Check out the festival schedule! The Annikki Potry Festival, taking place on 6 June 2026, will celebrate Finland’s linguistic diversity and international atmosphere with the theme Babel Finland. As always, present a rich programme of outstanding Finnish and international poetry performers, prose breaks, music, children’s events, visual art, a curated restaurant park with free programme, a after party, a book bazaar, and much more. The Festival will be hosted by Päivi Haanpää.
Tomas Venclova is a Lithuanian poet, writer, literature researcher and translator. Turning 90 next year, Venclova is one the giants of European poetry. His works have been translated into more than 20 languages. He has received a number of international awards as well as honorary doctorates from several European universities. In the 1960s, Venclova lived in Moscow and Leningrad and was closely acquainted with the legendary poet Anna Akhmatova and future Nobel Prize winner Joseph Brodsky. His activities with other dissidents eventually led to banishment from the Soviet Union in 1977. After that, he worked as Professor of Slavic Literature at Berkeley and Yale in the United States. He is currently dividing his time between Vilnius and the US. In his work, Venclova deals with the experience of totalitarism and the lessons that can be learned from its dark phases. The first Finnish translation of his work, Vastarinnan säkeet (Palladium Kirjat), was published last year. Tomas Venclova's visit to Finland is supported by the Lithuanian Culture Institute.
Tenzin Tsundue is an internationally renowned poet, writer and activist based in Dharamsala, India. His works have been translated into numerous languages, and he is considered the most significant Tibetan poet living in exile today. Tsundue’s debut work, Crossing the Border, was published in 1999. His writings have appeared in several international publications, and he has performed at literary festivals worldwide. Tsundue has stated that for him, writing is creative work, but publishing is activism. He is known for his tireless advocacy for Tibetan culture and has been imprisoned several times in Tibet and India due to his activism. Since 2002, Tsundue has worn a red headband as a symbol of his vow to work for his country’s freedom, pledging not to remove it until Tibet is free. His first Finnish translation, Viimeinen rukous, will be published in spring 2026 by Palladium Kirjat. It includes the works Kora and Nowhere to Call Home.
The Mexican poet, philosopher, dramaturge and performance artist Regina Roze will bring the vivid voice of contemporary Latin American poetry to our festival. Roze started working intensively with theatre, dance and literature in her youth. In 2013, her debut work Liminal earned her the Premio de Poesía Joven award for young poets. Her latest poetry collection Mundano came out in 2021. As a philosopher, Roze has been working with projects relating to corporeality in particular. In 2022, she started the Popoesía project, which brings experimental literature and poetry to audiences through social media and workshops. Roze has also been working with experimental music and is regularly involved in performances combining poetry and music. You can listen to Rozen's Spanish-language poetry on our Spotify playlist
Born in Argentina and living in Austria, Ox Maló is a poet, writer and performance artist. He will come to the Annikki Poetry Festival with his renowned Written Portraits poetry performance. You can sit across the table from Maló and his typewriter and, after a moment of observation, Maló will write a personal poetry portrait of you. You can get it in English, Spanish, German or French according to your wish. When he is finished, you can take the signed poem home with you. Thousands of Written Portraits encounters have been experienced at dozens of literature festivals around the world, and two collections have been published of some of the poems written during them. In his project, Maló often collaborates with artists from other fields. At Annikki, he will be working together with the musician Simo Laihonen and the dance artist Tuuti Touhunen. During the festival, Maló will be creating poetry portraits for a total of four hours.
Schedule
11:40-12:40 At the festival feat. dance artist Tuuti Touhunen
13:00-14:00 In Festival Park feat. musician Simo Laihonen (free entry)
16:00-17:00 solo in the Festival Park (free entry)
18:00-19:00 Solo at the festival
Ánnámáret (Anna Näkkäläjärvi-Länsman) is a Sámi musician living and working in Nuorgam, Finland’s northernmost village. Her music is inspired by the life and the nature in Sápmi. Her unique voice and yoik interpretation are directly descended from the nomadic culture of her ancestors, the Reindeer Sámi. In recent years, Ánnámáret has researched the yoik tradition of her family by studying old archive recordings. As a result of this work, she created the multi-form work of art called Nieguid duovdagat – Dreamscapes, in which yoik, the sound of the Karelian bowed lyre jouhikko and organic electronic music are accompanied with video art. The Dreamscapes album was her international breakthrough, resulting in, among other things, a performance at the Womex Festival. Ánnámáret’s album Bálvvosbáiki won the Folk Music Album of the year 2024 prize in Finland. At the Annikki Poetry Festival, Ánnámáret will perform together with the jouhikko player Ilkka Heinonen and the electronic musician Turkka Inkilä. The combination of the ancient yoik tradition, the archaic instrument and an electronic soundscape results in an impressive listening experience in which you can easily lose yourself. You can find Ánnámáret’s music on our Spotify playlist.
