This Saturday, Koidula Street will be transformed into Tallinn Literary Street, which will contain exciting events for both younger and older readers.
How did you come up with the idea for the festival and why did you decide to hold it in Kadriorg?
It’s common knowledge that Kadriorg is full of art. There are Kadriorg Art Museum and KUMU located on Weizenberg Street. The cobblestone of the parallelling Koidula Street has been marked by the footprints of countless Estonian writers. That’s why we were inspired to bring Kadriorg’s literacy to the public’s attention by literally bringing the literature out to the streets.
Who’s invited to the Literacy Centre festival? Are any preparations necessary?
We welcome everyone who takes interest in the event- to the point of an eyebrow raise or even an exclamation. Festival essentials are weather appropriate clothing, a bit of cash and most importantly, a friendly and curious mindset.
What kinds of activities have are in stock for younger readers?
Rahva Raamat’s and Estonian Children’s Literature Centre’s tents will be solely dedicated to kids’ activities. The tent named Segasummasuvila (Villa Villekulla) contains exciting children’s literature, fun activities every hour and different workshops. Tallinn Central Library will also be providing kids with tons of entertainment. It’s very important to bring children closer to books, so it’s delightful to have multiple participants working on that at our festival.
The programme is very diverse. Do you have any reccomendations for a book lover or, vice versa, for someone who doesn’t connect with literature that much?
A true literature lover should definitely attend the presentations of various writers, as well as the impelling talks on the topics of literature and culture. Listening to texts presented live by the author cannot be compared to reading them alone at home. Enthusiasts should also familiarize themselves with the new books introduced at the festival. Another pastime would be visiting the Mati Unt bench, which will be opened at 12 o’clock next to the Swan Pond. The pond is a significant sight for literary Kadriorg as it’s a place that the author- while living on Koidula Street- loved visiting.
Someone not so keen on literature should still feel assured to check out the tents. It can can be suprising to discover all that Nation Library of Estonia is enaged in or just how many copious and educational culture magazines there are in Estonia. All these organizations have come out on the streets, out of their comfort zone. They would like to introduce everything they’re working on, which is exciting to say the least. There is no doubt that even those not avid about literature can come to enjoy the festival and autumny Kadriorg.
Is there any book presentations inluded in the programme?
A grand total of six new books will be presented during the festival, two of which are thoroughly linked with Koidula Street. We are very grateful that the writers have aligned their releases wih our festival.
Is it possible to buy writings from the festival?
Yes, you can buy both old and new books as well as a selection of children’s books chosen by Rahva Raamat.
Are you planning to hold Tallinn Literary Centre in another distric in the future?
We’re definitely not leaving Kadriorg; nevertheless, there is a lot of potential for our festival’s growth.
How did you choose writers for the festival?
The programme was developed in cooperation with the institutions represented at the festival. They were the ones to pick out all the speakers and topics, so, altogether, the festival is a big collaboration.
It’s especially heartwarming to see how supportive the Kadriorg community and Koidula Street residents have been towards our project. One household will also hold a literary yard event in their frontyard. It will involve music, books, children’s activities, a cafe and much more. Even the local startup is participating and organizing historical tours of Kadriorg. Another big contributer is the cafe Gourmet Coffee located on Koidula Street.
Tallinn Literary Centre festival is a big collaboration of a lof excellent participants, after all, that’s the only way it should be!
Interview translated from kultuur.info blog by Emili Maiste.
