Vol. 1 No. 3 (2025): Encounters, Paths and Challenges in Troubled Times. Part 3

Editor's Introduction

December has arrived. The Advent season has begun, and the festive season is upon us. As the year draws to a close, our hearts are filled with gratitude for many things. In October, thanks to our excellent Finnish colleagues, Karoliina Maanmieli and her organising team, we held our second annual biblio/poetry conference in Jyväskylä. Special thanks go to the Finnish Association for Biblio/Poetry Therapy, and in particular to Juhani Ihanus, one of the first pioneers of European biblio/poetry therapy. We would also like to thank the University of Jyväskylä. We thank them for this wonderfully rich and inspiring three-day event.

Meanwhile, we have completed the third issue of the first volume, presenting a new selection of edited, peer-reviewed articles and written versions of theoretical papers and workshops presented at our Budapest 2024 conference. This issue features theoretical studies and bibliotherapeutic interpretations by Davor Piskač (Croatia), Efrat Havusha-Feldman and Eyal Ivnitsky (Israel), Péter Hamvas (Hungary), Karoliina Maanmieli and Katri Kluukeri (Finland), and Luca Buonaguidi (Italy).

The second part presents practical application examples by Mervi Nyfors, Päivi Kosonen, Hanna Meretoja, Eevastiina Kinnunen, Johanna Holopainen and Merja Kauppinen (all from Finland), followed by practice-focused articles by Ágnes Bálint (Hungary), Jon Sayers (USA/UK) and Reinekke Lengelle (Canada/Netherlands), and Irene Monge (Italy).

This issue also celebrates Finnish biblio/poetry therapy. Eight of the authors are Finnish, and there is also a special thematic section. We intended to publish papers on biblio/poetry therapy for cancer patients together so that they appear in dialogue with each other in this issue.

Other topics covered include models of classical bibliotherapy, narrative methods, multidisciplinary approaches to therapeutic writing, the relationship between psychology and poetry, environmental storytelling and teacher training, writing of the self in bereavement and social care. You can also learn more about the history of Finnish biblio/poetry therapy.

I wish you a season of Advent filled with light, hope and plenty of enjoyable reading.

Judit Béres

(Editor-in-chief)