The following representatives of the 13 member organisations from 8 countries were present (altogether 22 persons): Swedish Writers’ Union (Anna-Säflund Orstadius), The Union of Finnish Writers (Ville Hytönen, Maaria Päivinen, Hanna-Reetta Schreck, Eeva Asikaine, Ilmi Villacis), Society of Swedish Authors in Finland (Malin Kivelä, Hannele Mikaela Taivassalo, Johanna Sandberg), The Finnish Association of Finnish Non-Fiction Writers (Timo Tossavainen, Anne Rutanen ), The Finnish Association of Translators and Interpreters (Aino Suoranta), Lithuanian Writers’ Union (Marius Burokas), Estonian Writers’ Union (Tiit Aleksejev, Piret Viires, Tuuli Velling), Latvian Writers’ Union (Mudite Treimane), Polish Assciation of Literary Translators (Anna Klingofer-Szostakowska), The International Union of Belarusian Writers (Dmitri Plax), The Norwegian Association of Literary Translators (Hilde Lyng), Norwegian Writers’ Union (Sandra Lillebø), Norwegian Writers for Children (Sanne Mathiassen). Lena Pasternak was representing the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators.
MINUTES FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
1. The chairperson of BWC Malin Kivelä opened the meeting at 10:00 on Friday May 5 2023.
Lena Pasternak, the director of BCWT greeted the guests. The participants of the meeting shortly presented themselves.
2. The Agenda of the meeting was approved by the Assembly.
3. BWC chairperson Malin Kivelä was elected chairperson for the meeting and Piret Viires was elected secretary for the meeting.
4. The Chairperson of the BWC Malin Kivelä presented the activity report for BWC for the year of 2023.
The previous General Assembly of the Baltic Writers Council was arranged in Visby a year ago, on May 6 to May 7th 2022. Then 19 persons from 14 member organisations in 8 countries were present: This year we are 22, from 8 countries. And both Kazimiera Astratoviene, the former chair, and myself who was then vice chair, were present via zoom, so Piret Viires acted formidably as both chair and secretary.
The main topic last year was of course the war in Ukraine, which is catastrophically enough still going on.
After the war started in February 2022 the council immediately published an official statement condemning the war. And during GA we decided to remove St Petersburg Writers Union from the BWC members’ list. The Ukrainian Association of Translators and Interpreters was welcomed as a member and the GA also decided that the association is waived to pay the membership fee for the year 2023. I suggest that this should be the case also for the year 2024.
We closed the event on Saturday night with much appreciated readings of Ukrainian poetry.
That was a little recollection of last year. This year the council’s main activity has been to organize the Belarus event that will finally take place later today.
Since 2019 BWC has planned a project focusing on Belarus, where violations of freedom of speech and human rights have been on an alarming level for a long time, and are only getting worse.
A working group was formed, that is already in 2019, consisting of Justyna Czechowska (Polish Association of Literary Translators), Dmitri Plax (Union of Belarusian Writers), Tiit Aleksejev (Estonian Writers Union) and Viveka Sjögren (Swedish Writers Union) The working group was to be responsible for the program of the event and searching for possible funding. Justyna Czechowska, with the help of Hilde Lyng, representing Norwegian Association of Literary Translators, contacted Kopinor Foundation and received a grant for the event.
Then, as we know, the pandemic came and there was no GA for two years, no live meetings and no guarantees for when everything would be back to normal. The plans had to be postponed.
During this year we were finally able to pick them up again.
A new working group was formed in the beginning of November 2022. It now consisted of Hilde Lyng, Lena Pasternak, Anna Säflund-Orstadius, Dmitri Plax, and Anna Klingofer-Szostakowska as its coordinator. The starting point was the event program prepared for 2020 by Justyna Czechowska, but the group decided to change it according to Dmitri Plax’s idea, and finally it took the form of the round table discussion with prominent Belarusian writers at the Centre and the readings of Belarusian literature in translation at the Almedalen library that we will soon experience. The working group met three times on Zoom: on the 20th December, 31st January, and on the 11th April.
In addition to the Kopinor money, Swedish Pen contributed by covering for travel fees and the panelists’ participation.
