Tartu city writer is Kristiina Ehin
Tartu City Government
24 January / Tartu elects Kristiina Ehin as its first city writer.
On 24 January Kristiina Ehin, the first Tartu city writer, received her scholarship at the festive ceremony in the Town Hall assembly hall.
“The city writer election will enliven Tartu’s literary atmosphere and make it a more prominent destination on the global literature map”, said Mayor Urmas Klaas. “Tartu as a UNESCO City of Literature values its creative residents and I am pleased that Kristiina Ehin, a bright and beloved author, has become our first city writer,” Mayor Klaas added.
Six applications were submitted for the scholarship offered by the city of Tartu in conjunction with the Tartu Cultural Endowment. The city writer was selected by an expert committee comprising representatives of the Tartu section of the Estonian Writers’ Union, the Estonian Literary Museum, the Literature and Theatre Department of the University of Tartu, the Oskar Luts Tartu City Library, the Tartu Cultural Endowment, and Tartu City Government.
City writer scholarship applicants had to submit their vision of the role of Tartu city writer, list what they would do in that capacity, and provide an overview of their creative activities so far and future plans. The requirements included the need for the writer to reside in the city of Tartu and for their creative work to encompass fiction or journalism.
The city writer’s scholarship for the year 2017 totals 10,320 euros and it will be paid out in monthly instalments of 860 euros.
Tartu is the first city in the UNESCO network of creative cities to have a city writer.
Last changed 26.01.2017
