The "Meridian Odessa" literary festival began in Odesa on October 31, 2026. Notable participants included Yulia Paevska, a Ukrainian soldier, paramedic, and volunteer known by the call sign “Tyra.” She presented her poetry collection titled "Live" during the event.
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The festival, which also features literary gatherings, book presentations, poetry readings, discussions with authors, and musical performances, is being held at the “UNION” International Cultural Center on Troitska Street and will run until November 1.
After her presentation, Paevska expressed her excitement to an Intenta correspondent, noting the warm reception from the audience, particularly for her prose pieces, which she performed live for the first time.
“The presentation was fantastic. I’m very grateful to the audience, who were so kind to me. I didn’t expect such a reaction. It really inspired me,” Paevska remarked.
She referred to Odesa as her long-standing love and acknowledged the city's resilience and growth despite ongoing Russian shelling. Emphasizing the power of words, Paevska stated that she views them as a potent weapon and writes poetry and prose to harness that power against her adversaries.
Other participants in the festival include Yuriy Andrukhovych, Lyubko Deresh, Artem Chekh, Natalka Vorozhbit, Oleksandr Boychenko, Ihor Pomerantsev, and Varvara Chorna. The program also features a concert by the music and poetry project “Clean Thursday,” featuring Marian Pyroh and Yelyzaveta Pyrozhok.