the final stages of the world’s largest and most prestigious poetry contest, which will be held by the end of this year at Al Raha Beach Theatre in Abu Dhabi. There was an influx of poets from various countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, as well as from countries of the Levant, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, Germany and Egypt. The poets, from eleven nationalities, met the jury. Some of them defied all circumstances experienced by their countries and traveled thousands of kilometers to attend the event. One Libyan poet took a huge risk, traveling through the dangerous roads from the violence-torn Libyan capital and then by air to make it to Jordan. Many Yemeni poets also braved the ongoing unrest in their country as well as poets from Iraq, Syria and Palestine to meet the jury. There was a significant presence of Jordanian and Saudi poets who came from different regions of Saudi Arabia following the jury’s failure to obtain a full permit for Million’s Poet technical team from the competent Saudi authorities to stage its second stop in Riyadh. Women's participation was also well felt at Amman stop. Many poets who have passed the age required for participation in the competition insisted on meeting the jury to obtain a license. Among the poets who met the jury is the Jordanian poet Saddam Hussein, whose poem earned the jury’s approval and admiration. Young poets were also interviewed while other contestants came forward to meet the jury for the fifth time in a row after failing to go through in the four previous attempts, which is a clear indication of their avid attachment to the poetry contest and their quest to enter the world of fame through the world’s largest and most prestigious poetry contest. The jury is preparing to go to the third stop of the tour which will be held October 24-25 in the Kuwaiti capital at Hotel Missoni Kuwait.