Harri Hertell

Harri Hertell is a Helsinki-based poet, spoken word artist, cultural producer, and organizer of poetry events. He is one of the key figures in Finnish performance poetry, whose work has helped poetry reach new audiences beyond the pages of books, in clubs, at open mic nights, and on poetry slam stages. Hertell has performed extensively throughout Europe, and his poems have been translated into over ten languages.

As a writer, Hertell moves between the rhythms of everyday observations and performance poetry. Her body of work includes several poetry collections as well as non-fiction works related to performance poetry. Her debut work, *Kunnes oppii kävelemään* (Until You Learn to Walk), was published in 2011, and in her later work, her style has at times moved toward more minimalist, aphoristic poetry that reflects on nature. *
* Published in 2025, Samaa tulta is Hertell’s eighth poetry collection. The work explores the boundaries of humanity, the human life cycle, and shared experience, at times with the sweeping intensity of performance poetry and at other times with the precision of short prose.

Alongside his own creative work, Hertell has also created performance venues for others. He began organizing poetry evenings open to everyone in Helsinki in 2008, and this initiative later grew into the Helsinki Poetry Connection. The association has promoted live poetry, spoken word, and an open performance culture in Finland and internationally.

The significance of Hertelli’s work was recognized in 2021 when the Uusimaa Arts Council awarded him the Uusimaa Arts Prize for his promotion of spoken word poetry. In the award citation, Hertelli was described as a pioneer of spoken word poetry and an exceptionally active event organizer who has broadened the audience for poetry. As a result, his influence is strongly evident in the current form of Finnish spoken word poetry.