During the European Literature Festival Friday opening event I read excerpts of the English translation of Jelena Jeremejewa’s Ukrainian war diary Seit September will ich nach Kiev (parasitenpresse).

On Saturday I read poems from Wavelengths of Your Song and Field Guide to the Lost Flower of Crete (MQUP) in the wonderful wild space of an urban garden. Wassiliki Knithaki read the German translations from Wellenlängen deines Liedes (parasitenpresse) in her beautiful resonant voice. Our moderators were Adrian Kasnitz and Alexander Estis. Plus the Latvian writer Krišjānis Zeļģis read his poems which are also available in English as Beasts where he “assumes the role of curious city-dweller, who, in questioning his relationship with the natural world, realises it’s not only the animals in fur and feathers whose behaviour is wild, instinctive and unpredictable.”

Beneath the threat of storm clouds Jelena Jeremejewa and I then did a second reading of her work. Only a few drops of rain fell onto our pages as the drought in Europe continues. This time we were on stage with Mati Shemoelof and Adrian Kasnitz.

I’m deeply grateful to everyone who made this amazing international event possible.

Photographs by Eleonore and Bruce.