“Transitions” will take place simultaneously with Tartu International Literary Festival Prima Vista, whose 2024 edition, titled “Futures Better and Worse”, is organized in collaboration with European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024. At the festival, writers, artists, academics, and culture enthusiasts from different countries take the stage to map out and interpret the societal fears and hopes related to the future in the most expansive and diverse way. A number of SFRA scholars are contributing to organizing the events.

The SFRA Conference Banquet will be entertained by Posthumanist Hangover (EST). The Posthumanist Hangover is a toxic vibrational cocktail, shaken together disproportionately from engines and muscles, from electric impulses penetrating coils and brain at the speed of light, from tarnished surfaces of parabolic antennas, from which both cartoons and porn have bounced, from self-boosting feedback, ridicule of progress and addiction of technology. Consume irresponsibly!

TRANSFORMING LITERARY PLACES. This exhibition in the University of Tartu Arts Museum seeks to explore imaginative connections between literature and other artistic forms, highlighting the way in which different media can shape, inspire, and transform physical spaces. Curated by SFRA 2024 co-organizers Francesca Arnavas and Mattia Bellini. Curator tour on May 7 at 6PM. Also in the SFRA 2024 | Transitions main program. See more.

THE GRAND FUTUROLOGICAL CONGRESS. Ten notable authors will give their take on the future in a series of events that lasts five days in the University of Tartu Library. If you see them all, you’ll get a kaleidoscopic picture of how literature relates to the future. Featuring SFRA’s Mark Bould in conversation with Cory Doctorow on May 8, and Paweł Frelik in conversation with Josh Sawyer and Märten Rattasepp on May 9. In English or English translation. See more.

TRANSLATION AGENCY. A performative space in front of University of Tartu Library that frames The Grand Futurological Congress throughout the festival. They translate everything into everything else, but there are also talks, conversations, readings and so on. A hangout space for the whole festival. Featuring SFRA’s Alan Shapiro with a talk and Mark Bould with a reading. Times TBA. See more.

STALKING EASTERN EUROPE. A week-long Eastern-European SF film program in Tartu Electrical Theatre that focuses on the topic of space and demonstrates the variety of the region’s speculative imagination. Featuring SFRA’s Sonja Fritzsche introducing „Eolomea“ (1972); Simon Spiegel introducing „In the Dust of Stars“ (1976) and „Love 2002“ (1976); Jędrzej Burszta introducing “Inquest of Pilot Pirx” (1978); and Paweł Frelik introducing „On the Silver Globe“ (1988) as well as being in conversation with Tristan Priimägi. English subtitles, relatively cheap tickets. See more.

BRING YOUR OWN UTOPIA. Five authors from different UNESCO Cities of Literature have taken their utopias to Tartu, and each worked together with a different local artist to perform, install or otherwise present it in Tartu’s urban space. Different formats and locations, singular synergies. Good for short walks away from academic discussions. See more.

THE POETICS OF SURVIVAL. The students in University of Tartu studied the life-worlds of endangered species and made art on the basis of their knowledge and experience. An exhibition will be opened in Jakobi 2 building on May 9. A discussion on extinction, survival, and protection will follow. A curator tour will take place on May 10. Drop by to experience how art can make us posthuman. See more.

HOW TO WRITE KINDNESS. Ten local young authors worked for a year in various charities in Southern Estonia. They were schooled how to do that and how to write on the basis of their experiences. The result is a special issue of the local youth literary magazine Värske Rõhk, and a special community of young people for whom things got very real. They’ll present their works and discuss their experiences on a cozy community day on May 11. You can eat soup and play games in between presentations. It’s in Estonian but people will be glad to explain. Positive cognitive estrangement. See more.

INSOMNIACATHON. A crazy 24-hour cultural marathon that starts in the morning of May 11 in the Tartu Literature House featuring presentations, performances, readings, music, space-time warps and ripples, angels, non-conscious cognition, and so on. Featuring SFRA’s Amy Cutler and Francis Gene-Rowe. A good place to drop by after the conference. See more.

See the full festival program here.