“We create literary aperitifs in this city that feels like home. There are those who sell experiences. We prefer to let them live” – Lavocediasti.it

To accompany you in reading this interview I recommend the song There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back, by Shawn Mendes, contained in playlist “Asti pride” on Spotify

An interview that tastes like Gin and Tonic. I can say that I also flagged this option from the list of new experiences to do at least once in your life. My traveling companions were some of the boys and girls from Cuba Libri, a literary association from Asti that promotes culture through reading, without forgetting the playful and recreational dimension.

Needless to say, we met at aperitif time. The golden hour did the rest, making meeting old friends even more magical.

Guys, how did the idea of ​​Cuba Libri come about and why?

It was born from an idea by Marco Alpan and Gaia Mussa, and then involved more and more people. A project that sees the light of the need to meet, be together, and talk about books and literature, to get to know the characters who populate pages and pages of texts. A reading group to gather other people’s opinions, discussing them over a cocktail. The project was born on April 1, 2022, from informal discussions: not lectures or static and academic meetings, but literary aperitifs.

When do you decide to make the switch and become a cultural association?

November 11, 2022, when from a collective we become a full-fledged cultural association. Our meetings, now as then, take place twice a month, all year round except in August. We have a board of directors which, in addition to Gaia and Marco, includes Alessio Cirlincione Palumbo, Beatrice Viazzi, Carlotta Bianco, Edoardo Orta, Lucia Cavagnino, Luigi Armanino, Manuela Mariuzzo and Paolo Sernini. Today we have around forty members.

Approximately how many people does each meeting between “Cubans” involve?

To date no less than 25 people, for a maximum of 50. We are at FuoriLuogo, which has now become our home. There is great freedom of participation: whoever wants to come comes, there is no fixed compulsory participation. Over an aperitif we discuss the book that is proposed every month, even to demolish it, if necessary. It doesn’t mean that you necessarily have to like it and that the feedback is always positive and, above all, reading the book in question is not mandatory (although, of course, it is recommended).

Continuous migration and community, to go beyond individuality

Thinking about the community that was formed and rooted around the concept of Cuba Libri is incredible. Since it is a group interview (and not a one-to-one dialogue with a single spokesperson of the association, as one might expect) it allows me to understand that the choral, collective dimension is sincerely present in this project. And it reminds me how important it is in life to be able to go beyond one’s individuality. A bit like authentic love: continuous migration of one towards the other, going outside one’s individuality towards the other and not bringing the desired object towards and within oneself. In Cuba Libri I was able to see this continuous migration: everyone’s thought migrated towards the reflection of the other, until it created a healthy cloud of ideas, which almost no longer had a thinker. I really understood what migration means. True.

Is there a kind of unit of measurement that indicates the satisfaction of the book proposed from time to time?

Yes, something all ours. Since ours are literary aperitifs, we decided to rate the various books based on their alcohol content. The text that received the lowest vote to date, i.e. 30%, was a text by McEwan. While the one we liked the most, for the moment, is Fahrenheit 451, by Bradbury, which obtained an 85%. Let’s say that the union between book and cocktail came naturally to us from the beginning and we also brought it during the presentations. If the association between drink and food comes to mind, we offer it directly to the author. It’s a bit like the brand, something that characterizes all our presentations, something of identity.

What relationship do you have with the Asti area? Has it changed since the beginning?

Today we are very tied to the territory: it was an important choice to make this project take root in this city, in which we believe a lot. We chose a place in Asti that represented us, that was home, namely the FuoriLuogo. There was no reading group in the area, primarily for young people, even though we are open to all age groups. In the way in which this project has been configured, let’s say that it is increasingly becoming something very Asti, rooted, also through the synergies created with the various local realities.

Networking is very important, especially in this area. Who are you building it with?

We have collaborations with various local entities, including Protect Our Home, Libera Asti, Asti Slow Fashion, Libraccio (with which we also organize presentations/events, presenting authors also from outside Asti), Spazio Kor, A book for Daniela, the Reading Group of Alfieri Classical High School and many others.

In your opinion, does the Asti area love itself enough?

Asti doesn’t love itself enough. More could be done and our association is the demonstration of how, even without necessarily having to upset things, you can make an important contribution to your city. Each reality, in its own small way, is doing its own. Mini pieces which, if properly joined, can create a beautiful puzzle, a large mosaic. We think that in Asti it is difficult to network and we are putting a lot of effort into this, first and foremost by communicating in the right way.

The main problems of this city?

Often people do not know at all certain realities of their territory, which are actually close at hand, they would have it right under their noses. In our opinion, people from Asti have the desire to participate in events, to do things, but they are often unable to be aware of what is around them. For this reason, our excellences should be promoted better: by discovering one, many others could be discovered. It is said that associations must sell an experience. We, however, try to make it live, offering something that wasn’t there before. We believe that another big problem is the university: it should be better structured, both in terms of training provision and in terms of its roots in the territory. Our university is not in Asti, but is a branch of others. Working on strengthening the university would restart everything. Some of us think that Parma is Asti as it might have been. In Asti we have many middle-aged people coming up, the 20-30 year old group, i.e. university students, are very few in Asti for this very reason, in our opinion.

Your latest projects?

The most recent is the Cuba Libri podcast, which comes out once a month. There is no precise date by choice, but it will be online at the beginning of the month anyway. We always try to get them out before the first meeting the following month. 7/10 minute talk on the previous month’s book, with parts of reading the passages. The project was created entirely by people from Cuba Libri, with perhaps some external guests episode by episode. Inside we also collect opinions on the book read, providing a sound image of what the meeting was, with curiosities about the author and insights. Each episode is combined with a drink. It is a source of great pride for us that podcasts are present on Spotify and YouTube. We would like to reiterate that the soundtrack of the podcast is also created by “Cubani”: Amedeo Freisa and Jane Plumbini.

Other completed projects?

We created the literary exhibition “Decanter”, over three days, at FuoriLuogo, last July, collaborating with the Fandango publishing house. And then we collaborated with Assaggio Ludico, with the L’Ecole exhibition and much more. We also organized the “Cubalentino”, in February 2023, on the occasion of Valentine’s Day. An event to find your literary affinity. A real literary Speed ​​Date in which everyone brought their favorite book, with the aim of finding affinities starting from literature. Cuba Libri creates relationships and friendships. We have dinners for members, we are full of ideas and we have a great desire to do so, so that everyone can use their skills. Everyone has their space and all together we are a force.

What’s cooking?

In May we will read a book that has as its theme the relationship between man/dog or man/animal, Lida from Asti will also come to the meetings. On May 19th we will take a walk with literary moments. All for charitable purposes: we will give part of the proceeds to charity. In June, however, we will address the topic of disability. And then, we are working on the Cuba Libri website, where people will be able to see upcoming events and all the information, with short comments on what they have read, with all our votes. We will also collaborate with Indieflash (another Asti Pride, HERE the interview), creating a literary column with them.

Any advice to young people like you (or rather, us) looking for their own path?

We are the first to think about this question! It would be nice to do it together, in front of a Spritz and a good book. We think it is essential to share your passions with someone, to give life to new projects, new experiences. We start from there and it’s just the beginning…

The video greeting to the readers of Orgoglio Astigiano