From the 4th until the 6th of June, CELA took over Brussels, the capital of Europe. In these three days Brussels became the capital of European literature - hosted by the incredible team of founding member deBuren. After endless digital meetings we finally earned it to meet face-to-face again, with many familiar faces, as well as plenty of new additions to the CELA family. I am Jannes, an intern at Wintertuin, and I was very happy to bathe in the CELA warmth for a few days.

Brussels is a city filled with ginormous palaces and even taller apartment complexes. A lively city, hosting 185 different nationalities. Almost 80% of all inhabitants have a migratory background. With our CELA family, with 210 people present, we momentarily cranked up the digits even more. As with every big family gathering, you’re never able to speak with everyone for hours, but even then, the sense of family - the sense of belonging - was very present. We were able to eat and dance together, and be surprised by how different - how tall or small - everyone looked in physical form. We had many meetings cramped in this minimal time frame, yet I noticed a different sense of commitment and connection; something which is so hard to achieve in the digital sphere. The beautiful halls of Les Ateliers des Tanneurs created the possibility to quickly bounce ideas off of each other; it created more space for less nuanced thoughts which stimulated fast paced decision making. 

I joined many staff meetings, about the current state and future of the CELA project and the new platform, fwd, about which I’ll speak more later. On the second day I was able to sneak off and join the meeting with the Spanish team about their festival. It was great to see how committed the festival organizers, writers and translators were towards each other. 

Family 
It’s this commitment which I feel is key to CELA. I keep using the world family, which isn’t without reason. For three days we were united with 210 people. Just like family - or perhaps this is my odd perspective on family - we were together with a group of people, mostly unknown to one another, yet you feel that you are connected. Perhaps not by blood, but by literature. It’s a family we’ve all chosen to join. A family in which we want to invest. This willingness to invest in each other seeps through every crack. Of course it’s noticeable in meetings, but even more so in the human connection. As the Benjamin of this family, I could clearly see the family dynamic, shaped by many uncles and aunts, making sure their children are allowed to play freely; yet the aunts and uncles also can’t help themselves but join the playfulness from time to time. 

fwd 
During this edition of the work week, we also launched the new platform originating from CELA, namely: fwd. The fwd (forward) platform will act as an extension of the continuing CELA project, focusing more on making an impact on the European book market. It’s a movement aiming to connect the next generation of European literary artists to the next generation of readers. It’s a platform which is just taking its first steps; as director Frank Tazelaar says: ‘baby steps’. The presentation was filled to the brim with information, which might have confused some listeners; but trust CELA - trust fwd - with time everything will become clear. 

Closing remarks
The week was filled with important meetings, but again, even more so with human connection. Every evening we ate together and chatted - about literature of course, but mainly about everything else, even the most intimate details weren’t spared. We shared great wines, as well as terrible ones, but the taste of it barely seemed to matter. We made toasts to celebrate birthdays, we celebrated literature, CELA and above all; family.

Photography: Gaby Jongenelen