Nordic Baltic Conference for Cultural Journals 2025
Lagerhuset, Göteborg, Sweden, November 20-21
Organised by Nätverkstan together with the team of the Nordic Baltic Network for Cultural Journals, consisting of Förbundsarenan, Kultti, Tidskriftscentralen, Föreningen för Sveriges kulturtidskrifter, Tekstallmenningen, Norsk tidsskriftforening and editors.
Made possible through funding from The Swedish Academy, Swedish Arts Council, Region Västra Götaland, Nordic Culture Fund and Letterstedtska föreningen.
Conference host Hannah Ohlén, Föreningen för Sveriges kulturtidskrifter, Sweden
The program is still in progress and more information will be added.
Thursday
12.00–13.00 Check in
13.00 Welcome!
The host Hannah Ohlén and the conference team welcomes everyone to the conference.
13.10 Texts from Gaza, Palestine – readings
Readings of texts from Gaza, Palestine. Will be followed by a discussion later in the day.
13.30–14.30 Navigating value and relevance for today’s cultural journals
The cultural journal has existed for over four hundred years. Why and how has it survived? Is it the insistence on being a place for testing new ideas and methods, the freedom to be original, to set the agenda and create debate? Do we need to rethink our own relevance and value going forward? Can we take new positions and create our own spaces in the media crowd – and where are the openings to make that happen?
Participants
Dovydas Kiauleikis, deputy editor Literatūra ir menas, Lithuania
Ann Ighe, editor Ord&Bild and editorial board Eurozine, Sweden
Johanna Osváth, editor Nuori Voima, Finland
Moderator: Bente Riise, The Norwegian Association of Journals (Norsk tidsskriftforening), Norway
14.45–15.15 Making qualitative essays possible through regional funding – reading and discussion
Göteborg is situated in the region Västra Götaland. Västra Götalands county council has its own funding for essays and cultural journalism published in cultural journals (Västra Götalandsregionens essästöd). The writer Marit Kapla received funding for her essay and later turned it into the novel Osebol. The novel won the August Prize and was translated to English in 2021. She will read from her novel and a representative from Västra Götalandsregionen will discuss the funding and how it helps writers and journals in the area to publish qualitative essays.
Participants
Marit Kapla, writer and journalist
Jens Lejhall, Västra Götalandsregionen
15.15 Presentation of conference participants
All participants introduce themselves.
15.30 Break & coffee
16.00–16.45 Texts from Gaza, Palestine – discussion
The extent of communication between people all over the world has never been seen before. At the same time, the algorithms created by big tech companies are customising our feeds. The algorithms are ruled by certain political and economic reasoning, and disregards other forms of reasoning. It highlights certain stories, and silences others. Cultural journals, who are not part of the news media, have the possibility to deepen and broaden the public sphere in their publishing strategies. In this conversation, we will start from one of the most pressing issues of our time: the representation of Palestine. By taking a closer look at Ord&Bild’s initiative Prisma Palestina, we will discuss whose voices are being heard and under what conditions. We will further explore questions such as: Is translation a political practice? How can we think about journal publishing as an archive for the future? What are the ethical and political obligations that we as writers, editors and translators have in our contemporary times.
Participants
Catharina Thörn, member of editorial board Ord&Bild, professor culture studies at University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Erik Lindman Mata, writer, poet and translator, Sweden
16.45–17.10 To be announced
17.15 Information
19.30 Dinner
Friday
09.00 Information
09.15–10.00 The multifaceted role of the editor
What does it mean to be the editor of a magazine? What do we do and what is it worth? What skills do we have and what skills are we lacking? How do we use the power we have? What responsibilities come with the role?
Participants
Olga Ruin, film critic and editor of the film magazine FLM
Ida Madsen Hestman, editor of the cultural platform TBA
Moderator: Ingrid Elam
10.00–10.20 The situation for writers and journalists in Belarus today
Maryna Vesialukha and Alena Makouskaya are from Belarus and will discuss the current situation for journalists in the country. Maryna will discuss the scholarly dimension and Alena will talk about the practical side of cultural journalism.
Participant
Maryna Vesialukha, literary scholar, cultural journalist and editor, Belarus
Alena Makouskaya, cultural journalist, Belarus
10.30–12.00 Workshops / round table discussions
Choose three of the following workshops.
