Elizabete Takes Second Place at Latgalian Poetry Slam with "Strong Women" Cycle
Elizabete, whose real name is Ilze Vovka, won second place at the Latgalian-language poetry slam "Rogovkys dzejis voga" and performed three poems from her cycle "Stypruos sīvītis". The portal lakuga.lv offers the poems to read and to watch on video.
On 12 September, the Latgalian-language poetry slam "Rogovkys dzejis voga" took place for the fifth time, with nine authors taking part. Annele Slišāne won the contest, Elizabete came second, and Ņomuks placed third.
This year, the portal lakuga.lv is presenting the poems of all three laureates for reading, as well as in video format, using recordings made at the event.
The runner-up
Second-place laureate Elizabete, whose real name is Ilze Vovka, introduced the slam audience to three poems from her cycle "Stypruos sīvītis" ("Strong Women"), also called the "Poppy Cycle". The poems are titled "Atsazeišona", "Ticeiba" and "Instrukceja".
About the themes
The texts are written in Latgalian. They reflect on a childhood in a home with drawn curtains, on the roles of mother and woman, on hope and disappointment, and on what it means to be a strong woman. A recurring image is that of poppies growing in a grandmother's orchard among apple and pear trees, which, as the poems say, are believed to protect against evil.
The publication was prepared with the support of the State Culture Capital Foundation.
