Call for proposals for the virtual festival Brave new Literatures, organised and curated by Versopolis, a European platform of international poetry festivals. Duration of the project: 15 January - 28 February 2022.
The Brave New Literatures Festival is looking for already existing or upcoming projects that tackle the issue of the future of literature, be it on the level of the publishing industry or the art itself.
We would like to present and share your ideas, and make them visible among the global community. Join us in the quest of thinking about the future of arts and literature, our call for proposals is open till 10 January 2022.
With two extremely successful editions of the Festival of Hope, which took place in the past two years, during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Versopolis gave a clear signal that poetry is one of the major vessels of hope. In a time of uncertainty, we connected artists from all over the world, offered a voice to the oppressed, weak and excluded, called for dialogue, nurtured diversity and human creativity, as well as built a bridge between continents and cultures.
Instead of becoming a connective tissue, the pandemic has pronounced our antagonisms even further and, so it seems, shattered our visions of the future. But. Did it really?
We at Versopolis want to counter the all-encompassing pessimism and provide a platform to those brave literary acteurs that have developed practices and frameworks that surpass the status quo, that offer novelty, raise awareness and perhaps even mobilise. We are convinced literature is not and has never been obsolete, but can function as a laboratory of new, progressive ideas that strengthen communities, as well as individuals.
Therefore, we are searching for projects that answer to the following:
Literary activity of tomorrow
We are interested in the metamorphosis of literary activities (festivals, book fairs …) through time, their position today, and above all, directions for the future. How have literary activities changed over time, adapted to current challenges, how do they solve the latter and how do they envision their future?;AI Imaginaries
In what way is AI changing the face of literature and arts? Can the use of AI be beneficial to writers, artists and the cultural industry? What are the current examples of AI in literature and arts and how will AI develop in the future? Can AI surpass us?;Publishing of the future
Is publishing prepared for current and future challenges? What will be the industry’s primary future medium? What will be the future status of publishers and what role will they play in literary production? What about editors, literary agents and scouts?;The environment
One of humanity’s biggest challenges is environment protection. How to save it from destruction and how to preserve it for future generations? How can we raise awareness of environmental issues? How can literature contribute to resolving this issue? How is the environmental crisis reflected in modern literature? Can literature become a tool in the fight against climate change?
Brave new digital worlds
The pandemic has accelerated digitalization. Art institutions, literary festivals, theaters, and other cultural organisations were forced to look for new ways to reach their audiences and engage artists. We are therefore interested in your experiences and successful practices, as well as your digitisation projects;Connect not divide
We are searching for projects that display literature’s ability to counter prejudice, discrimination and hate speech that aim to suppress and silence minorities. How does literature respond to discrimination, racism, xenophobia, homophobia etc.? How does it give voice to the voiceless?Who can participate?
Literary institutions, organisations, collectives or associations, festivals, cultural media and others, regardless of their origin, that find themselves in the position to contribute - one or several projects. As for individual projects, we kindly ask you to contact us before submitting your project.How can you contribute?
Get in touch with us and share your ideas! You can showcase your project or participate with online events of any genre. Join our festival with your past or recent works or produce something new especially for us.Video and audio content should not exceed 60 minutes and should already be uploaded to either YouTube, Vimer or other platforms. The language of the project is English, whereas the contributions can be conducted in any language. They should, nevertheless, be subtitled or presented with English abstracts.
What about payment?
This project is undertaken on a non-profit basis. No fees are possible for contributions. There is limited funding for English translations and new ideas of cooperation available. Our main wish is to make your contribution visible and recognized all over the globe. Get in touch with us as soon as possible to discuss your ideas for contributions.Contacts:
FB: Versopolis
Aljaž Koprivnikar: aljaz.koprivnikar@beletrina.si
Sabina Tavčar: sabina.tavcar@beletrina.si
We are searching for media partners to ensure the visibility of the project and its contributions.
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