Ratković Poetry Evenings

Ratkovićeve večeri poezije — the Ratković Poetry Evenings — is one of Montenegro's oldest literary festivals, with more than fifty-five editions behind it. It is held in Bijelo Polje and always opens on 3 September, the birthday of the town's poet Risto Ratković, running through 5 September, with events in the town and at Ratković's birthplace on the banks of the Lim.

Bijelo Polje is a small town on the Lim in Montenegro's north, and for three evenings each September it becomes the meeting point of the region's poetry scene. The setting matters: holding part of the programme at the poet's birthplace by the river ties the festival physically to the writer it honours.

The festival's centrepiece is the Risto Ratković Award for the best poetry book of the year, decided through an open competition spanning Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. Around it runs an international poetry evening with guest poets, poetry workshops for high-school students, monodramas and book promotions.

The tone is the festival's signature: an unpretentious, serious literary gathering run by a dedicated public institution, where audiences hear the year's strongest new collections read by their authors. There is no spectacle to it — just poets, readers and three concentrated evenings of new writing, heard in the town the festival's namesake came from.

With more than fifty-five editions behind it, the festival's opening date is fixed by sentiment: every edition begins on the poet's birthday. The workshops for high-school students quietly do the long-term work, growing the next generation of readers and writers in the region.

The festival takes place 3–5 September in Bijelo Polje. All events are free and open to the public — including the award ceremony and the readings.