FESTIVAL OF WORKING CLASS LITERATURE 2025

We are not here today to enter tomorrow into the literary canon. To ask for recognition from the world of educated people or to eat the crumbs that fall from the table of publishing. We are here today to win tomorrow a labor dispute, to participate with books in the class struggle, and to tear down the barriers that fence in literature and publishing, excluding people without cultural capital.

Unlike many festivals in this country, we have no sponsors from companies or banks, because we do not engage in whitewashing with the working class. Our only sponsor is the struggle and collective participation: we stand thanks to the support of 500 people through crowdfunding and the militant contribution of volunteers, speakers, and contributors.

We are at the third edition. After the Genealogies of 2023 (the past) and the Geographies of 2024 (the present), now it’s time for Perspectives (the future). Against capitalist realism, which crushes us into a present that never passes and smells of war, pollution, fascism, and exploitation, we will conjugate verbs in the future tense, because we shall be everything, as a slogan from the North American labor movement says.

The Festival returns as the struggle of the former Gkn workers reaches a turning point. After the approval of the Regional Law, the bottom-up reindustrialization plan is still waiting to begin. In the meantime, the workers continue to be under attack by the owners, who, in addition to not paying wages, have initiated a new dismissal procedure for the third time since that July of 2021. Thus, the Festival must again be defended through mobilization. To reclaim spring together.

“WE SHALL BE ALL”

April 4-5-6, 2025 – Ex GKN Protest, via Fratelli Cervi 1, Campi Bisenzio (FI)

Organized by Edizioni Alegre, the GKN Factory Collective, and the Soms Insorgiamo in collaboration with Arci Firenze.

Artistic direction by Alberto Prunetti

FRIDAY, APRIL 4

17:30 – We Shall Be Everything. Presentation of the Festival Program

Giulio Calella (Edizioni Alegre)

Alberto Prunetti (Festival Director)

Francesca Di Marco (Soms Insorgiamo)

GKN Factory Collective

18:30 – Working-Class Writing and Literary Genres. Perspectives, Affinities, and Divergences

Wu Ming 4 (writer)

Serge Quadruppani (writer)

Simona Baldanzi (writer)

20:00 – Dinner

21:00 – Sung Lesson on Popular Music

Alessio Lega (singer-songwriter and author of “La resistenza in 100 canti”)

Alessandro Portelli (music critic, professor at Sapienza University of Rome)

22:30 – Song Theater

Love in the Time of Cazhocène

Performance by the Orchestra Filarmonica Fatica & Sudore

SATURDAY, APRIL 5

10:30 – Genealogies and Perspectives of Working-Class Poetry

Monica Dati (author of Si dovrebbe allora pensare a dei poeti operai)

Simona Cleopazzo (author of movimenti terra)

Bernardo De Luca (poet and researcher, author of Campo aperto)

Moderators: Pietro Cardelli (Arci Firenze) and Emily Zendri (Edizioni Alegre)

12:00 – Working-Class Literature and Militants’ Literary Criticism

Mimmo Cangiano (University Ca’ Foscari, Venice)

Marco Gatto (University of Calabria)

Morena Marsilio (Independent researcher and professor)

Emanuele Zinato (University of Padua)

13:30 – Lunch

15:00 – Writing while Serving at the Tables

Luigi Chiarella (Italian waiter immigrated to Austria, author of Risto Reich)

Daria Bogdanska (Polish waitress immigrated to Sweden, author of the graphic novel Nero vita)

Moderator: Filippo La Porta (literary critic)

16:30 – Writing while Breathing Toxic Dust

Reading by Michele Riondino from Malesangue

Followed by contributions from:

Raffaele Cataldi (author of Malesangue. Storia di un operaio dell’Ilva)

Virginia Rondinelli (Committee of Cittadini e operai liberi e pensanti – Taranto)

Michele Riondino (actor and director of Palazzina Laf)

Moderator: Francesca Di Marco (Soms Insorgiamo)

18:00 – Parade. We are Public Utility

From the GKN protest to Campi Bisenzio for the Socially Integrated Factory

20:00 – Dinner at the Workers’ House Rinascita in Campi Bisenzio

Piazza Felice Matteucci 11

22:00 – Reading and Acoustic Concert by Massimo Zamboni (CCCP)