- Eurozine Nordic
Eurozine, the European network of European cultural journals, is currently exploring the possibility of establishing a branch office in Scandinavia. We hope this will strengthen the Nordic journal landscape. How and in what way? Members of the working group will present what is currently underway.
Participants:
Olav Fumarola Unsgaard, writer and program manager Göteborgs Litteraturhus, Sweden
Ann Ighe, editor Ord&Bild and editorial board Eurozine, Sweden - How can magazines strengthen democracy?
A European research project has brought together a dozen feminist intersectional magazines in a new network, which is planned to grow in the coming years. The researchers will investigate how magazines can act as a counterforce to the wave of de-democratization, right-wing populism, and anti-gender movements currently sweeping several countries – and contribute to supporting greater democratic space, as well as strengthen and support each other.
We will discuss how networks and collaborations between magazines can strengthen civil society, democracy, and justice as well as strengthen and support each other – what our needs are, how such collaborations can work, and what resources or funding are needed. Carolina Hemlin, editor in chief of Swedish Ottar magazine will present the European network and questions for discussion.
Participants:
Carolina Hemlin, editor in chief Ottar, Sweden - What are the challenges to freedom of expression?
There are many ways to silence people, journalists, and civil society beyond direct censorship. The exposure to hate and threats is increasing. We see different ways in which the possibilities for publishing and democratic conversation are being limited. Nätverkstan provides knowledge and support to the sector. As part of our ongoing work to map these challenges and find collective strategies, we invite you to this round table discussion.
Participants:
Jenny Skånberg, process manager at Nätverkstan
Jennie Dielemans, process manager at Nätverkstan - The Arts and Culture Magazine Publishers Forum (ACMPF)
ACMPF is a Nordic and Baltic network for connecting contemporary art and cultural journal publishers. Mariann Enge will present the network.
Participant: Mariann Enge, journalist editor-in-chief Kunstkritikk, Norway.
12.00 Lunch
13.15–14.00 Reading, publishing and exchanging texts in other languages
Many editors are interested in publishing in multiple Nordic languages or exchanging articles and essays with other journals in the Nordic and Baltic countries. How does the reader receive and feel about articles in other languages? In what context will exchanges of texts become relevant? How do we build relations between editors that are sustainable and interesting over time? Moderator Anders Teglund will talk with Mariann Enge, editor-in-chief Kunstkritikk and Anders Rubing, editor Nordisk Revy for Arkitektur, journals which both publish articles in Danish, Swedish and Norwegian.
Participants
Mariann Enge, writer, journalist and editor-in-chief Kunstkritikk, Sweden
Anders Rubing, editor Nordisk Revy for Arkitektur, Norway
Moderator: Anders Teglund, writer and researcher Nätverkstan, Sweden
14.00–14.45 Sustainable digitalization
In the age of digitisation, magazines are challenged to find their own path. How can a magazine keep their readers while adapting to the needs of an era obsessed with digitisation? Who are the digital readers and where is the money in the digital publishing? Do we have to convert entirely or can we maintain the printed magazine while adding digital to our portfolio? On the other hand, how can we successfully use the tools and means of the digital era which are entirely different from the rules of the printed world. And what constitutes a magazine in the digital format? Is it even relevant?
Participants
Hilda Forss, doctoral researcher at Society of Swedish Literature in Finland, and editor Kontradiktion, Finland
Siri Reuterstrand, editor Alba, former chairperson The Swedish Association of Cultural Journals (Föreningen för Sveriges kulturtidskrifter), Sweden
Moderator: Janne Wass, editor in chief Ny Tid, Finland
14.45 Coffee break
15.00–15.20 Prize ceremony Nordic Cultural Journal of the Year 2025
The Nordic Cultural Journal of the year 2025 will be announced. The prize is biannual and the nominees are the winner of each countries own competition. The prize in the respective country is distributed by Norsk tidsskriftforening (Norway), Föreningen för Sveriges kulturtidskrifter (Sweden), Kultti, Förbundsarenan and Tidskriftscentralen (Finland).
15.30 Reflecting and concluding thoughts
Conference host Hannah Ohlén reflects together with the participants about the conference.
15.45 Reading by Ulf Karl Olov Nilsson (UKON)
Ulf Karl Olov Nilsson reads poetry
16.00 Thank you!
If you have any questions please reach out to us by email: nordicbaltic@natverkstan.net.