As part of the Literary Residencies project, a day-long series of literary workshops took place on Saturday 24.06.2023 in the premises of the Úsmev Cinema. The program was held under the auspices of the organization of the National Minorities Club. The book club Paľikerav, which focuses on cultivating interest in literature among Roma youth, cooperated in the event. It points to its inclusive and motivational character.
All day in the cinema
Thanks to the support of the Literary Information Centre (SLC), the workshops were led by award-winning authors and experienced lecturers Soňa Uriková and Nicol Hochholczerová.
Soňa Uriková introduced the children to the issues of originality, how to identify and eliminate clichés and how to build their own authorial language.
Nicol Hochholczerová introduced them to the secrets of bookbinding. The participants learned how to create and decorate their own notebooks based on the principle of chain binding, which can be made later at home.
The Rhythm Zero workshop led by the author Dominika Moravčíková stimulated a new way of looking at the object, its history and personal meaning. In the actual selection of the subject matter, trust and commitment was required from the participants, which encouraged individual interpretation and experience.
Author Juliana Sokolova led a workshop on the process of creating a book. She talked about the actual writing, the subsequent editing and revising, and the publication of the finished work.
Apart from literature and film
The literary programme was followed by a tour of the Smile Cinema with Lukáš Berberich and talks about cinema and poetry. As a reward for enduring the workshops, the participants received a surprise film from the repertoire of the Smile Cinema. The children left the workshop with the experience of a private screening in the Impulse Hall.
The literary camp was part of the Epic Residencies project, which brings together three residency centres: the Košice Literary Residency, the Gunnar Gunnarson Institute in Iceland and Tou Scene in Norway. The Epic Residencies project is built on the values of intercultural exchange, gender equality, the importance of minority experience and the diversity of voices in literature.
The Epic Residencies project received a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and was co-financed by the state budget of the Slovak Republic.