«Publishing an almanac of war youth poetry of Kharkiv underground».
LitSlamua is an independent platform for underground poets operating since 2019, uniting young artists of Eastern Ukraine. Before the full-scale invasion, we held monthly literary slams, slam battles and poetry evenings in Kharkiv, involving authors of various levels.
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Literary slam is a poetry contest where authors compete in recitation mastery before a live audience. It's not just poem reading, but a real show: slammers must captivate the audience with their charisma, voice, emotions and text content. Here not only poetry matters, but also delivery – energy, artistry, improvisation.
Slam in Kharkiv appeared in 1997, when first Ukrainian poets began holding similar events. However, as a full-fledged artistic movement it formed in 2008 thanks to producer Multfilm Gagarin. Later in 2013, Artem Elf, Dmytro Tunkov and Vint joined the organization, launching the "second wave" of slam. After a brief pause in 2019, Elf and Oleksandr Kud revived this movement, launching the "third wave".
Today Kharkiv slam is not only a platform for young poets, but also an important cultural phenomenon that unites the creative community, supports freedom of speech and even helps raise funds for the Armed Forces.
What's the problem?
- Invisibility of young artists and military poets: many write on social media or just for themselves, but their work remains unnoticed by the general public.
- Lack of systematization of the literary process in wartime Kharkiv: slams continue, new authors appear, but their works aren't united in a single collection.
- Many Kharkiv artists left during the full-scale invasion and can't participate in the city's cultural life.
- Loss of literary heritage: without preserving this poetry now, it may be lost in historical context.
Our almanac of war youth poetry of Kharkiv underground will be the first collection uniting voices of young poets and military authors who performed at slams from 2019 to 2024.
Social impact of the project
Publishing the almanac and its presentation will have several levels of impact:
✅ Preserving cultural memory: wartime Kharkiv poetry will remain in print, becoming part of the literary process.
✅ Popularizing Eastern Ukrainian literature: we'll show that Ukrainian underground exists and develops despite war.
✅ Supporting young artists and military authors: many write in trenches, hospitals, during evacuation – the almanac will give them a chance to be heard.
✅ Strengthening local identity: our project is important for Kharkiv community, showing that culture doesn't disappear but strengthens during war.
The project won't just collect poems – it will create a living literary history of the city that will become the foundation for future generations.
