In Odessa, the PORT literary festival brought together writers and readers

<span><span><span><span><span><span>The second PORT Odessa Literary Festival has kicked off in Odessa. The event featured book presentations, poetry readings, exhibitions, and public discussions.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

As was the case last year, Intent is the festival’s media partner.

<span><span><span><span><span><span>This year’s festival program includes over 40 events and focuses, in particular, on discussions about southern Ukraine, the war, the country’s future, and Ukrainian culture.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>The opening of the PORT festival took place at the Odesa Puppet Theater. Throughout the festival, there will be meetings with authors, new book presentations, and poetry readings.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

The list of invited speakers and guests includes Volodymyr Yermolenko, Kateryna Kalytko, Emma Antoniuk, Alim Aliyev, Yevheniia Genova, Pavlo Derevianko, Svitlana Taratorina, and Bohdan Logvinenko.

In addition to the authors’ appearances, a live recording of “Kult: Podkast” on the topic “The Sea, Philosophy, Literature” with Tetiana Ogarkova and Volodymyr Yermolenko is scheduled.

<picture></picture>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>A separate part of the festival is a book fair, where publishers will present their publications. The program also features craft artisans, exhibitions, and special projects that allow attendees not only to read and listen to stories but also to experience them visually.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>The festival’s central theme is the discussion “Stones on the Coast.” It is dedicated to exploring the South and its place in Ukraine’s cultural and social landscape.</span></span></span></span></span></span>The program pays<span><span><span><span><span><span>special</span></span></span></span></span></span>attention to three southern regions of Ukraine: Bessarabia, the Kherson region, and Crimea.

<span><span><span><span><span><span>Festival events will take place not only on the main stage. Events are also scheduled at the Museum of the Book and the library on Pastera Street.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>As part of the “Odessa. Incognito” project, the Museum of the Book hosted a discussion featuring local historian </span></span></span></span></span></span> Dmytro Zhdanov<span><span><span><span><span><span> and Intent’s editor-in-chief Valeriy Bolgan, who moderated the event.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span><picture></picture></span></span></span></span></span></span>

Also, in late August, an open-air poetry reading took place on the Primorsky Steps. The event was part of the PORT literary festival. Danko Ptashiny, Kateryna Kharchenko, Zhanna Sharapova, and Vladislav Mikhailenko —the festival’s education manager—read their poems at dawn.

Юлія Калабайда