Leena Sainio is a poet, musician and visual artist from Helsinki. She prefers writing social criticism poems. Expressive poems are often flavored by black humor. Many of her poems contain intense rhythm and drama and are well suitable to read out aloud. Leena Sainio is also an active stage poet and can often be seen at poetry events in Finland. Sainio has published two poetry books: Särmää Serenadissa (trans.
Edgy serenade) (Pesä) was published in 2019 and the children's poetry book Rapuooppera (trans. The Crab Opera) (Enostone) in 2021. She has illustrated both publications herself. Leena Sainio's texts have been published in several poetry journals and anthologies. She is a member of the poetry collective Runosvengi.
Pirjo Kotamäki is a poet from Helsinki. In 2010 she won "Työ, leikki ja luominen" -writing competition for the lyric series in Tampere.
She has published five collection of poems, and the most recent "Villit linnut olkapäillä" (Basambooks, 2020) told the life story of Francis of Assisi as poems. In 2021, her poetry book "Tämä hento maailma, omassa kuolemassaan - runoja Pyhästä Birgitasta" (Basambooks) will be published. Kotamäki's texts have appeared in several cultural journals and anthologies. She is a member of the poetry collective Runosvengi.
Lauri Vanhala (b.
1953, Helsinki) is a Finnish poet and author. He started writing in 1978. Vanhala has written aphorisms, poems, short stories, essays and prose. He has published "Runot I" (Asatour, BoD, 2008), a short story, poems and musical composition "Hambarzum" (2015, Vanhala-Lakopoulos), "Hallituksia ja valtoja vastaan" (tr. Against Governments and Power, Mediapinta, Vanhala, 2017), "Graavatun tarunot ja lorunot" (Caravansei, 2019), and besides the short stories "Outoja kertomuksia" (tr.
Strange stories, Neirol, 2008) and the novel "Myrkyllinen maailma" (tr. Toxic world, Neirol, 2013). Vanhala pays special attention to Armenian literature and writers and has translated the production of Armenian national writer Hovannes Tumanian. He is one of the founding members of the Finnish-Armenian cultural organization. Vanhala is also a former member of the Finnish Aphorism Association. Currently, he is the chairman of the Uusimaa Writers 'Association and the Vantaa Writers' Association, and an Active Member of the Helsinki Poetry Connection.
Vanhala gives lectures in libraries, he also organizes and hosts poetry events, and recites his poems in schools, streets and events.
Kasper Salonen (b. 1987) is a bilingual spoken word poet, translator, voice actor, and workshop director from Southern Finland. He has written and performed live poetry in English and Finnish since 2010, and worked as a translator for more than a decade. Salonen has published two spoken word EPs with various musicians as well as a chapbook of his early poems.
In spring 2021, Enostone Publishing released his Finnish-language debut, Kiertoreittejä, in physical, ebook, and audiobook form later to be followed by a selection of English translations of the poetry of Finnish legend Arto Melleri a world first. Poetry videos are also available and forthcoming. Salonen has produced and hosted dozens of events for the Helsinki Poetry Connection collective, and teaches poetry at the HPCs Spoken Word Academy.
Rosetta Versos on keravalainen pienkustantamo, joka on erikoistunut monipuolisen kaunokirjallisuuden, erityisesti runojen julkaisemiseen.
Lisäksi se tekee niihin liittyviä graafista suunnitelua, käännöksiä ja kirjoittamista. Rosetta Versos aloitti toimintansa julkaisemalla kolmekielisen runokirjan "Syytön harppuuna" vuonna 2018. Tulevia teoksia ovat vuonna 2021 julkaistavat kaksikieliset runoantologiat "Untranslated Nature-Kääntämätön luonto" suomi-englanti ja "Holograma-Hologrammi" (suomi-espanja).
Andy Willoughby is a poet, playwright and producer from the North East of England.
He has co-run many spoken word cabarets in the Teesside area. He has performed his poetry, often with music and multi-media all over Europe. As co-director of Ek Zuban Independent Press he has led many poetry exchange and publishing projects with a particular interest in Fenn Ugric languages and cultures. He was recently appointed UNESCO City of Literature Writer-in-Residence in Tartu, Estonia. He has been a key figure in yearly exchanges with Finnish/English writers and musicians since 2000 including migrant writers to both countries as well as indigenous authors.
He has co-translated and published many Finnish poets. His critically acclaimed book Sampo: Heading Further North, collaboratively written with Bob Beagrie, inspired by the Finnish Kalevala, was translated by Niinikangas and published in Finnish by Savukeidas ( 2016). His last book Between Stations (Smokestack Books) is currently being translated into Finnish and will be published by Enostone Press.
Ursula Anttila-Halinen, M.
A., (Helsinki University), teacher of Finnish and literature. She was born in Helsinki and lives now in Klaukkala. Anttila-Halinen has written two poetry books (Lumiaurinko 2017, Runorouvan riimit ja säkeet 2018) and three cosy crime books (Lumiprinsessa ja taikaympyrä 2015, Laulu taivaansinisestä kukasta 2016, Runoilija ja vaarallinen muusa 2019). Her third poetry book Syyskimikki juhlii was published in 2021.
Anttila-Halinen's literature blog is titled In Search of Enchantment. She is a member of the poetry collective Runosvengi.
O. R. Helle-Kotka, M. Ed. (University of Jyväskylä), a poet and an educationalist, is a founding member of the poetry collective Runosvengi. She is also one of the founders of the Poetry Fotogenic Team and the Poetrycinema (Runokino in Finnish). Helle-Kotka has written 10 books, a few of which are collections of poetry.
She will also have a poetry book for children. In 2019, she won second place in the international Lahti Poetry Marathon competition with her poetryvideo Between. Helle-Kotka was born near the Arctic Circle in Oulu, but has lived most of her life in Helsinki and Espoo. Also a few years in the USA and Great-Britain. She writes by name Riika Kotka several non-fiction books. Most recently, she was one of the authors of the creative writing book Runomatkaopas (Aviador 2019).