In the presence of a large number of guests from the cultural and academic spheres, readers and representatives of the media, on June 6, in the gallery of the Youth Cultural Center in Skopje, the promotion of the new collection of poems "On the tip of the tongue" by academician Katica Kulavkova was held.

The moderator of the event and editor of the book, Olivera Qorveziroska, started the poetry presentation with an interpretation of the verses from the title poem in the book - "At the tip of the tongue". She pointed out that the book, even though it is a new work, was deservedly included in the "Macedonian Literary Classics" edition, published by "Ars Libris", part of "Ars Lamina - Publications", joining the greats: Blaže Koneski, Olivera Nikolova, Peter M. Andreevski, Zivko Chingo, Dimitar Solev, Gane Todorovski, Vlada Urosevic, Petre Bakevski... In whose company does the writer Kjulavkova belong.

The promoter of the book, prof. Dr. Natasha Avramovska, in her review of the book, among other things, pointed out that "each individual poem in this book opens up new horizons of meaning, of centuries in history and the present, but also in the world of symbolic meanings in which both the name and the pronunciation are holy because they are holy."

The book contains 40 poems, divided into seven cycles: Forbidden love, Longing for freedom, On the tip of the tongue, Forerunners, martyrs (poetry plays), Unsent letters (inter-cycle), Falcon's eye (third eye) and Years of age.

– "On the tip of the tongue" sings of my attachment to what I imagine as my first maternal and paternal Home, mine and my son's, my child. The main sign of that home is the "adjective" Macedonian: the Macedonian language, the Macedonian climate, the Macedonian past, the rites, customs, beliefs and folklore of the Macedonians. That Home is seemingly small and closed, essentially a vast and open view of the world. Various worlds are refracted in him, just as he is refracted into various other worlds, memories, dreams, delusions and prejudices. He may give the impression that he is possessive, but that impression is false. It is about the need for "ground under our feet", for "our own room" - pointed out Kjulavkova.

Katica Kjulavkova (Veles, 21.12.1951) is a poet, essayist, theorist, storyteller, singer and anthologist. Full professor (retired) in theory of literature, literary hermeneutics and creative writing at the Faculty of Philology "Blaze Koneski" in Skopje (Department of General and Comparative Literature).

Kjulavkova is a regular member of MANU (since 2003), a member of the European Academy of Sciences (Salzburg, since 2014) and vice-president of the International PEN (since 2008). He is the winner of the highest state award for life's work in Macedonia "October 11", as well as numerous awards for poetry, criticism and essay writing in the country and abroad.

(The text was published in "Cultural Press" number 182, in the printed edition of the newspaper "Sloboden Pechat" on 10-11.6.2023)