"Penčanje" in Modana

Poetry in the In-Between Space.

Theme of this year’s Penčanje in Modana is the poetic word as an invisible force that inscribes itself into space and co-creates it. A word that not only describes, but shapes. This microfestival, taking place on both sides of the border — in Cormons (Krmin) and Breg pri Golem Brdu — connects poetic language with the vibrant and diverse Brda landscape, where languages, dialects and cultures not only meet but intertwine to form something entirely new.

Poetry and the in-between space are the central motifs of the festival: words as travelers that cross borders, just like people do. In this part of Europe, where borders exist only on maps, life happens in transition — in the interspace where languages do not exclude but complement each other. Slovene, Friulian, Italian, and fragments of untranslatable expressions unique to each village flow into a poetic language that defies precise origin — yet can be felt.

The interspace is not a solid place, but a fragile state. It is a feeling that arises in the encounter of people, language, and space. It is a moment of utopia, a temporary community created by the poetic word. When we leave this space, perhaps only a memory remains — but even that holds power.

Penčanje in Modana remains faithful to its idea: a small, intimate event that, despite its modesty, opens big questions about language, identity, space, and transition.

This year, it returns to the place where poetry is not a distant thought, but a way of sensing and living space. A place where even the most elusive words find a home.

Part 1: Cormons (Krmin), 7 June 2025

Where & When: Piazza XXIV Maggio, starting at 6:00 PM
In case of bad weather, the event moves to Enoteca di Cormòns.

In collaboration with XMobile Poetry, curated by Emilija Vučićević and XCenter, and with poet Gaia Rossella Sain, a poetic gathering with poetry workshops and readings will take place in Cormons.

Programme:

• 18:00 – HAIKU & ARTS workshop led by Sara Lamanda and Gaia Rossella Sain
• 19:30 – Musical performance: Franco Giordani
• 20:30 – Poetry readings
• 21:30 – DJ Set by Jaša Bužinel

Part 2: Breg pri Golem Brdu, 14 June 2025

Where & When: Breg pri Golem Brdu 6, starting at 5:00 PM

In the idyllic courtyard of Iva and Ivan Skubin, an evening of poetry will create a borderless space — a space of language, silence, rhythm, and encounter.

In a multilingual atmosphere infused with the Brda landscape and its voices, readings will be performed by:
Miljana Cunta, Antonella Bukovaz, Jure Jakob, Andreina Trusgnach, and Francesco Tomada.

Musical ambiance by DJ Jakob.

You are invited into the interspace of poetry — where words ripple between languages, people, and hills.

Programme:

• 17:00 – Film screening / Vid Hajnšek: In My Dreams a Tree Grows Every Night
• 19:00 – Conversation with poet and illustrator Tina Volarič on her new poetry collection “Shapes Clap” (Goga Publishing)
• 20:00 – Main stage / Poetry and the Interspace

More information:
Alma Ars Institute / Alma Medana
T: +386 41 929 781
E: alminahisa@gmail.com