“I believe that everything that is most interesting, everything that is new, everything that is daring, everything that has the power to change Brazilian society, comes from the outskirts, comes from the hoods,” said writer Ana Maria Gonçalves. 
Her speech, the first black woman elected as immortal at the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL), opened the graduation ceremony at the University of Quebradas, this Tuesday (14), in Rio de Janeiro.
The speech touched the 46 graduates who attended the ceremony at the Raimundo Magalhães Jr Theater, at the ABL headquarters. Among them, Ismael Queiroz Dias, 29 years old, who identifies himself as indigenous, black, Causian. The young writer is from the city of Niterói, but says that, due to his history, he is actually from many parts of Brazil.
He had some concerns about the course as it would also welcome already published writers like him, who released his first book in 2022, a collection of short stories about Rio militiamen called The Wonderful City of the Militians: Poetic Compendium. However, he found a powerful learning environment and companionship.
During graduation, students did not hide their excitement – Photo: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil
“It’s a pride to be here graduating today and to be speaking on behalf of many people, my ancestors, all the people who came before me, my mixed race, but especially the indigenous people of which I am”, he revealed.
University extension
The Writers Course is part of the Universidade das Quebradas, an extension project of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, designed by Heloísa Teixeira and Numa Ciro to train new writers mainly from peripheral areas of Rio.
The initiative is a partnership between UFRJ, Instituto Odeon and ABL. Students have weekly classes in the immortals’ building and study their works as part of the class material. The class of 2025 studied the works of writer and playwright Ariano Suassuna.
During the semester, the class immersed itself in the work of the author from Paraíba, who combines literature and popular art with tradition and identity. As a final piece, the breakers and breakersas they were nicknamed by writer Heloísa Teixeira, launched the book yesterday (14) Suassuna Quebradeirowith stories and plays produced by them and available on the internet.
The story itself
For Lady Victória Padilha, 23 years old, born in Manaus and graduating in Literature-Portuguese at UFRJ, the classes bring university to those whose reality is sometimes more distant from academia. She points out that she is not as veteran as her colleagues, but her passion for books created the desire to write her own stories.
Lady Vitoria says that her passion for books created the desire to write her own stories Photo: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil
Lady enjoyed studying Ariano Suassuna. “It’s not just a question of regional literature, it’s a question [que envolve] a part of Brazilian culture that we end up having access to.” His short story in the Writers Training collection – The Young Salesman from Codajás – embraces its northern roots.
“And it is a humorous tale about the trajectory of a boat trip and, at the same time, addresses the experience of açaí products and sales that are very common in the territory where I wrote from”, he argues.
full art
Rose de Souza Garcia, 60 years old, also attended the Faculty of Arts at UFRJ and knew the University of Quebradas. But, only after publishing his first story this year did he feel it was time to sign up for the writers’ course.
Rose recognizes that, because the project is linked to certain institutions, some processes end up being more rigid. According to her, it is necessary to “dig spaces”, find loopholes and make certain structures more flexible for art to fully manifest itself.
Despite the challenges, the experience has been enriching: “it is a learning experience because we are together, exchanging and also getting to know the realities of other writers”.
For Carlos Gradim, president of the Odeon Institute, students bring a background in writing – professional or amateur – and the course works with these talents. “We have a very listening place, because we understand that, in the territories to which we select these young people, there is a very powerful knowledge that is already in place and we also bring, in some way, academic knowledge that dialogues with this existing knowledge”.
*Intern under the supervision of journalist Gilberto Costa
