14/02/2026
International Poetry Festival “The Emigrant Lyre” in Prague
Dear poets and all lovers of poetry!
From 16 to 17 May 2026, the Emigrant Lyre Association (Alexander Melnik, Belgium) is holding the International Poetry Festival “The Emigrant Lyre in Prague.”
The Czech-side coordinator of the festival is the creative community “Prague Stained Glass” (Sergey Iryupin, Czech Republic, https://t.me/vitraze).
The festival is held with the support of Russian Tradition, the Prague 2 Municipality, and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
We invite you to take part in this festival. You will have the opportunity to read your poems, listen to the works of other poets, communicate with colleagues, and simply spend several days together with us in the capital of the Czech Republic.
Festival Program
16 May (Saturday)
10:00–12:00 – Walking tour of Prague with a Russian-speaking guide. The meeting point will be announced later.
12:00–14:00 – Lunch.
15:00–15:30 – Presentation of the journal Emigrant Lyre.
15:30–18:00 – Poetry evening “The Emigrant Lyre in Prague” (for Russian-speaking poets). Czech and foreign participants may attend, but poems will be read only in Russian (without translation).
After the event – a brief discussion on Russian-language poetry outside Russia and taking a group photo.
19:00 – Dinner at a Prague restaurant.
17 May (Sunday)
10:00–12:00 – Walking tour of Prague with an English-speaking guide. The meeting point will be announced later.
12:00–14:00 – Lunch.
15:00–18:00 – Multilingual poetry evening “The Emigrant Lyre in Prague.”
After the event – a brief discussion on the problems of poetic translation and taking a group photo.
19:00 – Dinner at a Prague restaurant.
During the afternoon of each festival day, a book counter will be open where participants may offer their books for sale (payment on a self-service basis).
Venue
The festival will take place in the assembly hall of the House of National Minorities (Dům národnostních menšin) in Prague.
Website: https://www.dnm-praha.eu/ (in Czech; available in 15 languages, including Russian and English)
Address: Vocelova 602/3, 12000 Prague 2 (Dům národnostních menšin)
How to get there: I. P. Pavlova metro station or tram stop
Who Can Participate in the Festival?
We invite all poets, regardless of language or country of residence, who adhere to democratic values and oppose armed interference in the internal affairs of states.
• For the Russian-language poetry evening on 16 May, poets writing in Russian and living in any country are invited.
• For the multilingual poetry evening on 17 May, we invite Russian-speaking poets from any country, Czech poets, and “foreign” poets (non-Russian-speaking and residing outside the Czech Republic).
We also welcome translators of Russian poetry into Czech and Czech poetry into Russian, as well as critics, publicists, and everyone interested in Russian poetry.
Conditions of Participation
Russian-Language Poetry Evening (16 May)
To participate, you must register with the festival organizers (see the Contacts section).
There is no need to submit poems in advance.
However, if you are not registered to participate in the multilingual evening on 17 May, you must submit three poems (without translations) by 1 April 2026 for publication in the electronic poetry collection (see below).
Spectators do not need to register.
Multilingual Poetry Evening (17 May)
To participate in this evening (with a poetry reading), you must register with the festival organizers (see the Contacts section).
Spectators do not need to register.
Submission requirements (deadline: 1 April 2026):
• Russian-speaking poets living outside Russia: two poems in Russian and their English translations (to be understood by foreign participants). The organizers will attempt to translate the poems into Czech.
• Russian-speaking poets living in the Czech Republic: two poems in Russian and their translations into Czech and English.
• Poets from Russia: two poems in Russian and their English translations. The organizers will attempt to translate the poems into Czech.
• Czech poets: two poems in Czech and their English translations. The organizers will attempt to translate the poems into Russian.
• “Foreign” poets (non-Russian-speaking and non-Czech): two poems in their native language and English translations. The organizers will attempt to translate the poems into Russian and Czech.
Length limit: no more than one A4 page per poem.
For all translations, it is mandatory to indicate the translator’s first name, last name, and country of residence.
For the multilingual evening on 17 May, the organizers will prepare translations of two poems by each participant into Russian and Czech, respectively.
Electronic Poetry Collection
The organizers plan to publish an electronic collection “The Emigrant Lyre in Prague”, modeled on the almanac Prague Stained Glass 2025
(https://heyzine.com/flip-book/4fb563a18c.html).
The collection will include all poems and translations of participants of the multilingual evening on 17 May, as well as poems by those Russian-speaking participants of the 16 May evening who will not read on 17 May.
To cover production costs, a voluntary contribution collection will be organized.
Printed Poetry Collection
The issue of publishing a printed collection of poems and translations by all festival participants is under discussion.
A decision will be announced later.
Nevertheless, please indicate how many copies you would like to order (estimated price: 15 euros per copy).
How to Apply for Participation
Please send us a free-form email expressing your wish to participate in the festival.
Include:
• Your first and last name
• Country of residence
• A few words about yourself and your work
• Which evening(s) you wish to read at (16 May, 17 May, or both)
Each application will be reviewed by the festival organizing committee within a few days.
If your application is accepted, please submit your poems and, if necessary, translations in accordance with the requirements above.
Also indicate the number of printed collections you wish to order.
The list of festival participants will be published as it is formed in the “Events” section of the Emigrant Lyre website.
Expenses
Festival participants cover all expenses related to travel and stay in Prague during the festival days (including group dinners and participation in the almanac/collection).
Admission to all festival events is free.
Working Languages of the Festival
Russian, Czech, and English
Contacts
For participation applications, proposals for sponsorship or informational support, and general inquiries, please contact by 1 April 2026:
• Head of the Emigrant Lyre Association – Alexander Melnik:
[email protected]
• Czech-side festival coordinator – Sergey Iryupin:
[email protected]
Telegram: https://t.me/biblelamp ()
Accommodation in Prague
For all questions related to accommodation, please contact the Czech-side festival coordinator Sergey Iryupin.
We strongly recommend booking accommodation as early as possible.
Information on Other Emigrant Lyre Events Worldwide
See the section “EL Events Around the World”:
https://emlira.com/events/around-the-world
Additional Information
Leonid Potorak’s article “Let Us Take Comfort in Quality. On Russian Poetry in the Czech Republic” in Emigrant Lyre No. 3 (27)/2019:
https://emlira.com/3-27-2019/leonid-potorak/uteshimsya-kachestvom
Printed copies of this issue may be ordered from A. Melnik.
How to Get to Prague
By bus, train, or airplane.
Prague Public Transport
Main means of transport: trams and metro; buses are also available.
A single ticket is valid for all types of transport. Tickets are purchased for a specific duration (30 minutes, 60 minutes, 1 day, etc.) and become valid after validation.
Taxi
It is best to use apps such as Uber or Bolt.
