Residency artists and researchers Literature Tommi Parkko Author, poet Tommi Parkko (born 1969) is a poet and cultural activist from Turku. He has published two poetry collections as sole author, and has co-authored one collection. The latter of these, entitled Vanhat laulut Nimettömät eläimet, was written with Markus Jääskeläinen and published in 1994. Parkko’s first collection Lyhyt muisti, meri was published by Tammi in 1997. The follow-up, Sileäksi puhuttu, was published in 2004, also by Tammi. At the moment Parkko is working on his third collection. In addition to his own writing, Parkko has long been active in establishing writer’s associations and in organizing literary events. Most notable amongst the organizations which Parkko has been involved in founding is the Nihil Interit poet’s community in 1993, and the main events he has to his credit are South-West Finland Poetry Week in 2001, and Paimio National Aphorism Days in 2004. Parkko acted as literary advisor to the council of South-West Finland’s standing committee on the arts from 2001-2004. Since 2005 he has been a member of Turku council’s standing committee on culture. “The poetry collection which I have underway at the moment is concentrated fare, and will be about 35 pages long. It will be a rather eclectic amalgamation of Finno-Ugric mythology, mathematics, ornithology, theology, history and depictions of local places. Of course, earlier poetry and old and modern classics have also made their mark on this collection in one way or another”.