WE TURNED 5!

In 2021, I opened a temporary book store at the Historical Archives Museum of Hydra, for what could very well have been its one and only season. What initially drew me to Hydra is what anchors me here today – the hospitality and generosity of its inhabitants, who welcomed me with open arms all those years ago and have truly come to feel like family. If it were not for their enthusiasm and encouragement, the Hydra Book Club might have ended up a one-off, a well-intentioned flash in the pan, instead of this – dare I say it – institution. The interactions I have had over the past five years, with Hydriots and visitors alike, have solidified my resolve to make the Hydra Book Club a permanent part of life on this island.

Today, five years later, I am fortunate to have Filip and Dimi by my side as we look together toward the future. We are the literary component of an exceptional group of contemporary institutions such as the Old Carpet Factory, Hydra School Project, DESTE Foundation, Hydra Dance Days, and of course our partner the Historical Archives Museum.

To make a meaningful and long-lasting contribution to the cultural life of this very unique island requires knowledge, dedication, and a clear mission. Ours is to honor Hydra’s literary heritage while energizing and promoting the contemporary scene still very much active today. Our commitment to the present and future is manifest in our publications, which now include two literary periodicals - The Journal of the Hydra Book Club and Glotta - and books by contemporary authors and artists linked to the island, as well as in our program of reading events with prominent authors from Greece and abroad.

We take our mission seriously and have a lot of fun doing it.

There will be changes, there will be surprises, but the Hydra Book Club is here to stay.

Thank you Hydra.