POESIA Noun Feminine

is a European project aimed at promoting and disseminating the poetry of Portuguese women writers from the 20th and 21st centuries. Co-funded by the European Union under the Diffusion of European Literary Works initiative of the Creative Europe programme, the project runs for 36 months (2023–2026) and is coordinated by Shantarin, a publishing house with over ten years of experience in bilingual editions of major Portuguese poets.

Based on the publication of bilingual editions (Portuguese-English, Portuguese-Spanish, Portuguese-Ukrainian), POESIA Noun Feminine proposes a transnational circulation of poetry that values linguistic diversity, gender equality, inter-arts dialogue, and the environmental sustainability of the publishing chain.

The works

The project includes five works, all edited and introduced by academic experts and translated by qualified professionals.

Bilingual edition with translation into English:

Song of Emerging Homeland and Other Poems, by Natália Correia

Edited by Cláudia Pazos-Alonso and Andrzej Stuart-Thompson (University of Oxford)
Translation: Andrzej Stuart-Thompson
Illustrations: Tamara Alves

Bilingual editions with translations into Spanish and English:

Mis Versos, Mi Voz. Poemas escritos por fadistas mujeres
My Verse, My Voice. Poems Written by Women Fado Singers

Fado poems written by Amália Rodrigues, Aldina Duarte, Mafalda Arnauth, Cuca Roseta, Carminho and Teresinha Landeiro
Edited by Maria de São José Côrte-Real and Maria Espírito Santo (NOVA University Lisbon)
Translation: María Matta (ES), Andrzej Stuart-Thompson (EN)
Illustrations: Tamara Alves

Primera Persona. Escritoras y Artistas Mujeres en Revolución
First Person. Women Writers and Artists in Revolution

Texts by Natália Correia, Fernanda Botelho, Tatiana Faia and Margarida Vale de Gato, in dialogue with works by Paula Rego, Júlia Ventura, Ana Pérez-Quiroga and Susana Mendes Silva
Organised by Bruno Marques (Universidade Aberta & IHA NOVA), Eunice Ribeiro (University of Minho), Emília Ferreira (IHA / NOVA & CIEG ISCSP–ULisboa), Daniel Rodrigues (University of Clermont-Auvergne)
Translation: María Matta (ES), Andrzej Stuart-Thompson (EN)

Bilingual editions translated into Ukrainian:

This Sorrow that Lifts Me Up, by Florbela Espanca

Edited by Cláudia Pazos-Alonso (University of Oxford)
Translation: Tatiana Badenko
Illustrations: Margarida Fleming

Êxtase do outono a ser, by Ana Luísa Amaral

Translation: Anna Kotova
Illustrations: Tamara Alves

All editions are produced on FSC^®certified paper and will be promoted and distributed in Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, and Belgium, among other countries, through events and partnerships with leading book distributors.

The project's values

POESIA Noun Feminine is born out of the conviction that the European literature of the future is to be written with more voices, more languages, and more geographies. The poetry of women, which is still less translated and less disseminated in Europe today, is at the heart of this project.

Through this initiative, Shantarin adopts a clear vision of commitment to sustainability. Following the ESG model, the POESIA Noun Feminine project features:

E for Environment: environmental responsibility is a hallmark throughout the project's production, distribution and dissemination chain. Some examples: all the project's books are printed on FSC™-certified paper and in FSC™-certified printing houses; the covers are not laminated, the books are packaged entirely in paper, and public transport is the preferred means for travel to presentations both in Portugal and abroad;
S for Social: the project contributes to gender equality and diversity in the canon of Portuguese literature translated into other languages, which still retains a strong patriarchal bias; books in Ukrainian foster access to reading for the large Ukrainian community in Portugal, and also support their learning of Portuguese, since the editions are bilingual;
G for Governance: a multidisciplinary and gender-balanced team committed to editorial excellence, clear communication and strict compliance with the project's objectives and the European co-funding it merited.

Through literary dissemination, the project promotes the values of creativity, inter-arts dialogue, freedom and democracy.

The European impact

The project scored 82/100 in the European Commission's evaluation, standing out in the criteria of relevance, quality of content and activities, project management and dissemination.

The evaluators recognised the project's contributions to:

The circulation of European poetry written in Portuguese;
Gender balance in the European literary canon;
The integration of the Ukrainian community in Portugal, particularly those displaced by war;
The integration of good environmental practices in the publishing sector, with explicit reference to the European Green Deal.

They also highlighted:

The visibility given to the editors, artists and translators involved, both in the editions and in the communication and promotion strategy. The project follows the good practice of including the translators’ names on the book cover, in line with the European Commission's Translators on the Cover – Multilingualism & Translation report;
The enhancement of the local economy by contracting local suppliers for book production;
The strategy of widespread promotion and distribution in print and digital formats;
The project’s continued value in the publisher's catalogue, with the production of works in languages beyond those defined in the application.

Circulation and communication

The strategic communication plan combines online and offline actions, with emphasis on:

The creation of this microsite under the publisher's domain (shantarin.com) and active presence on social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn);
The production of multimedia content, including short videos and poetry films;
Participation in book fairs and literary festivals in Portugal, Spain, Belgium, the United Kingdom, other European countries and Latin America;
Partnerships with NGOs, educational institutions, the media and renowned figures in the literary field;
Public readings and presentations in libraries, universities, cultural centres, and other institutions, especially those promoting gender equality and the integration of immigrants and war-displaced people from Ukraine.

In a survey conducted between January and March 2025, the following bookshops/stores in Portugal expressed interest in hosting promotional sessions for the POESIA Noun Feminine project:

A Internacional (Lagos)
A Pracinha (Beja)
A Vida Portuguesa (Lisboa)
Arquivo (Leiria)
Bertrand (Chiado, Lisboa)
Cassandra (Porto)
Companhia Das Ilhas (Lajes do Pico)
Culsete (Setúbal)
Essência Do Livro (Porto)
Fundação Livraria Lello (Leça do Balio)
Greta (Lisboa)
Indie (Cascais)
Lar Doce Livro (Angra do Heroísmo)
Ler Devagar (Lisboa e Óbidos)
Letras Lavadas (Ponta Delgada)
Livraria da Assembleia da República (Lisboa)
Livraria das Insurgentes (Lisboa)
Loja & Livraria do Museu de Marinha (Lisboa)
Rimas e Tabuadas (Guimarães)
Sá da Costa (Lisboa)
Snob (Lisboa)
Travessa (Lisboa)

In partnership with the Embassies of Portugal in the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, and Singapore, with Camões, I.P., DGLAB and AICEP, the project will hold presentations at bookshops and other cultural and university institutions in London, Oxford and Cambridge, Madrid, Barcelona, Salamanca and Santiago de Compostela, Brussels and Singapore.

In line with the interdisciplinary nature of the project, and with a view to reaching wider audiences, the following activities are planned:

Artistic and literary exhibitions centred on the work First Person. Women Writers and Artists in Revolution;
Fado concerts featuring authors included in the anthology My Verse, My Voice. Poems Written by Women Fado Singers.

Institutional communication and press relations will be carried out using segmented mailing lists and close collaboration with journalists and cultural programmers.

The readers of the POESIA Noun Feminine project

Target audiences include:

Readers of poetry and literature by women in general;
Students and teachers of Portuguese, Spanish, English and Ukrainian;
Ukrainian communities residing in Portugal;
Cultural organisations, library networks, NGOs, universities, schools;
Journalists, translators, illustrators, book and culture professionals.

The variety of communication actions has been designed to reach different age groups, geographic contexts, and sociocultural profiles, with particular attention to accessibility and inclusion.