Tartu’s new City Writer is Juhan Voolaid
Tartu City Government Press Release
14. jaanuar 2021 / On 13 January, at Koidula and Jannsen Memorial Square, Juhan Voolaid was declared Tartu’s City Writer for 2021.
The City Writer Grant was presented by Tartu Mayor Urmas Klaas. ‘Tartu has selected a City Writer for the fifth year in a row. The grant awarded by the city encourages the writer to create new works and allows for more time to be devoted to creative activities’, said the Mayor.
Juhan Voolaid, the new City Writer, has been writing books since 2008. ‘I have written several Tartu-themed books, and I intend to continue doing so. I was born, raised and become a writer in this city; now I have an excellent opportunity to give something back. During my time as City Writer, I will turn to both adults and children through a new book and new stories, but also, for example, through a photography exhibition, said Voolaid.
Five applications were submitted this year to receive the grant issued in cooperation between the City of Tartu and the Tartu Cultural Endowment. The City Writer was selected from among them by an expert committee consisting of representatives from the Tartu Chapter of the Writers’ Union, the Estonian Literary Museum, the University of Tartu Department of Literature and Theatre Studies, the Oskar Luts Tartu City Library, the Tartu Cultural Endowment, and the City Government.
The amount of the grant is twice the minimum wage of the previous year. In 2021, the grant will be EUR 14,016, which will be paid in monthly instalments.
The City Writer Grant is being awarded for the fifth year and is one of Tartu’s activities as a UNESCO International City of Literature.
Previous Tartu City Writers were Kristiina Ehin (2017), Mika Keränen (2018), Vahur Afanasjev (2019), and Carolina Pihelgas (2020).
Additional information: Mayor Urmas Klaas, Tel: 736-1221, 513-5145; Juhan Voolaid, Tel: 5800-5933, [email protected]
Viimati muudetud 14.01.2021