The evening was hosted by Dr Waleed Kassab, who said in his introduction: “Dear guests, first of all, we can only thank those who have given the voices of our writers the opportunity to resound on the platforms of the Poetry House. Our sincere thanks go to His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, who has given generously and provided his support, making Sharjah a capital of Arab and Islamic culture, and whose generous hand has extended to support every authentic art form in our rich civilisation.”

At the end of the evening, poet Mohammed Al Braiki honoured the participating poets and the evening’s presenter.