The KongPoWriMo 2020 Anthology is a careful curation of poems from the inaugural KongPoWriMo (Hong Kong Poetry Writing Month), a month-long writing challenge and online community for poets with ties to the city. The poems included in this Anthology are amongst those selected for feature on each day of the month, with contributions being made through community submissions in response to the 30 original prompts.

Written in the midst of a pandemic and period of political unease in the region, the chosen poems take on myriad forms and touch on themes ranging from language, culture, tradition and the authoritarian state; and raises above all- the spirit of the city.

In the words of Hong Kong poet and contributor Akinsola Jeje- the anthology “engenders a feeling of community” and is an “avenue of expression” which “gives credence to the truism that art is vital” in these uncertain times.

We hope that the KongPoWriMo 2020 Anthology will be a testament not only of the resilience of the city’s people, but also the resilience of the written word in a world which clamours for hope and light.