Born in Iraq, Hassan Blasim is a Finnish author, scriptwriter and film director known for his strong and surrealist short stories. He worked in his native country as a director but had to flee due to political persecution. After a long and dangerous journey, he settled in Finland, where he has been building his career as a writer. He is considered one of the most significant and radical voices in new Arabic literature, and his works have been translated into numerous languages. Blasim’s prose combines violent war experiences, black humour and absurdly grotesque imagery. His exceptionally recognisable and multi-layered style breaks the traditional limits of narration. Blasim has received several international and Finnish awards for his work. He is also a frequent guest at international literature festivals. His work has brought international attention to Iraqi literature and refugee experiences in Europe. The Guardian has dubbed Hassan Blasim “perhaps the best writer of Arabic fiction alive.”
Based in Somero, Risto Rasa is one of Finland’s most beloved lyricists. He is known for his concise, nature-centred poetry, in which he can create precise observations of everyday phenomena, nature and man’s place within it in just a few lines. Rasa’s work has been compared to haiku poetry due to its minimalist expression and its ability to capture fleeting moments. Central themes in his poetry include silence, nature, animals, solitude, the domestic sphere and the changing seasons. His language is lucid and understated, yet it runs deep. When his debut collection Metsän seinä on vain vihreä ovi was published by Otava in 1971, Risto Rasa was just 17 years old. The work garnered significant attention and marked a powerful literary breakthrough. A recipient of the Eino Leino Prize and other awards, Rasa has influenced many Finnish poets, and he has established himself as a pivotal figure in Finnish short-form poetry. He is one of our most frequently quoted poets.
Finland-Swedish Monika Fagerholm is one of Finland’s most respected, most awarded and internationally best-known writers. She is known for her original language and experimental narrative, and her works often deal with girlhood, friendship, power and closed communities. Fagerholm began her literary career in the late 1980s, and her breakthrough work was Underbara kvinnor vid vatten (Wonderful Women by the Sea), which came out in 1994. With her latest novel, Döda trakten/Kvinnor i revolt (Nowhere Land/Women in Revolt), Fagerholm won both the 2025 Finlandia Prize and this year’s Runeberg Prize. Another novel, Vem dödade bambi? (Who Killed Bambi?), which deals with gang rape and its consequences, received widespread attention and won the Nordic Council Literature Prize. Fagerholm’s style is recognisable: layered and almost musically rhythmic. Instead of plot, the narrative emphasises atmosphere and experience. Fagerholm’s performance is part of the Annikki Poetry Festival’s prose breaks.
Hilja Grönfors is a key interpreter and preserver of the Finnish Romani music tradition. She grew up in a Romani family where the song tradition was orally passed down from generation to generation, learning her songs early on in the daily life of the community. In her performances, Grönfors sings old Romani songs that deal with love, longing, loss and a nomadic way of life. Her singing style is highly emotional and plain, highlighting a distinctive tone of voice and traditional interpretation. Honoured with the title of Master Folk Singer, Hilja Grönfors has performed at numerous concerts and festivals both in Finland and abroad. She has collaborated with folk music researchers and musicians, thanks to which Romani music has been recorded and brought to the attention of larger audiences. Grönfors has been awarded for her work with the Finland Prize and the honorary title of Academician of Arts. Katariina Lillqvist, the title artist of the Annikki Poetry Festival, has made a documentary of Hilja Grönfors and the history of the Romani people in Finland, titled Eihän tämä maa minun omani ollut (This Land Was Not My Land). You can find Grönfors’s music on our Spotify playlist.
Satu Kankaanpää and Juhana Salonen are among Finland’s best-known and most frequently performing sign-language poets.
Satu Kankaanpää has been actively performing as a poet since 2019. She has studied sign-language poetry under the guidance of top Finnish and international deaf poets and Visual Vernacular artists. In 2024, Kankaanpää won the grand prize for her poem Kapinaruno at the Finnish Deaf Culture Days in Helsinki and also appeared on the Yle radio programme “Tämän runon haluaisin kuulla”. Her poetry can also be seen on the Sign Language Library website. At the Annikki Poetry Festival, Kankaanpää promises to fully unleash the visual and physical expression and rhythm of Finnish Sign Language and to spice it up with various styles, such as visual music and Visual Vernacular. These ingredients will turn into impressive visual art from the world of the deaf.
