“Textura” (“Texture”) is a reading promotion program implemented by the Teple Misto platform. We aim to build social connections through literature-related practices. From spring 2022 until May 2024, the program operated under the name “Читай” (“Read”).
Our areas of work include:
- Lecture Series – public events featuring well-known writers and intellectuals aimed at spreading cultural practices among as wide an audience as possible and fostering cultural life in the city and the region. In addition to the official program, there is informal networking to reduce alienation and create connections between the audience and guest speakers.
- Adult Book Club – a community, united by a love for books and an interest in exploring their meanings and contexts.
The club operates in two formats:
— thematic seasons, during which the community reads books connected by a common theme (for example, the first season focused on Ukrainian literature of the 1920s, and the second on “literature of memory”). Each book is accompanied by contextual lectures from the season’s curators.
— in between seasons, when ambassadors and invited curators propose a list of books to the community each month, from which they jointly choose a “book of the month.” Discussions take place in a mixed format: in person and online.
- Teen Book Club – a community that helps teenagers build new relationships with texts through reading, not only for enjoyment but also for developing soft skills such as critical thinking, the ability to ask questions, form opinions, and engage in discussions or debates. In particular, community-building aims to help teenagers from vulnerable groups adapt to new conditions and find a safe circle of like-minded peers. For added effectiveness, we develop reading journals.
- Children’s Reading Club – a place where children gather to read and discuss books together, creating a friendly environment for fostering reading habits. The club helps children develop reading skills and promotes new cultural practices, which is especially important during wartime when the educational process faces challenges.
- Oleh Lysheha Residency – an initiative for cultural actors — artists, writers, curators, translators — providing them with the opportunity to live and work in Ivano-Frankivsk while developing individual projects and immersing themselves in the local contemporary art scene.
- Reading Journals – workbooks for children, teenagers, and adults to interact with books and record their impressions. The adult journal was created in collaboration with the craft brand Shuflia.
- City Reading Room – a joint project with libraries that places books from the “Texture” collection in Ukrainian and English for various audiences. Integrated into Ivano-Frankivsk libraries, the reading room offers free access to books without library cards. Books can be browsed, read, and studied only within the reading rooms where they are stored. We want library spaces to come alive – to be not just places for storing and circulating books, but vibrant cultural hubs. We are also launching “Textura Day” – Thursday activities in partner libraries.
Follow program news and announcements on social media — Instagram and Facebook.
