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[Day]POET – Poetry readings at Pigneto
Free and open poetry evenings at Lo Spigolo, in the heart of Pigneto
About [Day]POET
A festival that changes its name every week
In Pigneto, a working-class neighborhood in the eastern quadrant of Rome (Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Lazio), a poetry festival has existed for years that has no fixed date or printed program: it is called WEDNESDAYPOET, THURSDAYPOET, or FRIDAYPOET depending on the day of the week it falls on. It is the same event, the same formula, the same place: the crossroads that everyone in Pigneto calls Lo Spigolo, at the intersection of Via Braccio da Montone and Via Fanfulla da Lodi.
Here, usually starting at 8 PM, people gather to read poetry aloud. No tickets, no auditions, no juries: those who want to bring their own verses, those who prefer to listen. The festival was born and lives to support the L'Idea Anarchist Library, an entity active since the mid-eighties at Via Braccio da Montone 71a, which is self-financed without institutional contributions.
How an evening unfolds
The formula is essential and always the same. People meet outdoors, on the sidewalk, and around the small tables of Lo Spigolo. Poets announced on the festival's digital flyers alternate with anyone else who decides to take the floor: in the posters, the recurring phrase is «and whoever feels like it», which perfectly captures the spirit of the event. Readings are intertwined with conversation, and throughout the evening, vegan food and drinks are available, with proceeds going to the library.
- Typical time: from 8 PM onwards, until late in the evening
- Admission: free, voluntary contribution for food and drinks
- Microphone: open, no prior registration required
- Location: outdoors, at the Spigolo of Pigneto
The L'Idea Library, the heart of the festival
The L'Idea Anarchist Library is both a library and an archive: it collects books, pamphlets, and periodicals of anti-authoritarian thought and makes them available to passersby. It is open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 5 PM onwards, and on those days, reading is often accompanied by conversation and a shared vegan dinner. The poetry evenings at Lo Spigolo are one of the ways the library supports its activities, along with the «Prosperity Campaign» that runs all year round.
Pigneto and its tradition of the spoken word
Pigneto is not just any neighborhood for those involved in writing: it is the landscape of the suburbs described by Pier Paolo Pasolini, a fabric of low villas, workshops, and taverns that has become one of the most vibrant places in Roman nightlife in recent decades. That spoken-word poetry finds a home right here, on a street corner rather than in a hall, is a consistency that the festival's regulars gladly claim. The posters speak of «poetry from another world» and poetry «that is useless», meaning free from any obligation of result.
Why go
Because it is one of the few truly unfiltered literary events in Rome, where a well-known name and an absolute beginner read one after the other with the same space. Because it is free and held outdoors, with the neighborhood traffic in the background. And because it is a concrete opportunity to get to know a local reality that has resisted in Rome for forty years. Those arriving for the first time should check the library's channels: dates do not follow a regular calendar and are announced from time to time.
[Day]POET — edition 2026
The 2026 edition
The 2026 calendar of the festival opened with a THURSDAYPOET on March 19th and then found its rhythm on the Wednesdays of spring: April 15th, May 6th, May 20th, June 3rd, June 17th, and July 1st, all at Lo Spigolo, at the intersection of Via Braccio da Montone and Via Fanfulla da Lodi in Pigneto.
July 17th, 2026, was the turn of the FRIDAYPOET titled «LET US NOT LACK WORDS», with readings by Lughiedda, Maleghinta, Asma, Veronica Beccabunga «and whoever feels like it», according to the usual open mic formula. Starting from 8 PM, with vegan food and drinks to support the library.
The poetry evenings were intertwined throughout the year with other initiatives of the L'Idea Library: the REGENERATING SNACKS at Lo Spigolo in April and May, the WALKS on the MARGIN at Acque Albule and Gabii, the meeting «The revolutions of our time» on June 21st at the library. Further appointments are expected in the second part of the year: they are announced from time to time and do not follow a fixed calendar.
Programme [Day]POET 2026
2026 Calendar (poetry events)
- March 19, 2026 — THURSDAYPOET, at Lo Spigolo
- April 15, 2026 — WEDNESDAYPOET, at Lo Spigolo
- May 6, 2026 — WEDNESDAYPOET, at Lo Spigolo
- May 20, 2026 — WEDNESDAYPOET, at Lo Spigolo
- June 3, 2026 — WEDNESDAYPOET, at Lo Spigolo
- June 17, 2026 — WEDNESDAYPOET, at Lo Spigolo
- July 1, 2026 — WEDNESDAYPOET, at Lo Spigolo
- July 17, 2026 — FRIDAYPOET «LET US NOT LACK WORDS», from 8 PM, with Lughiedda, Maleghinta, Asma, Veronica Beccabunga and anyone who wants to read
Other L'Idea Library initiatives in 2026
- April 30, May 5, 14, and 19 — REGENERATING SNACKS, at Lo Spigolo
- April 7 — GIRA EUROPA 2026, at Lo Spigolo
- April 12 — WALKS on the MARGIN, Acque Albule
- May 24 — STILL IN THE HEART OF THE BEAST, at the library
- June 7 — WALKS on the MARGIN, Gabii
- June 21 — The revolutions of our time, at the library
New dates are published on the L'Idea Anarchist Library website throughout the year.
Highlights [Day]POET 2026
- Open mic: anyone can read their own verses, no registration required
- FRIDAYPOET of July 17, 2026, «LET US NOT LACK WORDS», with Lughiedda, Maleghinta, Asma, and Veronica Beccabunga
- Outdoor evenings at Lo Spigolo, one of the most characteristic intersections of Pigneto
- Vegan food and drinks in support of the L'Idea Anarchist Library
- Completely free admission, from 8 PM
Prices [Day]POET 2026
Practical information — [Day]POET
How to get there
Lo Spigolo is located at the intersection of Via Braccio da Montone and Via Fanfulla da Lodi, in the Pigneto district of Rome. Metro C, Pigneto stop, a few minutes' walk away; alternatively, the Rome Pigneto railway station (FL lines) or the trams and buses serving Via Prenestina and Circonvallazione Casilina. The neighborhood has heavy traffic and parking is difficult: it is better to arrive by public transport.
Prices
Free admission. Vegan food and drinks available for a voluntary contribution, in support of the L'Idea Anarchist Library.
Information and dates
L'Idea Anarchist Library, Via Braccio da Montone 71a, Rome — open Tuesday and Friday from 5 PM. Phone +39 06 270886, email [email protected]. The dates of the events are announced from time to time on the library's website and on the city agenda Gancio de Roma.
Tips
It is held outdoors: on spring and autumn evenings, a sweater may be useful. Those who want to read do not need to register, just show up with their texts. The neighborhood offers many taverns and bars to continue the evening.
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Where does it take place — [Day]POET
Lo Spigolo (Pigneto)
Incrocio via Braccio da Montone / via Fanfulla da Lodi, 00176 Roma