Launched by the Odessa UNESCO City of Literature and made possible through generous funding from Reykjavík City of Literature, the project “Poetry in the Cities of Literature” began on February 24, 2024, as part of the “Not Just Words” reading initiative initiated by Milano City of Literature. This new cultural endeavor aims to connect Odessa’s vibrant literary community with its sister Cities of Literature across the globe.
As a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network since 2019, Odessa has built meaningful relationships with fellow literary cities worldwide. This project marks a fresh step in that journey by introducing Odessans to contemporary poetry from these international partners, starting with Reykjavík, Iceland — the very city that made this exchange possible.
Beyond promoting literary art, the initiative highlights the crucial support UNESCO Cities of Literature provide: from festival invitations and translation assistance to artist residencies. These connections help Ukrainian authors cross borders, find new audiences, and preserve their creative voices on the global stage. At its core, “Poetry in the Cities of Literature” is about mutual cultural enrichment — fostering an open exchange where books, ideas, and traditions travel freely, inspiring and uniting people worldwide.
Poet of the Reykjavik City of Literature:
Anna RósÁrnadóttir was born in Selfoss, Iceland in 1998. She has a Bachelor‘s degree in Literature and Creative writing and is currently doing her Master‘s in Literature at the University of Iceland. Sheis one fourth of the poetry collective MÚKK. Anna received the poetry award LjóðstafurJónsúrVör in 2025 for her poem „Skeljar“.
Shells(Skeljar)
Translated by Larissa Kyzer
all houses
are houses by the sea
if only you follow the plumbing
far enough
sometimes
when she kneels on
the cold tiles
she feels like she can hear
the faint echo of
birdcalls
from the toilet bowl
and that makes her think of the story
about the sailor
whose death at sea had been foretold
and so he shipped his oars
moved as far inland
as he possibly could
stopped eating seafood
altogether
mistrusting
each and every
damp stone
on his path
until one day
he fell asleep on the watch
offered two shipwrecked sailors
a place to stay for the night
she thinks about their oilskins
hanging from pegs on the wall
thewaterdripping
onto the mudroom floor
throughout the night
about the inert face
of the man in the puddle
atdawn
to live
is to fall asleep on the watch
to die
is to fall asleep on the watch
like a beetle
she thinks
surveying
the sole of a shoe
like a woman
whose death at sea
has been foretold
and yet she still moves
into a house
covered in shells
