World Poetry Salon: Nikola Madzirov with Becca Stevens and Patricio Ferrari

Join The New York Public Library and Limelight Poetry at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) for our first World Poetry Salon! 

Experience words and music from around the globe at the World Poetry Salon, a new series presented in partnership with Limelight Poetry, a local nonprofit dedicated to promoting world poetry. Each event features readings by a celebrated poet set to live music by a musician of the same cultural background. 

We are thrilled to announce this new program series kicking off as part of the World Literature & Arts Festival 2025 and recurring quarterly. This salon will feature a reading by poet Nikola Madžirov accompanied by musician Becca Stevens. Madžirov will read his poetry in Macedonian, and a chapbook will be available for attendees to follow along in English. Following the reading, Madžirov will be interviewed in English by event host Patricio Ferrari. 

To join in person | Please be sure to register for an In-Person Ticket. Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins.

For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. If you register for multiple tickets, please provide the name of each person who will be attending the event or arrive with your entire party present. Only registered patrons will be granted entry into the event space. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

If you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or suspect you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, please stay home.

To join online | On the day of the event, registrants will receive a Youtube link to join the program. To receive an email reminder shortly in advance of the event, please be sure to register! If you encounter any issues, please join us on NYPL's YouTube channel.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The New York Public Library’s World Literature & Arts Festival (April 14–30, 2025) brings together trailblazers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds to celebrate storytelling and spotlight NYC’s vibrant communities. Join us for free events, programs, book recommendations, and resources for all ages.

ABOUT LIMELIGHT POETRY

Limelight Poetry is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting world poetry, founded in 2024 in New York City. It invites outstanding poets and artists from around the world to share their work in various forms, with the goal of showcasing poetry in underrepresented languages. Drawing on the city's rich cultural resources, Limelight Poetry connects poetry with other art forms, fostering a global exchange of poetic expression. It welcomes audiences into a vibrant and inspiring world of poetry, music and beyond.

ABOUT THE POET

Nikola Madzirov (poet, essayist, translator) is one of the most powerful voices in contemporary European poetry. There is a clear line from the generation of East European postwar poets Czesław Miłosz, Zbigniew Herbert, Vasko Popa and that of more recent figures like Adam Zagajewski, to Nikola Madzirov, but Madzirov's voice is a new 21st century voice in European poetry and he is one of the most outstanding figures of the post-Soviet generation. “He is a visionary, a true poet whom all poetry lovers in the world should know.” (Charles Simic)

ABOUT THE MUSICIAN

Twice GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter Becca Stevens has forged a unique career, blending pop, jazz, indie-rock, folk, and world music with her classical and Appalachian roots. Known for her versatile vocals and mastery of multiple string instruments, Stevens’ work transcends genres through intricate rhythms and harmonies.

ABOUT THE HOST

Patricio Ferrari (polyglot poet, translator, editor) was born in Buenos Aires and left home at sixteen, when he began a lifelong journey across continents and languages. He has since shaped a multilingual poetics that explores belonging, displacement, and the in-between. In 2025, he was awarded the Fence Modern Poets Series Prize for Mud Songs, the first volume of Elsehere, a trilogy charting how each language molds and reveals a different facet of the self.

BOOKS AND MORE

If you have a NYPL library card, you can borrow books related this event with our e-reader app SimplyE, available for iOS and Android devices.

Don't have a New York Public Library card? Get one here!

ACCESSIBILITY

In-Person

• You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org.


• This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs.

Online

• Live captioning will be provided.


• You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org.

CONNECT

For general questions, please email adultprogramming@nypl.org.

Please submit all press inquiries at least 48 hours before the event: email press@nypl.org.