The Transpoesie initiative of the EUNIC network celebrates the International Day of European Languages in Brussels each year. The event leads poetry to every corner of the city, through different media and events. And this year they have launched a new website where European authors’ poems are gathered in the original version, and where you can read works by two Basque writers: Bernardo Atxaga and Itxaro Borda.

The new website brings together poems by authors from all over Europe in different languages (original version, English and French. The Etxepare Basque Institute became an associate member of the Europe cluster of EUNIC, the network of National Institutes of Culture of the European Union  in 2015, and with their support Basque authors participate annually in Transpoesie.

The goal of the past four editions was to put poetry into the Brussels public space, in the tramways, the metro trains, the busses. This year they are focusing on the quality of the poetry events and the launch of a brand-new website. Over the past 4 years, 100 European poets have presented their poems in the framework of the project. The public of Brussels gets a chance to discover the great variety of languages and literary talent in Europe, enriching their daily routines with a unique and creative experience.

The William A. Douglass Chair in Basque Cultural Studies, created this year by the Etxepare Basque Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was inaugurated on 26 September with a relevant academic program.

In the memorable inaugural conference of the Chair that bears his name, William Douglass was accompanies by his family and to the heads of the university, including the Provost. In the event, Mari Jose Olaziregi, responsible for the universities area at the Etxepare Basque Institute, recalled the biography of Douglass and its many facets: anthropologist, writer, hunter, fisherman ... She highlighted the prestige he enjoys in Euskal Herria and the recognitions he  has achieved there. And she also stressed the importance of the contributions that this chair will make in the future.

That same day the university also hosted the international symposium "William Douglass, Basque Studies and the Anthopology of Europe", with the participation of experts Caroline Brettell, Susan Carol Rogers, Sharon Roseman and Joseba Zulaika.

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Once again, the London Spanish Film Festival, which is being held on September 22-29, will include a Basque Window, to show Basque cinema.

The festival is proud to present a particularly strong Basque Window this year. Veteran Imanol Uribe will present Lejos del mar, a film about the feelings of absence and vengeance provoked by an ETA act of terrorism, and Bárbara Goenaga will present Pikadero, by the Scottish, Basque Country-based, Ben Sharrock. Model and actor Jon Kortajarena, not exactly a newcomer to film as his debut was in Tom Ford´s A Single Man, will present the short 36 Hours and Acantilado. The Basque films Amama and Un otoño sin Berlin will also be screened at the festival.

The London Spanish Film Festival launches its 12th edition with an extraordinary line-up of recent Spanish films, most of them UK premieres and a unique opportunity to watch them in London. From enigmatic thrillers to fresh comedies, from poetic dramas to international coproductions, documentaries and promising shorts, this year´s line-up offers an insight into the compelling variety of Spanish cinema and its artists.

Thanks to the agreement between Basque Music(Euskal Herriko Musika Bulegoa, the Etxepare Basque Institute and Euskadiko Soinuak - Basque Government) and the Monkey Weekfestival, in the this year’s edition of the festival, to be held for the first time in Sevilla, three Basque bands will have the opportunity to perform in different scenarios during the 14th and 15th October.

The three groups that go under ´Basque Music´ are Izaki Gardenak, Yellow Big Machine and ExNovios, three groups of different musical styles and great projection.

The literary fair Göteborg Book Fair, the most relevant of Scandinavia, has been organized from 22 to 25 September. This year, the Basque author Karmele Jaio will attend the fair and be part of the official program, thanks to the support of the Etxepare Basque Institute.

On September 23, the author will participate in a round table with the writers Delphine Vigan (France) and Kristina Sandberg (Sweden): "Whose Rules: Mental, Physical, Political". After that, she will offer a poetry reading. The following day, the writer will lead the symposium "Women in Contemporary Basque Fiction Literature".She will analyze the case of Basque women writers through Karmele Jaio’s work. Her writing proposes a deep reflection on the role of women, a deep resistance to traditional “duties” like motherhood, with a style that tries to deconstruct a literary language that is usually foreign to women.

The Göteborg Book Fair is a four day long literary festival, a fantastic mix of books, authors, book-lovers, knowledge and joy. The days are filled with literary events, poetry readings, interesting discussions and debates on almost every conceivable topic. New books are presented at the many stages and exhibitors’ stands and deals are closed at the International Rights Centre.

The William A. Douglass Chair in Basque Cultural Studies, created this year by the Etxepare Basque Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst will open on September 26.

This new chair will be dedicated to promoting the Basque Anthropology Studies, and will organize an annual conference and a seminar on this subject. The first edition of the conference will be dedicated to the work of Douglass himself.  In addition, Jackie Urla, Professor of the Department of Anthropology, will create the subject "Culture and Heritage in Europe", which will deal with special attention the history of the Basques.

The chair will open officially on September 26,  with a Inaugural Lecture by William A. Douglass. The very same day the university will hold the international symposium "William Douglass, Basque Studies and the Anthopology of Europe", with the participation of the experts: Caroline Brettell, Susan Carol Rogers, Sharon Roseman and Joseba Zulaika. The Etxepare Basque Institute will be represented by Mari Jose Olaziregi, director for the Promotion and Dissemination of the Euskera and responsible for the area of universities.

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Throughout the last week the Basque writer Luisa Etxenike has presented in the US  The Art of Fishing (2015), the English translation of her book of poems El arte de la pesca (2015).

On the one hand, on September 16 she participated in the ENCLAVE-Literary Series program, organized by the City University of New York at The Graduate Center. In addition to presenting the book, the writer also offered a poetry reading in this event.

Etxenike then traveled from New York to Wisconsin, where on September 19 she offered a conference-seminar on translation techniques at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.  She also had the opportunity to present The Art of Fishing (2015) at an event held at The Reader´s Loft; there she explained the concept behind this  book and the reasons that led her to combine in it different genres and modes of expression -music and literature-. The writer has made this trip with the support of the Etxepare Basque Institute.

September 28 will be the deadline for submitting proposals to participate in the 2017 first semester selection of the  Artistas en Ruta program. Artistas en Ruta is a program organized by AIE, that aims to promote live music concerts and new talent through a circuit of performances in live music venues.

Applications can be submitted by regular mail or online; all necessary information is collected on this link. Those who submitted their application for the 2016 Autumn period do not have to send it again, as they will be automatcally considered for the next 6 months.

A jury selects several artists from different styles and origin to perform in concert halls throughout the Spanish geography during a semester. And thanks to the agreement signed between AIE and the Etxepare Basque Institute, the presence of Basque groups is guaranteed.