In Piazza Felice Matteucci, Campi Bisenzio

SUNDAY, APRIL 6

10:30 – Writing from Deindustrialized Territories

Maurizio Maggiani (writer, author of Il coraggio del pettirosso)

Alberto Prunetti (writer, author of Troncamacchioni)

Eugenio Raspi (writer, author of Inox)

Eliana Como (FIOM unionist)

12:00 – The Family Narrative and Social Autobiography. Forms and Perspectives of Popular Class Narration

Anne Pauly (author of Prima che mi sfugga)

Claudia Durastanti (author of Stranger I Know)

Annalisa Romani (translator of Didier Eribon and Édouard Louis)

13:30 – Lunch

14:30 – The Migrant Perspective in Working-Class Writing

Janek Gorczyca (author of Storia di mia vita)

Christian Raimo (writer and teacher)

Luka Lei Zhang (Chinese researcher in working-class Asian literature, University of Macao, Philippines)

Matt Jenkins (curator of Working Class Literature and Working Class History)

16:00 – Writing while Fighting Class Struggle. Narrative Workshop on Comparative Struggles: GKN and Ilva

Dario Salvetti (former GKN worker, author of Questo lavoro non è vita)

Gea Scancarello (journalist, co-author of Questo lavoro non è vita)

Raffaele Cataldi (Ilva worker, author of Malesangue)

Moderator: Francesca Coin (sociologist)

17:30 – Reclaiming Spring

Presentation of the Working-Class Literature Prizes by the Municipality of Montelupo Fiorentino and the Di Vittorio Foundation of the CGIL

Presentation of the Working-Class Cultural Center

Presentation of the Insorgiamo Mutual Aid Pact

IF YOU WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE FESTIVAL, PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM AND HELP US WITH THE ORGANIZATION

IF YOU WANT TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER FOR THE FESTIVAL, PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM

HOW TO REACH THE FESTIVAL

SHUTTLE

A shuttle will be available every day from the Santa Maria Novella Station (Florence) to the I Gigli Shopping Center (Campi Bisenzio), which is 2 minutes on foot from the GKN protest.

• FIRENZE SMN (Bus Terminal, P. le Montelungo) > I GIGLI 

Departure: 10:00 | 12:00 | 16:00 | 18:00 | 20:00

Arrival: 10:40 | 12:40 | 16:40 | 18:40 | 20:40

• I GIGLI > FIRENZE SMN (Bus Terminal, P. le Montelungo) 

Departure: 11:00 | 13:00 | 17:00 | 19:00 | 21:00

Arrival: 11:40 | 13:40 | 17:40 | 19:40 | 21:40

Single trip ticket (available directly on the shuttle): €4 – free for children up to 1 meter in height

TRAIN

The closest train stations to the Festival are PRATO CENTRALE, CALENZANO, and FIRENZE S.M. NOVELLA. From these, you can reach the Festival by a bus from Autolinee Toscana. Schedules and information can be found on the website: www.at-bus.it

BUS AND TRAM

The Festival can be reached by bus and tram with the following lines:

• FIRENZE S.M. NOVELLA > FESTIVAL 

Take Tram Line T1 (towards Villa Costanza) from the Alamanni-Firenze S.M. Novella stop and get off at the Porta al Prato-Leopolda stop. Here, take Bus Line CF (towards Prato) at the Porta al Prato stop and get off at the I Gigli-GKN stop.

• CALENZANO > FESTIVAL 

From Calenzano Railway Station, you can reach the Festival on foot in 20 minutes

Alternatively, take Bus Line 303 (towards Le Piagge) at the Calenzano Fs stop and get off at the I GIGLI-GKN stop.

• PRATO > FESTIVAL 

Take Bus Line CF (towards Florence) at the Prato Stazione Fs 4 stop and get off at the I GIGLI-GKN stop.

CAR SHARING

TiMove – Phone +39 055 0456009 – Web www.timove.com

TAXI

Società Cooperativa Tassisti Firenze

055 4242 / 055 4798 / 055 4390

Prato Taxi Cooperative