In his poetry, Juhana Salonen is most interested in themes that genuinely touch each and every one of us. He wants to place special emphasis on an effort to use his hands, expressions and various parts of his body to interpret his poems as diversely as possible. Poetry has also offered him a tool to address traumatic phases in the history of the deaf in Finland. Salonen points out that understanding sign-language poetry is not always necessary. Even those not familiar with the signs can get an idea by finding nuances in the poet’s expressions, the rhythm of the movements and the versatility of the body. Salonen works as a researcher in the Sign Language Centre at the University of Jyväskylä. At the festival, he will perform his poetry and offer the audience a concise introduction into the opportunities offerd by sign-language poetry.
Daniil Kozlov (pen name Susinukke Kosola) is a writer, poet, publisher and creative writing instructor born in St Petersburg and living in Turku. He is also the founder of an important online forum for poetry, Runografi. Kozlov has published four poetry collections, which have been nominated for numerous awards. His 2017 collection Varisto received the Kalevi Jäntti Prize. Kozlov wrote Varisto by hand, and readers could only get their own copy by making a personal confession in writing. Turkoosi vyöhyke, which came out four years later, combines poetry, essays and novel in verse. Kozlov’s first work of prose, Ryssä (Sammakko), was published last year and depicts his growth as a Finnish Russian in Turku in the 1990s and 2000s. The book has been lauded for its precise and brutally poetic language. It deals with the Russian identity long hidden by Kozlov, his outsider feelings and the construction of nationality.
Kölö is the alter ego of Tampere-based writer Saara Metsäranta and a performance tracing the Babel language, combining and separating various languages by all possible means of association. Kölö on etenduste sari, hääl, kõne ning räägija ise. Medan Kölö sjunger är den etnofuturistiskt kretslopp och avantgardstisk schamanistisk performans, medan den läser är det något helt annat. Spare times Kölö is avantgardening its flowers, pushi green up babalonian stems, waving its exemplimities like folklore, performance, pop music, rituals or liturgy under the only trinity of shaman, sheman, he-man and german she-p-herd.
Kölö will perform together with the viola player Satu Kae, who started her violin studies at the age of six. Kae graduated as music educator from the Oulu University of Applied Sciences and as Master of Arts from the Swedish National Orchestra Academy in Gothenburg. She is currently working as a freelancer in both classical and popular music and is actively playing concerts.
Tania Nathan is a performing poet, spoken word artist and writer based in Helsinki and Malaysia. In her artistic work, she explores themes such as the legacy of colonialism, love, queer identity and roots. Her 2021 work Daughter of Immigrants deals with migration, generations and gender. Nathan is a co-founder and producer of POC Open Mic Helsinki.
Founded in 2013, The Sointi Jazz Orchestra is an ensemble known for its distinctive big band sound. Led by Rasmus Soini, the orchestra has performed numerous premieres, both independently and alongside Finnish and international soloists. For Sointi Jazz, 2026 is a year themed around words and text, and the orchestra has already performed with poets from Helsinki Poetry Connection. The poet Nihkee, who is also among our performers this year, made a guest appearance on the group’s sixth album, Jäähyväiset, released last year. For their performance with Tania Nathan at the poetry festival, the Sointi Jazz Orchestra will condense into the three-piece Sointi Jazz Ensemble. The lineup features Oskari Siirtola (bass & electronics), Petteri Hietamäki (woodwinds) and Kenneth Ojutkangas (tuba). Their appearance at the Annikki Poetry Festival marks their very first joint performance. You can find The Sointi Jazz Orchestra’s music on our Spotify playlist.
Suvi West is a Sámi writer, film director, screenwriter and TV personality living in Utsjoki. Her work blends the personal, the comedic and the political. As a filmmaker, she is particularly known for her documentary expression, which emphasises questions of identity, cultural heritage and environmental issues. West’s award-winning films include Eatnameamet – Our Silent Struggle, which depicts the Sámi struggle for their culture, and Máhccan – Homecoming, for which she was named Film Director of the Year. Among West’s best-known TV works is the comedy series Märät säpikkäät/Njuoska bittut. Her debut novel, Syntien kummun naiset (The Women of the Hill of Sins), was published last year. This highly acclaimed autofictional work explores creativity, sex and minority stress with self-irony and fresh insight. The novel’s humorous situations and witty dialogue provide a counterpoint to graver themes, such as the injustice faced by Sámi women – and women in general.
