Baltic Writers Council (BWC), General Assembly 2024
Time and place: 3–5 May 2024, Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators, Uddens gränd 3, 621 56 Visby, Sweden.
The following representatives of the 11 member organisations from 7 countries were present (altogether 19 persons): Swedish Writers’ Union (Anna-Säflund Orstadius), The Union of Finnish Writers (Hanna-Reetta Schreck,), Society of Swedish Authors in Finland (Malin Kivelä, Johanna Sandberg, Carina Karlsson), The Finnish Association of Finnish Non-Fiction Writers (Timo Tossavainen, Anne Rutanen ), The Finnish Association of Translators and Interpreters (Laura Pascual), Lithuanian Writers’ Union (Marius Burokas), Lithuanian Association of Literary translators (Markus Roduner) Estonian Writers’ Union (Piret Viires, Marko Levin, Øyvind Rangøy), Latvian Writers’ Union (Mudite Treimane), The International Union of Belarusian Writers (Barys Sachanka, Alena Makouskaya, Nina Shydlouskaya), The Norwegian Association of Literary Translators (Hilde Lyng, Christina Revold). Lena Pasternak was representing the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators.
1. The chairperson of BWC Malin Kivelä opened the meeting at 14:00 on Friday May 3rd 2024
The participants of the meeting shortly presented themselves. Lena Pasternak, the director of BCWT greeted the guests.
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 2023-2024.
The previous General Assembly of the Baltic Writers Council was arranged in Visby a year ago, on the 5-6 May 2023. Then 22 persons from 13 member organisations in 8 countries were present: This year we are 18, from 11 member organisations and 7 countries.
Last year was a special one: we celebrated the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators’ 30th anniversary with a round table discussion and a festive dinner, and on top of that a big Belarus-event was finally organized and performed at the Almedalen Library. This had been planned since 2019, but the pandemic came and turned everything upside down. Last year was the first perfectly normal gathering in some years, but now it feels like we are back on track.
This year the GA and the surrounding activities will be a bit smaller and calmer and more internal. But there will still be some nice events: and also elections for all positions in the board and also two for the board of the Centre tomorrow afternoon.
About the past year:
To our great concern Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continued, on even more catastrophic terms than before. During the past GAs we have talked a lot about what we can do to show our support for Ukraine. In February 2022, just after the invasion happened, the council published an official statement condemning it. During the GA that year we decided to remove St Petersburg Writers Union from the BWC members’ list. The Ukrainian Association of Translators and Writers was welcomed as a member and the last two GAs have decided that this association is waived to pay their membership fee. I suggest that this should be the case also for the year 2025.
Also the physical Centre has had and will have special arrangements for Ukrainians.
In February 2024 the Russian dissident Alexej Navalnyi died in prison in Siberia. The board of BWC issued a statement on Facebook and the homepage on February 27th where we stated our regrets regarding this untimely and shocking death of ”one of the last free voices of Russia”.
On last year’s GA we decided that this year we wouldn’t organize anything as ambitious as the year before. Maybe inspired by the country reports from member organizations and all the hardships literature and art is facing at the moment in most countries we came up with the idea that we would instead put together a small internal event about ”the death of literature” – different aspects of it – the title maybe a bit exaggerated perhaps to get attention! A working group consisting of Dmitri Plax (International Union of Belarusian Writers), Sandra Lillebø (Norwegian Writers Union), Hannele Mikaela Taivassalo (The Society of Swedish Authors in Finland), and Anna Säflund-Orstadius (Swedish Writers’ Union) + Lena as a representative of the Centre, and me as chair, was formed, but suddenly we were a bit fewer, and in the end only managed to have one, albeit an effective, meeting on line. The result: not very many, but some keynote speeches on the hot topic and a following discussion will be experienced on Saturday evening up here in the library, hopefully you will all join in!
We also decided to have a little relaxed public reading, where members of this year’s GA can read something that they are working on, or have written before, which will take place on Friday night, that is tonight, also in the Centre’s library.
