The 2026 Annual Cities of Literature Conference was hosted by Tartu, Estonia between 11-15 May. This was the largest conference to date: 62 delegates from 40 countries. This included representatives from new Cities who joined the network in October 2025: Aberystwyth (Cymru), Celje (Slovenia), Conakry (Guinea), Gdańsk (Poland), Kahramanmaraş (Türkiye), Lund (Sweden) and San Luis Potosí (Mexico).

The Annual Conference is intended to strengthen understanding and connections between Cities to build greater future collaboration and to explore the literary life of the host city. In a packed itinerary over the course of five days, delegates got to visit many important venues such as the Tartu House of Literature, the Estonian Literary Museum, Tartu Public Library and Aparaadithas culture factory and meet programmers, writers, booksellers, archivists and librarians. The Conference included a showcase of contemporary Estonian writers presented by EstLit alongside many other talks, poetry readings and cabaret performances.

The Annual Conference also coincided with the annual literature festival Prima Vista. Manchester was well represented across both:

• The poem ‘Manchester’ by writer and musician Billie Meredith was selected to appear in Poems on the Bus both in original English and a new Estonian translation. As well as appearing on bus posters during Prima Vista, Billie’s poem appeared in a printed anthology.
• Writer David Hartley reprised his 2024 Prima Vista commission All Praise The Hedgehog, a story walking tour which took delegates through the Karlova district to meet the sculpture of Hogy on the banks of the River Emajõgi.
• In a collaboration with indie publisher Fly On The Wall Press, all delegates received a copy of the Edge Hill Prize-shortlisted ‘Fauna’ by David Hartley.
• A copy of ‘Don’t Ask The Dragon’ by Lemn Sissay and Greg Stobbs was presented to Tartu Central Library Gifts from Manchester were presented to Mayor Urmas Klass
• The poem and photography of Anjum Malik and Audry Albert for the Toponomy exhibition in Quebec City 2023 were reprised for a new public art exhibition outside the busy public square Barclay Park.

In addition delegates met Kerli Gutman-Normak, Head of the Estonian National Commission to UNESCO to learn more about the UNESCO sites in the country  and to visit Viljanidi, City of Crafts and Folk Art in Southern Estonia. 

The next Cities of Literature Annual Conferences will be hosted by Okayama in November 2027.