Canadian Poet Dwayne Morgan Honoured with Global Invitation

Canadian poet Dwayne Morgan will represent the country at one of the world’s largest literary gatherings when he travels to Colombia for the 36th International Poetry Festival of Medellín, scheduled for July 4 to 11, 2026. Morgan, a Scarborough Walk of Fame inductee and appointee to the Order of Ontario, is the only Canadian poet invited to participate in this year’s festival.

Held under the theme “Toward the Human Spring,” the event will bring together 68 poets from 32 countries across five continents. Organisers have planned 68 free public events, including poetry readings, lectures, workshops, dialogues and concerts that will take place throughout the week.

Festival organisers describe this year’s gathering as a response to growing global instability, citing 138 ongoing military conflicts and mounting environmental challenges. They say the event seeks to encourage international solidarity and promote poetry as a means of inspiring hope and fostering peace.

“The call for the ‘Human Spring’ is the active creation of a civilization founded on solidarity and care for all forms of life,” organisers said. They added that the festival aims to strengthen “the will for utopia through a fervent desire for justice, dignity, and harmony with Mother Earth.”

Morgan joins an international roster of writers that includes poets from Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, the Americas and Colombia. Among the invited participants are Ahmad Al Shahawy, Deema Mahmood and Sara Hamid of Egypt, Belén Ojeda of Venezuela, Denise León and Leandro Calle of Argentina, Paul Muldoon of Northern Ireland, Yolanda Castaño of Spain, Liu Xunfu of China, Alice S. Yousef of Palestine, Karlo Mila of Tonga and Tayi Tibble of New Zealand, along with more than 20 Colombian poets representing diverse regions and Indigenous communities.

In addition to literary events, audiences will enjoy performances by La Banda del Bisonte, Mayra Cárdenas, Amada and Una Nube, Jazz en Ritmos Ancestrales, La Múcura and the Chamber Orchestra of the Metropolitan Philharmonic, known as La Metro.

The festival is organised by Prometeo Magazine and the World Poetry Movement with support from the Medellín Mayor’s Office, Colombia’s Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge and the National Program for Cultural Coordination. Sponsorship is provided by Comfama, while strategic partners include the Medellín Chamber of Commerce for Antioquia and Confiar Financial Cooperative. Media partners are Teleantioquia, Cámara FM, Radio Universidad Nacional and Radio Bolivariana.

Now in its 36th year, the Medellín International Poetry Festival continues to attract poets from around the world, providing a forum for cultural exchange and dialogue through literature while highlighting poetry’s enduring role in promoting understanding across national and cultural boundaries.

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