Havana, Cuba.- The First Havana Poetry Biennial begun on Monday with reading sessions of the work by intellectuals Nancy Morejon, Arthur Richard Flower and Yu Er, at the headquarters of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC, in Spanish).

Important local poets and writers from almost 30 countries are participating at the event, dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the founding of Havana, according to the organizers.

The Biennial is an action that gathers poets worldwide and aims to turn Havana into the world capital of poetry, Cuban intellectual Alex Pausides told the press.

The foreign presence is guaranteed with the assistance of bards from Colombia, the United States, Mexico, China, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Puerto Rico, Peru, Dominican Republic, Russia, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Estonia, El Salvador, Spain and Guyana.

The 1st Havana Poetry Biennial is organized by the CubaPoesia Cultural Center, supported by UNEAC, the Cuban Book Institute, the Office of the Historian of Havana and the Jose Marti National Library, among other Cuban cultural institutions.