The poet and prose writer Andrei Hochevar from Ljubljana (Slovenia) arrived at the residence of Ulyanovsk. Within a month, the author will work on a cycle of poems, as well as a report on the literary life of Ulyanovsk and local authors. In the final, the author will present the results of the project at a presentation, and he will also take part in several literary events. The guest from Slovenia is interested in the social circumstances of literature, which, in his opinion, have not been sufficiently studied.

Andrei Hochevar from Ljubljana (Slovenia) is a poet, writer, critic, editor-in-chief of the LUD Literatura magazine and the Prišlek series, author of six books of poetry (the first of which was nominated for the Best Debut Award, the last one for the Veronika Award) and one collection of short stories. Hochevar's texts were translated into foreign languages, he participated in international literary festivals, including in Russia.

On June 6, Andrey Khochevar will be a guest of the Open Microphone event organized as part of the Pushkin in the City of U. festival. You can listen to the poet and local authors at 18:00 in Karamzinsky Square. Hochevar will read several poems in Slovenian, and their translations into Russian will be heard.

On June 21, a poet from Slovenia will become a guest of the Literary Tram action: boarding this unusual tram, Ulyanovsk residents will be able to hear the texts of writers and poets from UNESCO Cities of Literature.

In addition, everyone will be able to communicate with the author and ask him questions at the final presentation at the end of June, the time and place of which will be announced later.

- In Ulyanovsk, the city of seven winds, where rivers flow in opposite directions, it is interesting to watch how all these currents converge: just like new buildings, and old wooden houses resist the winds and time. A strong literary tradition helps new voices gain momentum. You feel the bewitching presence of the river and its power. While working at the residence, I would like to focus on writing new poems, as well as preparing a cultural report on the literary life of Ulyanovsk and local authors, - Andrey Khochevar shares his first impressions and plans.

Organization of the residence was made possible thanks to partners: the hotel "Old Simbirsk" and Sergey Kuznetsov, the Ulyanovsk branch of Rostelecom, MUE "Ulyanovskelectrotrans", gastromarket "Gurman".

Recall that the selection for the first international residence in Ulyanovsk started in the spring of 2019. Applications were accepted from writers and translators from the UNESCO cities of literature, who were ready not only to work on their own existing projects, but also to create a text related to Ulyanovsk. The jury included poets, writers, editors, representatives of the directorate of the program "Ulyanovsk - UNESCO City of Literature", the fund "Ulyanovsk - the cultural capital" and the city administration. As a result of the selection, two authors were invited to the city - Andrey Hochevar from Slovenia and David Howard from New Zealand. The guest from Dunedin will arrive in Ulyanovsk in September.

In turn, Ulyanovsk authors can become participants in similar residences in other UNESCO cities of literature, which regularly announce applications. Now local writers receive information about new competitions and residencies from the directorate of the Ulyanovsk - UNESCO City of Literature program through a special Writer's Info Point mailing list. To subscribe to it, just send an email to infopoint.ulskcityofliterature@gmail.com

Photo - Maj Pavcek

For reference

In 2015, Ulyanovsk received the status of the Most Reading Region of Russia, and also entered the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the Literature category. Today, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network brings together 180 cities from 72 countries around the world.