Spoken word poet Nihkee and vocal collective Saarten tyttäret have written and composed the spell-poem concert Äänetär, a genre-defying, feminist folk art rebellion. The performance blends modern spells in Kalevala meter with spoken word poetry and archaic rune songs. The piece combines fresh choral music and incantation poetry with dramatic and visual elements.
Nihkee (formerly known as Nihkee Akka) is a spoken word poet who unashamedly combines spoken word, music, rune songs and stand-up comedy in their unique style. Both Finnish and Nordic Poetry Slam champion, they are one of Finland’s best-known spoken word artists. Nihkee is currently writing a new collection about Finnish nationalism and ice hockey with their dad. You can listen to an interview with Nihkee and a track he recorded together with Sointi Jazz Orchestra on our Spotify playlist.
Saarten tyttäret was founded 10 years ago by the composer and choir conductor Sabrina Ljungberg, who wanted to invite her friends to sing music composed to poems in Kanteletar, a collection of Finnish folk poetry. It is not a traditional women’s choir but an artistic, determined and creative group that also composes new music together. You can find the choir’s music on our Spotify playlist.
In her debut novel Stigma, published last year by WSOY, Vy Tram explored shame, alienation and identity through a Finnish-Vietnamese protagonist. She has also published columns, pop culture analyses, essays, feature articles, poems and short stories across various online media and magazines. Tram’s writing is characterised by a fusion of the personal with societal themes, as well as a precise, minimalist language. Recurring themes in her work include the need for belonging, the significance of language and intercultural questions. Tram’s writing style moves along the interface of poetry and prose, emphasising observations of everyday life and the inner world of experience. As a writer, Tram represents the diverse and increasingly international landscape of Finnish literature.
The Shameless Shongololo Band is a seven-piece orchestra led by Finnish-South African Ayla Brinkmann. Their music resonates with organic rhythms, shamelessly danceable disco beats and great horn arrangements. The band brings to life the unique sound of South African townships, a live experience rarely encountered by Finnish audiences. The Shongololo Band’s lyrics feature English, Xhosa, Yoruba and Sumbwa. Among the artists that have inspired the group are icons like Miriam Makeba, Letta Mbulu and Hugh Masekela. The ensemble will close the Annikki Poetry Festival with an unforgettable dance party! You can find their music on our Spotify playlist.
The official Annikki Poetry Festival After Party will take place at Kulttuuritalo Telakka (Tullikamarin aukio 3) at the end of the festival day, 6 June, starting at 9:30 pm. Age limit: 18+. Entry fee is €15.
Joy Duran is a Tampere-based American-Finnish singer-songwriter whose songs draw inspiration from the mountain ranges of Arkansas and the thousands of lakes in Finland. With her deep, soulful voice, Joy’s folk-rock-influenced music describes life and its many adventures. Her debut single, With You My Love, was released at the beginning of the year. Audiences in Tampere have enjoyed the artist’s distinctive style not only at numerous club gigs but also through busking. Last summer, Joy also performed on stages such as the Mitäs Mitäs Mitäs festival. You can find Joy’s music on our Spotify playlist.
Satu Kankaanpää is one of the best-known and most frequently performing sign-language poets in Finland. She has been actively performing as a poet since 2019. Kankaanpää has studied sign-language poetry under the guidance of top Finnish and international deaf poets and Visual Vernacular artists. Also performing at the Annikki Poetry Festival, Kankaanpää promises to fully unleash the visual and physical expression and rhythm of Finnish Sign Language and to spice it up with various styles, such as visual music and Visual Vernacular. These ingredients will turn into impressive visual art from the world of the deaf.
Mimosa is a young rap artist from Tampere who has brought a welcome fresh voice to Finnish hip hop. Her debut release, the six-track Most Mim EP – created in collaboration with Getto-Otto – was released last autumn. Influenced by punk and spoken word, Mimosa’s unapologetic songs find their themes in her everyday reality. As an artist, Mimosa’s most important goal is to create music that speaks to the listeners. Her lyrics are far from the clichés often repeated in hip hop, and they boldly take a stand on things like the consumer culture of our time. You can find Mimosa’s music on our Spotify playlist.
The title artist of this year’s Annikki Poetry Festival, Katariina Lillqvist is a film director, radio drama creator, artist and cultural influencer based in both Finland and the Czech Republic. Since the early 1990s, she has directed over twenty animated films and documentaries, in addition to creating radio drama, radio documentaries and installations. Lillqvist is known as a boundary-breaking artist who has brought puppet animation to the attention of the general public in Finland. Read more!