In September 2025, I spent a week traveling across Romania at the invitation of Cărturești. The event was part of the “Movement for Reading,” a project supported by AFCN. We simply called it the Tour.
Together with poet Carmen Tiderle and photographer Marina Bugs, I packed my backpack and set off to explore Romania. Not exactly on foot—let’s be honest, we took the car—but the spirit of wandering was definitely there.
Our mission: to hold reading and drawing workshops for children aged 7 to 14, in places we might have never reached otherwise.
First Stop: Țibănești, Iași County
Our workshop took place in a historic manor house, the kind where the renovation feels endless—but in a way that only adds to its charm. It was surprisingly cozy, even with a blacksmith’s workshop next door adding sparks (literally and figuratively) to the experience.
What struck me most were the children: open to reading, curious, disciplined. You could tell their teachers were doing something right.
At the end, the kids handed me a bouquet of flowers and warm hugs. Wow.
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Next Stop: Șona, Brașov County
Șona turned out to be one of those villages that really should be on Romania’s “places to visit” list. Parts of it have been lovingly restored, with deep respect for its history—every precious detail preserved. And surprisingly, it’s very connected to contemporary artistic movements.
We held our workshops at the school in nearby Mândra. Once again, the interaction with the kids was a joy—their reactions, their questions, the teachers’ involvement.
What really surprised me, though, was how surprised they were by the freedom I gave them in the drawing workshop.
I also want to mention the Museum of Cloths and Stories in Mândra. Visiting it was a small revelation: the exhibits, the stories behind them—stories we were lucky enough to hear—and the undeniable feeling that the place runs 90% on the passion and energy of the people who keep it alive.
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Final Stop: Nucșoara, Argeș County
We received a warm welcome at the cabin of the Casa Bună Association. The next morning, we headed to Toma Arnăuțoiu School for our final workshops of the Tour.
Of all the children we met on this journey, these were the ones who seemed to need a welcoming library the most—a big, inviting space filled with appealing books. Instead, we found a locked library, unattended and covered in dust. It made me wish we could do more.
But the drawing workshop itself? Just as lively and engaging as the previous ones. The kids were wonderfully diverse—some deeply absorbed, some baffled by the lack of strict rules, others amazed that you can create beautiful things with whatever tools you have.
Because sometimes, all you really need is a pencil and a piece of paper.
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What I Took With Me
From every workshop, I left with drawings gifted by the children. With memories. With stories.
And with the strong feeling that Marina and Carmen were the best teammates I could have asked for.
My only regret? Not being able to attend Carmen’s workshops—ours always ran at the same time. Otherwise, I would’ve been first in line to hear about spacefaring horned creatures, “disintigerted” tigers, and Homer the lobster.
Or was it Homer the monster?
