"Tyra," a female soldier, presented her poetry and prose for the first time in Odesa

The "Meridian Odessa" literary festival kicked off in Odessa on October 31. Among the participants is Yulia Paevska, a Ukrainian soldier, paramedic, and volunteer with the call sign “Tyra,” who presented her poetry collection “Live.”

The festival will take place on October 31 and November 1 at the “UNION” International Cultural Center at 43 Troitska Street. The program includes literary gatherings, book presentations, poetry readings, conversations with writers, and musical performances.

After the presentation, Paevska shared her impressions of her first literary performance in Odesa with an Intenta correspondent.

According to her, the audience warmly received the reading, particularly the prose pieces, which she presented live for the first time.

“The presentation was fantastic. I’m very grateful to the audience, who were so kind to me. I didn’t expect such a reaction. It really inspired me,” Paievska said .

She also called Odesa her long-standing love and noted how the city is changing and developing despite Russian shelling.

While discussing the power of words, Paievska emphasized that she considers them the most powerful weapon. That is why, she said, she writes poetry and prose—to use this power to defeat the enemy.

Other festival participants include Yuriy Andrukhovych, Lyubko Deresh, Artem Chekh, Natalka Vorozhbit, Oleksandr Boychenko, Ihor Pomerantsev, and Varvara Chorna.

The program also includes a concert by the music and poetry project “Clean Thursday,” featuring Marian Pyroh and Yelyzaveta Pyrozhok.

Ірина Глухова