Residency of Marija Dejanović hosted by Den Poezie in partnership with Thessalian Poetry Festival and Gwyl Arall Festival
Counterpoint: Narrating Migration from the Periphery as Centre is a transnational poetry project that explores themes of displacement, migration, and cultural and linguistic identity through literary and artistic collaboration. Supported by EFFEA in 2023, the project spotlighted the work of Poland-based Armenian poet Tatev Chakhian, who participated in festivals across the Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, and Wales. The 2024 iteration highlights Bosnian-Croatian poet Marija Dejanović, whose poetry engages with questions of identity, memory, and belonging. Through three international residencies, she collaborated with poets, artists, and musicians to create new poetic works and performances. Dive into her story:
In 2024, I participated in the Counterpoint: Narrating Migration from the Periphery as Centre project. This was the project’s second cycle, aimed at supporting the international careers of emerging artists by fostering cooperation between festivals and exploring the diverse dimensions of European migration. The project gave me the opportunity to collaborate with different international artists—joining creative forces, communicating, and sharing inspiration.
The core of my EFFEA Residency was a 10-day stay in Prague (Czechia) in November, during the Den Poezie Festival. I also visited Caernarfon (Wales) in July, during the Gwŷl Arall Festival, as well as performed at the Thessalian Poetry Festival (Greece) in August.
The first stage of this journey was the Gwŷl Arall festival in Caernarfon. When I arrived, there was a light rain and a huge, beautifully visible rainbow spread across the main square, framing a medieval castle that, because of the sunset, appeared golden. The town greeted me and welcomed me into the project.
I collaborated with the wonderful and talented Welsh poet Lowri Hedd Vaughan, and together we created an audio-visual poetic performance that we presented at the festival. We combined a selection of poems from my book Kindness Separates Night from Day with poems by Lowri, some previously written, others created specifically for the project. For this performance, I created a video in Greece, and Lowri and I also curated a playlist to serve as the soundscape. Gwŷl Arall was a beautiful experience, full of inspiration.
Marija Dejanović with Lowri Hedd Vaughan
While July in Wales felt like spring, August in Greece was in full-on summer mode during the Thessalian Poetry Festival. The five-day travelling festival visited four locations in the Thessaly region: Larissa, Volos (Makrinitsa), Trikala, and Karditsa (Filakti). During the festival, two events took place that I am especially grateful for:
In the scenic mountain village of Makrinitsa, with a panoramic view of the coastal city of Volos, other participants and I climbed to read my poems. The village, full of traditional stone houses, possesses a strange, timeless beauty. Performing there with Greek musician, singer, and composer Kreon Kanakaris was truly inspiring.
The other key event during the Thessalian Poetry Festival was a workshop led by Alexandra Büchler, director of Literature Across Frontiers and a renowned expert in the field of literary translation. Alexandra’s workshop was a valuable opportunity for emerging poets at the festival to learn how to internationalise their creative and professional careers. It covered topics such as the circulation of international literary translations, existing residencies for young authors, and other resources that support the mobility of emerging poets.
Marija Dejanović with Kreon Kanakaris
After Welsh spring and Greek summer, it was time for Czech November and my main project residency. I spent ten days in Prague meeting old and new friends such as poets Šimon Leitgeb and Tim Postovit, exploring both famous and lesser-known parts of the city, and, most importantly, collaborating with other poets and artists to create our performance for the Den Poezie festival.
Using my long poem Passport, the Ukrainian-Czech poet and critic Iryna Zahladko created responses to the text based on sound and meaning. We played with the similarities and differences between Croatian, Czech, and Ukrainian to build the textual foundation of our performance with Czech musician Babylon Ely. After several meetings and rehearsals, the performance took place at Punctum and was very well received by the local audience, which deeply moved and inspired me.
Overall, the entire Counterpoint project was an amazing journey that filled me with positive energy, abundant creativity, and the presence of so many wonderful people for whom I am truly grateful. The project inspired me to further explore the multimedia potential of poetry and to continue engaging in international collaborations.
I want to thank all the people and organisations who made this incredible opportunity possible, especially Alexandra Büchler from Culture Reset and Literature Across Frontiers, Bernie Higgins and Josef Straka from Den Poezie, Thanos Gogos from Thraka and the Thessalian Poetry Festival, and Nici Beech from Gwŷl Arall.