Young poets from Odessa read their poems on the Seaside Stairs at 6 a.m.

On August 30 at 6:00 a.m. in Odesa, an open-air poetry reading took place on the Primorsky Steps. The event was organized by poet Zhanna Sharapova as part of the PORT literary festival.

According to an Intenta correspondent on the scene, the readings began around 6:00 a.m. Danko Ptashiny, Kateryna Kharchenko, Zhanna Sharapova, and Vladislav Mikhailenko read their poems at dawn.

According to the correspondent, the event took place in an atmospheric setting. Attendees listened to the authors’ poems under the open sky, and the event itself brought together members of Odessa’s young literary community.

“Could I have imagined that I would be reading my poems on the Primorsky Steps as a new day dawned? That I would be among Odessa’s young literary community? That I would invite you to listen to poetry under the open sky?” wrote poet Zhanna Sharapova.

As a reminder, the PORT literary festival will take placeon September 5–6at the Odessa National Scientific Library.

“Let’s talk about Odesa and the South—honestly, contemporarily, and in Ukrainian.The festival’sfocus theme is ‘Stones on the Coast.’” The program includes presentations, discussions, performances, workshops, and podcasts. We’re reimagining the past and creating new meanings for the region within a Ukrainian—not a post-Soviet—context.

The PORT Literary Festival is a space free fromstereotypes. You may be an experienced reader.

Андрій Колісніченко