Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Cultural Foundation hosted a special celebration for the 13th Arab Poetry Spring Festival and World Poetry Day, featuring participation from various Arab and international poets. The event took place on Sunday, March 21st, 2021.

The evening, broadcast on Al-Bawadi channel, commenced with a speech by the Chairman of the Foundation, poet Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain. He began by extending greetings to poets everywhere and expressing his hopes for their continued brilliance and contribution in the realm of poetry.

In his address, Mr. Albabtain mentioned, "Today, our celebration takes place through the virtual space on its annual date, coinciding with the celebration of World Poetry Day. This year, we are joined by the International Academy of Poetry, headquartered in the city of Verona, Italy. I have been honored to be chosen as its honorary president by its board of directors and as a member of its supreme council since 2011."

In his speech, Albabtain highlighted the achievements of the Foundation and its contributions in elevating the level of culture in the Arab world and beyond. He discussed the sessions, seminars, and events organized by the Foundation, as well as its publications.

One of the most notable and recent achievements of the Foundation is the "Albabtain Encyclopaedia of Arab Poets in the Era of States and Emirates," which was published in January 2020. This Encyclopaedia represents the third of its kind from the Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Cultural Foundation, following the "Albabtain Encyclopaedia of Contemporary Arab Poets" and the "Albabtain Encyclopaedia of Arab Poets in the 19th and 20th Centuries."

The decision to start working on this Encyclopaedia was made on October 30th, 2008. It encompasses a total of 9,462 poets from the Arab world within the timeframe of 656 - 1215 AH / 1258 - 1800 CE. The "Albabtain Encyclopaedia of Arab Poets in the Era of States and Emirates" is composed of 25 volumes, each containing 656 pages, except for the first volume which has 688 pages due to its introductory content of the Encyclopaedia. The project continued for eleven years, involving the efforts of numerous researchers from Kuwait and beyond.

Albabtain continued by announcing that the Foundation is currently working on the release of two new encyclopaedias. One is dedicated to poets of the Abbasid era, while the other focuses on poets from the pre-Islamic era until the end of the Umayyad period. These two encyclopaedias are expected to be ready in the coming year, 2022, with the grace of Allah Almighty.

In conclusion, poet Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain extended his greetings to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which declared March 21st of each year as the World Poetry Day. He also invoked the Almighty, praying for the end of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Afterward, the event delved into the history of the Arab Poetry Spring Festival throughout its consecutive seasons, from the first to the twelfth season, reminiscing about the evenings of each season, the participating poets, and their publications.

Then, the festivities of the 13th season commenced with the participation of poets: Dr. Falah bin Tifla Al-Ajmi from Kuwait, Dr. Abdullah Al-Shurbaji from Egypt, Moustafa Muhammad Akrama from Syria, Ali Hassan Ibrahim from Bahrain, Nijoud Al-Qadi from Yemen, Franca Manzinieli from Italy, Abdullah Al-Failkawi from Kuwait, Cécile Oumani from France, Raquel Lanseros from Spain, Dr. Mishal Sanat Al-Harbawi from Kuwait, Marco Amori from Italy, Toreil Vardner from Norway, and Paolo Ruffilli from Italy. Each poet shared a selection of their poems through video presentations.

Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Cultural Foundation had previously announced the postponement of the 13th season of the Arab Poetry Spring Festival, which was originally scheduled to take place last year. This decision was made in light of the global health conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and in line with precautionary measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Nevertheless, the Foundation organized this special celebration for the 13th season via virtual means, underlining its commitment to supporting poetic, intellectual, and cultural creativity.