5th International Izmir Literature Festival Begins

The International Izmir Literature Festival, which will be held for the fifth time this year by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, will bring together the people of Izmir with important poets and writers from Turkey and the world between 31 October and 7 November. Nedim Gürsel and Ahmet Ümit will be the guests of honor of the festival, which will start with the concert of Ezginin Günlüğü.

The International Izmir Literature Festival brings together the important names of the literary world from the Mediterranean basin in Izmir. The theme of the festival, which was organized for the fifth time this year by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, was determined as "Mediterranean" and its slogan as "Literature is love". The festival, which will be held between October 31 and November 7, will extend to Kemalpaşa, Beydağ, Bergama, Menderes, Ödemiş, Tire, Dikili, Seferihisar and Urla as well as the city center. The surprise of the opening evening will be the Ezginin Diary concert at the Mustafa Necati Cultural Center in Yeşilyurt.

Honored guests Nedim Gürsel and Ahmet Ümit

Famous writers Nedim Gürsel and Ahmet Ümit will attend the festival, which brings together the most important poets and writers of Turkey with the people of Izmir, as guests of honor this year. The festival will start on Sunday, October 31, between 11.00:13.00 and 14.30:15.30, with a Poetry Walk in Yeşilova, Kordon, Kadifekale, Variant and Kemeraltı. Ahmet Ümit talk is held at Kemalpaşa Recreation Area Cultural Center between 17.00-18.00. Nedim Gürsel will have a talk event at the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center between 19.20-19.30. There is a festival march on Yeşilyurt Sevgi Yolu at 21.00. After the opening speeches of Nedim Gürsel, Ahmet Ümit and festival director Haydar Ergülen at the Mustafa Necati Cultural Center in Yeşilyurt at XNUMX, Ezginin Günlüğü will take the stage at XNUMX.

There will be concerts and theaters

As part of the International Literature Festival, Tozan Alkan and his friends will take the stage at Ödemiş Yıldız City Archive and Museum on Wednesday, November 3 at 20.00. On Sunday, October 31, at 20.30, the plays “Celile” by Ayşegül Yalçıner will be performed at the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center, and “My Wounds Are From Love” by Nazan Kesal at the Çiğli Fakir Baykurt Hall on Saturday, November 6 at 20.30. The festival will end with the Fide Köksal concert to be held at Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center on Sunday, November 7 at 21.00.

Writers from 10 countries come

This year, literary figures from Germany, Morocco, France, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia and Greece will take part in the International Izmir Literature Festival, which hosts many writers and poets from abroad every year.

Fairy tale and short story chair

Within the scope of the International Izmir Literature Festival, which offers a satisfying program to literature lovers from Izmir, the Fairy Tale Chair and Short Story Chair will be set up at different points in the city, providing an opportunity for those who want to share their tales and stories with the audience.

The festival program is as follows;

Sunday, 31 October
11.00-13.00 Poetry Walk (Yeşilova, Kordon, Kadifekale, Variant, Kemeraltı)
14.30-15.30 Talk: Ahmet Ümit (Kemalpaşa Recreation Area Cultural Center)
15.00-16.00 “Love in the Time of Pandemic” Dr. Arzu Erkan Yüce (Yeşilyurt Mustafa Necati Cultural Center)
15.30-16.30 Panel- Being Mediterranean, Writing about the Mediterranean (AASSM) – Concha Garcia, Serhan Ada, Hoda Barakat, Salwa Bakr, Jean Poncet.
17.00-18.00 Interview-Nedim Gürsel (AASSM)
19.20-19.30 Festival Walk (Yeşilyurt Sevgi Yolu)
19.30-21.00 Opening Speeches

Guest of Honor: Nedim Gürsel, Ahmet Ümit
Director: Haydar Ergulen
20.30-21.30 Theater-Galilee (AASSM) (Ayşegül Yalçıner)
21.00 Opening Concert-Diary of Ezgi
Venue: Yesilyurt Mustafa Necati Cultural Center

Monday, November 1
13.00-15.30 Poetry Workshop- Haydar Ergülen
17.00-19.30 Short Story Chair - Aydın Şimşek (Beydağ Cultural Center)
18.00-19.30 Panel- Arabic of the Transcendent and Mediterranean (APIKAM) – Hoda Barakat, Jamila Mejri, Salwa Bakr, Salah Boussrif.
19.30-21.00 Poetry Evening (Bergama Cultural Center) – Jean Poncet, Sabine Schiffner, Neda Olsoy, Ersun Nude, Neslihan Yalman, Serhan Ada.

Tuesday, November 2
17.30-18.30 Performance-Neslihan Yalman, Erkan Karakiraz, Erkut Tokman (Kültürpark Tennis Club)
18.30-19.30 Interview- Nedim Gürsel (Kültürpark Tennis Club)
19.30-21.00 Poetry Evening-Concha Garcia, Jamila Mejri, Salah Boussrif, Jean Poncet, Sabine Schiffner, Aydın Şimşek, Didem Gülçin Erdem, Erkut Tokman, Ömür Özçetin (Menderes Congress Center)

3 November Wednesday
15.00-18.00 Writing Workshop- Barış İnce (City Library)
18.30-19.30 Talk-Moderator: Tuğrul Keskin, Nuray Önoğlu, Özgür Çırak (Ödemiş Yıldız City Archive and Museum)
18.00-19.00 Interview-Latife Tekin (Tire Cultural Center)
20.00-21.30 Concert-Tozan Alkan and Friends (Ödemiş Yıldız City Archive and Museum)

4 November Thursday
13.00-15.00 Poetry Walk (Yeşilova-Kemeraltı)
18.00-19.30 Interview-Koukis Christos, Dinos Siotis, Lea Nocera, Gökçenur Ç. (Yesilyurt Mustafa Necati Cultural Center)
19.30-21.00 Poetry Evening-Neşe Yasin, Dinos Siotis, Koukis Christos, Halim Yazıcı, Sezai Sarıoğlu, Enver Topaloğlu Tozan Alkan, Erkan Karakiraz, Gökçenur Ç. (Yesilyurt Mustafa Necati Cultural Center)

Friday, November 5
15.00-18.00 Fairy Tale Chair - Sezai Sarıoğlu (Buca Işılay Saygın Library)
18.00-19.00 Panel-Love Written Form (APİKAM)-Handan Gökçek, Neslihan Acu Polat Özlüoğlu
19.00-20.00 Interview - Bülent Emrah Parlak (APİKAM)
20.00-21.00 Poetry Evening-Dinos Siotis, Koukis Christos, Meryem Coşkunca, Olcay Özmen, Lal Laleş, Gökçenur Ç. Asuman Susam, Tuğrul Keskin (Dikili Vuslat Demir Conference Hall)

6 November Saturday
11.00-14.00 Poetry Workshop with Children-Y. Bekir Yurdakul (Buca Yahya Kemal Beyatli Library)
18.30-19.30 Interview - Ercan Kesal (Karşıyaka Deniz Baykal Cultural Center)
19.30-20.30 Interview-Sezai Sarıoğlu (Seferihisar Guest Writer's House)
20.30-21.45 Theater My Wounds Are From Love (Çiğli Fakir Baykurt Hall)

Sunday, November 7
17.00-18.00 Talk-Asuman Susam (Urla Peninsula Local Services Branch Office Meeting Hall)
19.00-20.00 Talk-Sunay Akın (AASSM)
20.00-20.30 Short Film Screening - Breaking the Shell (AASSM)
21.00-22.30 Concert- Fide Köksal (AASSM)