Publishing in Wartime Dnipro

How do you document a city while its present is still unfolding? At Laichter House, the editors of POMIZH, an independent media project from Dnipro, will discuss what it means to create a printed cultural magazine in Ukraine during Russia’s war. The conversation will explore cities, memory, and the need to document the present while it is still taking shape.

· ABOUT POMIZH ·

POMIZH is an independent media project about the Ukrainian city of Dnipro and the surrounding region, created by a small grassroots team working at the intersection of journalism, culture, memory, and local history. Since its launch in 2022, POMIZH has explored how people relate to their city, how local identities are shaped and transformed, and how everyday experiences become part of shared memory. The project publishes articles online, produces a podcast, and releases a bilingual print magazine with all texts translated into English.

POMIZH was founded by the NGO Kultura Medialna, which runs projects in art and culture, community development, urban research, and civic engagement in Dnipro. Kultura Medialna is also a co-founder of the Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture (DCCC).

· ABOUT THE MAGAZINE ·

The second issue of the magazine, which the guests will bring to Prague, explores different visions of Dnipro and its surroundings, and the ways the perception of the city changes through time, distance, the possibility of loss, and the presence or absence of people who understand you.

The first issue, published in 2024 in a print run of 900 copies, is now completely sold out. It received the Grand Prix at the Best Book Design 2024 competition organised by Kyiv Book Arsenal, won in the Utility Book category, and received a Bronze Award at the European Design Awards.

· CONVERSATION ·

In conversation with moderator Darja Lukjanenko, a Dnipro-born interdisciplinary artist based in Prague, POMIZH’s co-founders and editors Dinara Khalilova and Alina Stamenova will speak about why personal and local stories matter in documenting a shared experience of war, what it takes to produce a magazine during wartime, and how independent publishing and grassroots cultural initiatives continue to emerge under extraordinary circumstances.

The discussion will also connect the Ukrainian experience with broader questions relevant to cultural communities in Prague and elsewhere: How do we document the places we belong to? What happens to local identity in times of crisis and transformation? How does our sense of home change when it becomes a place of uncertainty, displacement, absence, or loss? And what role can small-scale publishing play in preserving the stories that larger narratives often overlook?

The conversation will be followed by questions from the audience and a chance to see and buy the magazine.

· PARTNERS ·

The event is organised in collaboration with ArtMap and with the financial support of the City of Prague, the Prague 2 Municipal District, and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic as part of Laichter House’s literary club.