MKC WP

Reading circle MKC Letter – Bralni krožek MKC Črke

Series of public debates on the cult modern literary texts

 

The Reading Circle is a series of moderated discussions and debates related to some fundamental works of Slovenian and world literature. This circle aims to encourage a critical discourse about literature, to spread the culture of reading, to educate and provide quality literature lovers a possibility to socialise, share their opinions and enrich their knowledge about the books through accompanying contents, associated with each text, prepared as additional offer at single reading meeting.

The reading circle MKC Letter is an open circle, so far because literature lovers may be one tribe, but within this tribe there are reading groups with a specific literary taste, the programme is prepared in a way that will tempt the taste buds of the most demanding bibliophiles.

 

 

Poetry all-around – the competition in skills of interpreting one’s own poetry

Carousel

 

I’m turning, oh God, turning in circle:

a song today, nothing tomorrow.

and again.

 

am I on a carousel? is this a circus?

 

I’m turning and repeating words.

in this a circus.

on this carousel.

 

(JOŽE Štucin)

 

The all-around competition is very popular among literary artists, as it helps to popularise poetry in an original way. Competitors are invited to participate through a public tender, published in all major media and portals, and they have to make their way through qualification and four rounds of competition. The event will be managed and moderated by Nino Flisar, the author of the project. A committee consisting of renowned writers and critics and audiences in a 50:50 ratio assess the poems. The top four in points after three rounds are placed in the grand final, where they perform in a section, called free according to Prešeren or in improvisation. The audience selects five words, the candidates must use in the poem in the grand finale. The op three in points receive attractive prizes contributed by the sponsors of the project.

 

Past winners of Poetry all-around who have successfully swept the competition away were Jan Šmarčan (2006), Damir Rudolf (2007), Simona Kopinšek (2008), Jana Kolarič (2009) and Denis Škofič (2011).

Pre-school of literature in nature – Mala šola literature v naravi

In 2009 the Youth Cultural Centre Maribor prepared and conducted the first experimental two-day training, which was named the Pre-school of literature in nature. Thanks to the excellent results and responses and proposals of the participants, over the following years the YCC started preparing an expanded and greater multi-day literary education.

 

The literary project Pre-school of literature in nature is a dynamic literary discourse among it’s participants and those who deal with literature professionally (e.g. editors, critics, translators). In the idyllic surroundings of Pohorje, each year in the middle of July a place of literary dialogue is established, a place of constructive exchange of opinions and views, an incubator of new literary insights and ideas.

 

Baseline topics of discussions, workshops and lectures in Pre-school of literature are contemporary Slovenian literature and media; Slovenian literature on radio, television, internet; literature and new technologies, phenomenology of spoken words – the oral interpretation of the written, interpretation of the text (recital, declamation), relationship performer-literary text-audience. In addition to the educational part, the programme also includes works of artistic content, sports activities and excursions in the surrounding area.

Poetry on the city streets – Poezija na mestnih ulicah

Nino Flisar’s project Poetry on the city streets is a campaign, which aims to bring poetry to a broad circle of people through posters hung around Maribor. People in urban areas are exposed to many forms of verbal-visual communication; among those which dominate most are different kinds of more or less intrusive advertising media. The project Poetry on the city streets aims to communicate with people on city streets in a different way, offering them texts of artistic value, poetry, reflecting life in the city here and now, setting out life feelings of subtle artists (which poets certainly are) and their “modus vivendi,” that marks the urban culture. Poetry on posters on the city streets offers other features though; the popularization of verbal creativity and a spiritual enrichment of the city, whose streets will be full of artistic messages that will draw attention to city life in an inspiring, and sometimes critical way – that is the spiritual enrichment of city centre in particular through qualitative poems with strong message that encourage passersby to think about the city and life.

MKC Letter (MKC Črka) is a literary program of the Youth Cultural Centre Maribor (Mladinski kulturni centre Maribor).The literary section Črka (a Letter) was established in summer 1989 and operated initially under the lead of Jože Kos Grabar with the participation of Aleš Friedl, Laura Munda and Karmen Zupančič. Soon Tomaž Brenk joined MKC Črka and independently coordinated the literary activity of MKC Črka from 1994, in 2003 the lead of MKC Črka was taken over by the current coordinator Petra Kolmančič.
Through all these years, the activity of MKC Črka has been an important proving ground for the successful presentation of literary creativity in Maribor and surrounding area, for the presentation of Slovene and foreign literary artists as well as for current novelties from the Slovene publishing and literary scene.

MKC Črka represents promising and established artists and novelties in the field of literature and subsequently contributes to the development of reading culture and the promotion of »live« literature, to the promotion of books, literature and Slovene authors, to the popularisation of fiction and humanistic and to the motivation of young writers. It strives for innovative approaches in organization of events and tries to prepare each event as a extra, to make it different from related events.

Under the auspices of MKC Črka about 20 literary events and campaigns are organized annually, which enables the presentation of writers of mostly a younger generation through live performances, discussions, literary performances, literary exhibitions, projections, street campaigns or in form of intermedia performances. Special emphasis is placed on the presentation of writers and literary news from Slovenia and the presentation of smaller, independent publishing houses. Each year MKC Črka hosts some foreign authors. It was MKC Črka, which pointed out and still draws attention to many young writers, who have since established themselves in the wider Slovenian territory.

The programme MKC Črka is financed by the Municipality of Maribor (MESTNA OBČINA MARIBOR), the Slovenian Book Agency (JAVNA AGENCIJA RS ZA KNJIGO), the Student Organisation of the University of Maribor (ŠOUM) and the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth (Urad RS za mladino).

Arhiv:
MKC Črka 2010

MKC Črka 2009