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Organized in collaboration between our Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the National Values Club, the “Culture and Literature Summit” was held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at the Göztepe South Campus with a high turnout. Throughout the day-long event, academics, writers, artists, and students gathered around the themes of culture, literature, poetry, and music. The sessions held in the Aşık Paşa Conference Hall and the Ömer Halisdemir Hall drew great interest from students.

In the first session, chaired by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Koçak, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, author Beşir Ayvazoğlu delivered a lecture titled “Portrait, Testimony, and History: The Literary and Cultural Dimensions of Biography Writing.” Ayvazoğlu emphasized that biography is not merely about narrating a person’s life story; it also reveals the cultural, political, and intellectual atmosphere of an era. Citing examples from the history of Turkish literature and thought, Ayvazoğlu highlighted the importance of testimony and archival research in biographical studies.

In the second session, titled “City, Poetry, and Civilization: Yahya Kemal” and moderated by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Koçak, Istanbul University faculty member Prof. Dr. Mehmet Samsakçı served as the speaker. The session evaluated Yahya Kemal’s conception of Istanbul, his understanding of urban civilization, and his relationship with the classical poetic tradition. As the program progressed in response to questions posed by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Koçak, it was emphasized that history, aesthetics, and the concept of civilization are intertwined in Yahya Kemal’s poetry. The session, which drew intense interest from students, concluded with a question-and-answer part.

The session titled “Universal Language: Music,” held in the Ömer Halisdemir Hall, was one of the day’s most notable programs. Enes Ergür, an artist from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Derya Türkan, a master of the traditional kemençe, shared their insights on music’s unifying power in cross-cultural communication. The short kemençe performance by master artist Derya Türkan received a standing ovation from the audience. During the discussion, which touched on the relationship between music and the human spirit, the place of traditional Turkish music in cultural memory was also discussed. At the end of the program, participants chatted with the artists and took commemorative photos.

In another notable session of the day titled “Can a Single Line Save the World?”, Ayşegül Kızılaslan shared her insights on the impact of poetry on people and the transformative power of literature. Touching on the place of poetry in the modern world, Kızılaslan expressed that a single line of poetry can change a person’s world of thought. The program, which drew intense interest from participants, fostered a sincere atmosphere of conversation about the individual and societal impacts of literature.

In the summit’s final session, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ramazan Arıtürk and author Dr. Ali Ural met with students in a discussion titled “To Write or Not to Write, That Is the Question!” Noting that the writing process requires discipline, attention, and intellectual accumulation, the speakers emphasized that literature is not merely a form of expression but also a field for thinking and making sense of the world. During the session, in which Ali Ural shared examples from his writing experiences, students asked questions about writing practice and publishing.

The Culture and Literature Summit, which brought together the worlds of academia, art, and literature under one roof, concluded with a full day of intense participation and interaction. Throughout the event, students had the opportunity to engage in one-on-one conversations, meet, and exchange ideas with the speakers. During the signing and photo sessions held after the sessions, participants gathered with writers and artists to take commemorative photos. The summit, which served as a platform for fruitful exchanges centered on culture and literature, was met with great enthusiasm by the participants.