#Resident’s Notes 3 – Maarja Pärtna

2023-05-12

Nida note 3

My residency in Nida is almost over. The nine weeks spent on the Curonian Spit were both fruitful and inspiring, full of interesting meetings, but also many quiet hours of focused work. My final week was especially memorable. On Wednesday, I gave an introduction to contemporary British nature writing in Ieva Simonaitytė Public Library in Klaipėda. We had a lively conversation about the connections between language and landscape, nature and mental health, children’s literature and environmental education. I’m grateful to everyone who participated!

On the next day, I went on a three-day walk from gorgeous Nida to stunning Juodkrantė, to see some of the places I haven’t yet had time to see. The weather was perfect – sunny and warm, no bugs, plenty of birds. Juodkrantė felt especially peaceful and relaxed, except for the colony of cormorants and grey herons – that was all sound and fury! The conflicts around these birds is something I will continue to think about.

It’s been one of the best residencies I’ve been to. Warmest thanks to the International Translators and Writers House, my home away from home for two months in 2023. I will cherish the meetings and the good memories. And I’ll miss both Nida and Lithuania, but I’m sure we’ll meet again soon!

 

*The “Artist Residencies” project is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

 

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