The Odessa Literary Festival PORT Unveiled This Year's Program

The second PORT Literary Festival, which will take place on September 5–6 this year, has announced its program.

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

The festival organizers noted that they plan to add to the program; in particular, they promised to announce the musical lineup a little later.

The festival’s opening ceremony is scheduled for September 5 on the stage of the Puppet Theater. The program features literature: book presentations, conversations with authors, and poetry readings. The fair will feature publishers, crafts, and the ever-present risk of heading home with a much heavier bag. Exhibitions and special projects—stories that you can not only hear or read, but also see. The festival’s focal theme will be the discussion “Stones on the Shore.” The first day’s program runs until 7:30 p.m. Events will also take place at the “Museum of the Book” and the library on Pastera Street. This year’s festival program will feature over 40 events.

The organizers position the festival as a space free from stereotypes.

“You may be an experienced reader. You may just be discovering the world of contemporary Ukrainian literature. You may be someone who came simply for the atmosphere and to socialize—we’re happy to see all of you,” the organizers emphasized.

The first PORT literary festival, which has become a new cultural hub in southern Ukraine, took place in Odesa on August 30–31. The festival was organized by the nonprofit organization “Vyshyvanka Festival.” 

The festival is funded by the International Renaissance Foundation and the Ukrainian Book Institute;Yegor Gebennikov is the general partner, and partners include the “Razom” Charitable Foundation, “Kernel,” and “Bank Vostok.”

Кирило Бойко