The Istanbul TÜYAP Book Fair, held between 13 and 21 December, hosted a very special gathering this year. The @okuryazarkitaplar culture, arts and literature community, led by its founder and coordinator Kadir Temür, took its place at the fair with 33 distinguished authors and their valuable works, meeting with literature enthusiasts. A Bridge of Friendship Extending from Digital to Hearts
For the @okuryazarkitaplar family, this fair was not just a place to display books; it became a festive gathering where friendships that began online were strengthened through face-to-face meetings, handshakes, and hugs. At our stand, our authors met with their readers and signed their books; meanwhile, they enjoyed tea together, accompanied by homemade pastries and cakes, and engaged in warm conversations. Our authors, who came from all corners of Turkey to Istanbul's magical fair atmosphere, took pride in experiencing this excitement first-hand. Authors who were unable to attend in person shared in this great excitement by sending their books and following the process from their screens.
The Pulse of Literature Taken with Kadir Temür
Our coordinator, Kadir Temür, was constantly on the move throughout the fair. He conducted individual interviews with all participating authors, enabling them to introduce themselves and their works. He also filmed special promotional videos for each work, gifting the authors with unforgettable digital archives.
The @okuryazarkitaplar team played an active role not only at their own stand but throughout the entire fair. Embarking on their journey with the motto ‘leave no stone unturned,’ our team conducted interviews with dozens of authors, popular or not, and brought the heart of the fair to social media with over a hundred Instagram live broadcasts.
Meaningful Thanks and Future Vision
One of the most meaningful moments of the fair was the live broadcast featuring Kadir Temür and Ms. Gözde Baştımar, Marketing Manager of TÜYAP Fair Management. During this thank-you interview on behalf of our community, flowers were presented to Ms. Baştımar. Gözde Baştımar thanked our team for our contribution to promoting the fair and stated that they would be delighted to see the @okuryazarkitaplar family among them in the coming years.
Our creative writing instructor, Elif Ece Kırımlı, was also present at our stand over the weekend, welcoming students, our authors, and readers. The discussions on literature held by Kırımlı and Temür were followed with great interest on social media.
Our Authors and Their Works at the Fair
The authors in this impressive line-up and the works they have contributed to the literary world were as follows:
Gülşah Çetiner (Blind Love), Esin Tarakçıoğlu (Silent Hearts Rising from the Ashes, Breezes from Life), Ülya Nur (Mirror of the Soul, Dust of Memories, The Adventures of Cücünnü and Ecünnü, Grandmother and Grandchildren), Uğur Apçin (Without Me), Mahsun Erdoğan (Living Love in Schizophrenia), Nur Ateş Alver (In Search of the Fairy Tale Bird), Ganime Ahras (The Most Beautiful Form of Pain), Dilek Özipek (Let the Market Game Begin, Labyrinth Find Me), Orhan Özer (Black Rose), Elif Ece Kırımlı (Chance Encounters), Nuray Ertaş Balcı (The Great Plane Tree, Miracle), Perihan Koçyiğit (Reunion, King Alfred), Muhittin Çiftçi (The Silent Table), Kübra Çakar (The Secret Is Within You), Taner Durmaz (The Yellow Bride, Moşi, Nebun, Mum, Am I Sick?, Desert Love), Fatma Sözen (From Ada's Notebook), Kader Yıldız (You Are My Greatest Fear), Selim Öztürk (The Kavlan Trees), Hamit Doğan (Unauthorised Words, The Man in the Barrel, The Sleep of Words, Concrete Flowers), Rüzgar Doğan (Nine Guards), Gülsel Kaya (Fruit Island, My Struggle for Life, False Feelings), Tuğçe Biryol (Then Silence Spoke, I Swallowed Half a Breath), Hüseyin Burak Uçar (The Dreamer, Magical Reality, The Frequency of Success), Gülçin Granit (You Scratched My Patience, Selahattin, When the Ant Became King), Gözde Görmez (Calling Out to My Love, Everything About Love, Who is a Woman, From Prohibition to Prostration), Nejdet Bezgen (I Travel the World with Lovely Paws - Antarctica, I Travel the World - Turkey, Journey into the Mystery of History with Explorers) and Medine Mehtap (The Secret in the Heart, Breezes from Life). Stepping into Tomorrow with Greater Awareness
Our coordinator, Kadir Temür, expressed his gratitude to the entire @okuryazarkitaplar family and emphasised that this collaboration and unity of hearts should continue forever. With the belief that the experiences gained and lessons learned throughout the fair will shed a much more conscious light on future writing endeavours and fair participations, we extend our heartfelt love to all book lovers.
Here's to meeting again at many more book fairs, hand in hand and pen to pen!
