Vilnius, UNESCO City of Literature is hosting the international conference “Literature, City, Nature” on October 24 at the National Gallery of Art. This event will bring bring together international and Lithuanian creators, researchers, and experts to discuss how literature can help foster a more sustainable and conscious relationship between city and nature.
The first session, moderated by Tina Popovič, Head of Ljubljana UNESCO City of Literature, will feature interdisciplinary insights from transformation designer Markus Artur Fuchs from Heidelberg and writer and creative writing lecturer Andrew MacDonnell from Norwich. A session focused on practical applications will feature representatives from Nottingham presenting their unique “Nature Poet Laureate” project, which encourages communities to engage with ecological themes through poetry.
A special focus will be placed on the writer’s perspective. A presentation will be delivered by European Union Prize for Literature laureate, writer and farmer Nataša Kramberger from Slovenia. She will be joined by one of Lithuania’s most prominent creators, writer and dramatist Vaiva Grainytė. The co-author of the opera-performance “Sun & Sea,” which gained international acclaim and was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, will speak about the representation of ecological crisis and climate change in contemporary art. Writer and translator Ieva Toleikytė, whose work raises questions about the Anthropocene and ecology, will also share her insights on the relationship between the city and nature.