Le Printemps des Poètes dans la Loire
The national poetry event in Saint-Étienne and throughout the Loire department
About Printemps des Poètes
Every year in March, Le Printemps des Poètes takes over Saint-Étienne and the Loire department with a rich program of readings, author encounters, writing workshops, exhibitions, and poetic performances. A local version of the major national event created in 1999 on the initiative of Jack Lang, this event is supported by the municipal media libraries of Saint-Étienne, a label holder of "Ville en Poésie" (City in Poetry), the only town in the Loire to hold this distinction awarded by Le Printemps des Poètes. Free and open to all, the festival celebrates living poetry in libraries, schools, museums, and cultural venues throughout the Loire region.
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Le Printemps des Poètes: A National Poetry Celebration
Le Printemps des Poètes is a national event created in March 1999 by Emmanuel Hoog and André Velter, at the initiative of Jack Lang, then Minister of Culture. Conceived to counter preconceived notions about poetry and demonstrate its contemporary vitality, this event quickly established itself as the largest French-speaking poetry gathering, bringing together over 18,000 events annually in France and nearly 50 countries. The association, governed by the 1901 law, is now directed by Linda Maria Baros since July 2024.
Saint-Étienne, City in Poetry
Saint-Étienne is the only municipality in the Loire department to hold the Ville en Poésie label, a national distinction awarded by Le Printemps des Poètes to territories that give significant importance to poetry in their cultural life. The largest urban area in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to carry this label, the city relies on a network of dynamic municipal media libraries — Tarentaize, Tréfilerie, Cotonne, Carnot, Solaure — to deploy an ambitious poetic program throughout March.
An Eclectic and Accessible Program
Each edition of Le Printemps des Poètes dans la Loire offers a varied program centered around the annual national theme. Author encounters allow the public to discover contemporary poets and engage in dialogue with them. Writing workshops — haiku, poetic exquisite corpse, offered poems — invite young and old to discover poetic creation. Exhibitions create a dialogue between visual arts and poetic texts. Readings, conferences, and performances complete the program in the media libraries, museums, and cultural venues of the city and the department.
Strong Territorial Roots
Beyond Saint-Étienne, Le Printemps des Poètes extends throughout the Loire department thanks to the Departmental Media Library and the network's libraries. Events are organized in Roanne, Montbrison, Charlieu, Commelle-Vernay, and many rural communes. Schools also actively participate through educational projects focused on poetry. The Château de la Bâtie d'Urfé, a significant literary heritage site in the Loire region linked to Honoré d'Urfé and his novel L'Astrée, regularly hosts writing workshops and readings as part of the event.
A Living Literary Heritage
The Loire region has an ancient poetic tradition, marked by the figure of the Saint-Étienne poet Henri Simon Faure (1923-2015), author of L'Illicite Amour and La Main violette, to whom a street in Saint-Étienne has been dedicated. The festival perpetuates this heritage by hosting renowned poets such as Charles Juliet, Jacques Demarcq, Antoine Choplin, or Valérie Rouzeau, while also supporting emerging poetic creation.
Printemps des Poètes — edition 2026
28th edition of Le Printemps des Poètes on the theme "Freedom. Living force, deployed", with Isabelle Adjani as godmother. In Saint-Étienne, the free program includes the exhibition Efflorescence, encounters with Valérie Rouzeau and Emmanuel Merle, a conference on Henri Michaux, haiku and poetic exquisite corpse writing workshops, and offered poems in the municipal media libraries.
28th Printemps des Poètes - "Freedom. Living force, deployed"
The 28th edition of Le Printemps des Poètes takes place from March 3 to 28, 2026 in Saint-Étienne and the Loire department, around the national theme "Freedom. Living force, deployed". Actress Isabelle Adjani is the godmother of this edition. The official poster is a photograph by reporter Áris Messínis, the result of a unique partnership with Agence France-Presse.
The theme invites us to unravel the thread of freedom against the obstacles that hinder expression and thought, to combat political jargon and collective amnesia. Poetry is celebrated here as a fundamental act of freedom.
Efflorescence Exhibition
From March 3 to 28, the Tarentaize Central Media Library hosts the exhibition "Efflorescence — Inks on Paper", with an opening reception on March 12 at 5:30 PM. Three Saint-Étienne visual artists — Rémy Jacquier, Franck Lestard, and Emma Ré — present artistic bookmarks that dialogue with poetic texts around the motif of the flower.