We are very proud to present the result tonight. And as chair I’m proud of the persistence and creativity of the working group, it’s not an easy task to keep up a project for years digitally, and to keep ambitious, creative, idealistic and friendly in the process. I think this proves the force of BWC, we are many people and from many different countries, with varying perspectives but also similarities, and always the literary view point in common. This is unique and something to appreciate.
This year also marks the 30th anniversary of BCWT, the literary centre we are sitting in at the moment, very closely linked to our council. In the afternoon tomorrow there will be an international public round table discussion about the power of literature, ”a room of one’s own” the worrying times we live in, freedom of expression, and BCWT’s role in the midst.
This event has also been planned during this year, mostly by Lena Pasternak – in consultation with the board. And in the evening there will be some festivities, because this literary centre is worth celebrating.
So all in all quite an active year, an active activity report! But I guess we had to make up for the lost years…
The GA approved the report.
- Membership questions.
The GA decided that the membership fee for the following year 2024 will be 200 EUR. Reduction fee will be 150 Euros. The GA also decided that the Ukrainian Association of Translators and Interpreters is waived to pay the membership fee for the year 2024. There was a discussion about missing members – Germany, Iceland, Denmark.
- BCWT news by Lena Pasternak, director of BCWT.
Lena Pasternak, director of BCWT, gave an overview of the situation in the centre during last year. Th Centre has been full after 2 years of pandemic. After Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine in February 2022 the house was reserved for Ukrainians. some came, but not so many. This year BCWT is celebrating it’s 30 years’ anniversary. The world has changed, but Centre still stands and means so much for writers. Since 1993 6000 writers and translators have stayed in the house, altogether 90 000 days and nights, 4500 books have been written here. BCWT is funded by Swedish Arts Council 80% and 20 Region of Gotland 20%. Unfortunately, Arts Council has not increased the funding. However, BCWT is stable and visible and continuing proudly its work.
- Reports from member organisations.
The reports were distributed before the meeting via Google Drive and short reports were presented.
Anna Klingofer-Szostakowska (Polish Association of Literary Translators)
Marius Burokas (Lithuanian Writers’ Union)
Aino Suoaranta (The Finnish Association of Translators and Interpreters)
Timo Tossavainen (The Finnish Association of Finnish Non-Fiction Writers)
Anna Säflund-Ostradius (Swedish Writers’ Union)
Mudite Treimane (Latvian Writers Union).
Dmitri Plax (International Union of Belarusian Writers)
Dmitri Plax made a suggestion to replace the membership of Union of Belarusian Writers in BWC with International Union of Belarusian Writers.
The GA approved it and welcomed the International Union of Belarusian Writers in the Baltic Writers’ Council.
The session ended at 13.30.
Saturday May 6th 2023
10 – 14 General Assembly
The session started at 10.00
8. Treasurer’s report by Mudite Treimane the Treasurer of BWC.
The Treasurer Mudite Treimane presented the finances of 2022 and the budget of 2023.
10. Auditor’s report. The auditors (Johanna Sandberg, Anna Klingofer-Szostakowska) found the books in order, finances were used according to the purposes and the board was granted freedom of responsibility.
After hearing the Treasurer’s report and Auditor’s report General Assembly approved unanimously the finances of 2022 and the budget for 2023.
11.Reports from member organisations continued.
Hilde Lyng (Norwegian Association of Literary Translators)
Sanne Mathiassen (Norwegian Writers for Children)
Sandra Lillebø (Norwegian Writers’ Union)
Ville Hytönen, Maaria Päivinen, Eeva Asikainen (Union of Finnish Writers)
Hannele Mikaela Taivassalo (Society of Swedish Authors in Finland)
Tiit Aleksejev (Estonian Writers Union)
12. Election of Auditors.
Johanna Sandberg and Anna Klingofer-Szostakowska were elected as auditors (substitute Marica Twerin).
13. Plans for the next year.
As it was decided that big events will be organised every second year, then in 2024 there will be just a small reading event in the centre. The proposed ideas for the year 2025 – minorities, re-connect with Sami organisation.
In 2024 there will be also an internal event and discussion about the death of literature. A working group was established to prepare this event: Dmitri, Anna, Mikaela, Sandra, Malin.
14. Other issues.
There were no other issues proposed by the GA.
17. Date of the next GA.
The GA decided that the next assembly will be on 3-5 May 2024
18. Closing the GA.
The GA was closed at 14.00
Malin Kivelä, Chairperson
Piret Viires, Secretary