The Poetry International Festival is a major event, now in its 56th year, scheduled to take place from 4 to 7 June.
Throughout the festival, poetry readings featuring authors from various countries will be held at different venues across the city. Ukrainian poet Iya Kiva will take part in four events, during which she will share the stage with representatives of poetry communities from other countries.
Kiva’s poetry is described in the festival programme as follows:
“In Kiva’s poems, we experience all the worst-case scenarios one might find in an emergency preparedness booklet. Through clear, rhythmic verse, she shows how war permeates everything: her memories, her daily actions, even language itself. Her poetry is a testimony, a record of what may later be rewritten. It is her way of offering a voice of comfort to her compatriots.”