Encounters and Readings
Three author encounters punctuate this edition. Valérie Rouzeau, a poet exploring memory, childhood, and disappearance, is welcomed on March 10 at 7 PM to discuss her collection La Petite Dame. Emmanuel Merle, a poet and short story writer marked by nature and childhood, will speak on March 17 at 7 PM. On March 15 at 10:30 AM at the Cinémathèque de Tarentaize, Isabelle Mullet-Blandin offers a reading-conference on Henri Michaux, a free poet, with a musical creation by Simon Lienhard.
Creative Workshops
Free workshops open to all complete the program: haiku writing on March 21 at the Tréfilerie Media Library (ages 8+), intergenerational poetic exquisite corpse on March 25 at the Cotonne Media Library (ages 8+), and offered poems on March 21 and 28 at Cotonne.
In the Department
Le Printemps des Poètes spreads throughout the Loire department thanks to the network of the Departmental Media Library. The Château de la Bâtie d'Urfé offers a writing workshop titled "Poetic Freedoms." Readings and poetic reading clubs are organized in Commelle-Vernay, Charlieu, and many other communes.
Programme Printemps des Poètes 2026
Program in Saint-Étienne - 2026 Edition
Exhibition
- March 3-28: Exhibition "Efflorescence — Inks on Paper" by Rémy Jacquier, Franck Lestard, and Emma Ré — Tarentaize Central Media Library
- March 12, 5:30 PM: Exhibition opening reception
Author Encounters
- Tuesday, March 10, 7 PM: Encounter with Valérie Rouzeau discussing La Petite Dame — Tarentaize Media Library
- Saturday, March 15, 10:30 AM: "Michaux, a Free Poet" — Reading-conference by Isabelle Mullet-Blandin, musical creation by Simon Lienhard — Cinémathèque de Tarentaize
- Tuesday, March 17, 7 PM: Encounter with Emmanuel Merle, poet and short story writer — Tarentaize Media Library
Creative Workshops
- Saturday, March 21, 10 AM: Haiku writing workshop (ages 8+) — Tréfilerie Media Library
- Wednesday, March 25, 3 PM: Intergenerational Poetic Exquisite Corpse (ages 8+) — Cotonne Media Library
- Saturdays, March 21 and 28, 10:15 AM: Offered Poems — Cotonne Media Library
In the Department
- Writing workshop "Poetic Freedoms" — Château de la Bâtie d'Urfé
- Poetic readings and reading clubs — Commelle-Vernay, Charlieu, and other communes in the departmental network
Highlights Printemps des Poètes 2026
- National theme "Freedom. Living force, deployed"
- Godmother: Isabelle Adjani
- Exhibition "Efflorescence — Inks on Paper" by three Saint-Étienne visual artists
- Encounter with poet Valérie Rouzeau discussing La Petite Dame
- Reading-conference "Michaux, a Free Poet" with musical creation
- Encounter with poet Emmanuel Merle
- Free workshops: haiku, poetic exquisite corpse, offered poems
- "Poetic Freedoms" workshop at the Château de la Bâtie d'Urfé
- Completely free and open program for all
Prices Printemps des Poètes 2026
Practical information — Printemps des Poètes
Access
Main Venue
The Tarentaize Central Media Library is the main venue for the Saint-Étienne program.
- Address: 20-24 rue Jo Gouttebarge, 42000 Saint-Étienne
- Phone: 04 77 43 09 77
Other Venues
- Cinémathèque de Tarentaize (same address)
- Tréfilerie Media Library
- Cotonne Media Library
- Carnot Media Library
- Solaure Media Library
By Public Transport
Tram lines T1, T2, or T3: Hôtel de Ville stop, then a 5-minute walk. STAS network.
By Car
From the A72 (Lyon) or A75 (Clermont-Ferrand), follow Saint-Étienne Centre. Public parking nearby.
Prices
All activities are free and open to all.
Contact
- Nathalie Nuel, Ville en Poésie coordinator
- Phone: 04 77 48 76 24
- Email: [email protected]
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Travel to this festival
Book your train or bus to reach Printemps des Poètes at the best price.
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Where does it take place — Printemps des Poètes
Médiathèque centrale de Tarentaize
20-24 rue Jo Gouttebarge, 42000 Saint-Étienne