The point of these gatherings is to keep informed of, engaged in, inspired by, what is going on in the countries of the member organizations: the challenges, the good news for the writers and the translators of our countries. We form a unique collegial, international, but still geographically intimate support group for each other. The core of the GAs are the country reports, which we will start taking part of soon. Let’s enjoy each other’s stories, and company, and beautiful Visby, finally warm and starting to bloom, this weekend, and continue our important and special work together.
The GA approved the report.
- Membership questions.
The GA decided that the membership fee for the following year 2024 will be 200 EUR. The GA also decided that the Ukrainian Association of Translators and Interpreters is waived to pay the membership fee for the year 2024.
Discussion about a application of Forfatterforbundet. Norwegain delegates of BWC explained the discussion in Norway regarding the Forfatterforbundet Norwegian Society of Authors.
After the discussion the General Assembly approved the Forfatterforbundet as a member of Baltic Writers Council.
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. The BCWT is an international centre, started in 1993, has 11 rooms, priority is on Baltic sea region and Scandinavia, but also other countries. It is a working and meeting place, forms international community. Since 1 January 2024 the house has been full, there has been mix of writers and translators, house offers subsidy grants – everybody stays free. In 2023 there were several events and projects, international literature festival, translation seminar etc. There have been discussions how to support Ukraine, give scholarships from Gotland to Ukrainians. 2024 – also several events planned. The funding for the house consists of 80% Swedish state – Arts Council, 20% from Gotland. The support from the state is continuing, but not increasing.
Something is right here, the combination of two houses, small town, history, sea, island feeling. Writers and translators love to be here and staying is free.
Coffee break.
- Reports from member organisations.
The reporst were distributed among the participants via Google Drive.
Carina Karlsson (Society of Swedish Authors in Finland).
Barys Sachanka (International Union of Belarusian Writers)
Laura Pascual (The Finnish Association of Translators and Interpreters)
Hilde Lyng (Norwegian Association of Literary Translators)
Markus Roduner Lithuanian Association of Literary translators
Marius Burokas (Lithuanian Writers’ Union)
The session ended at 17.00
Saturday May 4th 2024
10 – 17 General Assembly
The session started at 10.00
- 11.Reports from member organisations continued.
Anna Säflund-Ostradius (Swedish Writers’ Union)
Mudite Treimane (Latvian Writers Union)
Hanna-Reetta Schreck (Union of Finnish Writers)
Timo Tossavainen (The Finnish Association of Finnish Non-Fiction Writers)
Øyvind Rangøy (Estonian Writers Union)
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch at Jessen’s Saluhall
14.00 GA continued
8. Treasurer’s report by Mudite Treimane the Treasurer of BWC.
The Treasurer Mudite Treimane presented the finances of 2023 and the budget of 2024.
10. Auditor’s report. The auditor (Johanna Sandberg) 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 2023 and the budget for 2024.
12. Election of Baltic Writers Council board members.
Election of the BWC Board members:
As the result of the elections Malin Kivelä (Finland), Piret Viires (Estonia), Dnitri Plax (Belarus), Hilde Lyng (Norway) and Anna-Säflund Orstadius (Sweden) were elected to the board.
12. Election of Auditors.
Johanna Sandberg was elected as auditor.
14. Nominations for the board of the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators Centre for the 2 years.
As the result of the elections Marius Burokas and Ville Hytönen were nominated to the board of the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators. Carina Karlsson and Hilde Lyng were elected as deputies.
13. Plans for the next year.
The GA agreed that next year event will be dedicated to Sápmi culture and literature. A working group was formed to prepare and organize the event: – Malin Kivelä, Laura Pascal, Carina Karlsson, Øyvind Rangøy and Lena Pasternak.
14. Other issues.
Malin Kivelä informed the GA about the possibility to apply for travel support. Lena Pasternak asked to spread the word about the centre.
17. Date of the next GA.
The GA decided that the next assembly will be on 25–26 April 2025
Group picture was taken.
18. Closing the GA.
The GA was closed at 15.30
Malin Kivelä Piret Viires
Chairperson Secretary