Para Risum – Cultural and Literary Festival

A festival born in school, open to the city

Para Risum is the new cultural and literary event debuting in Chieri, a vibrant town on the outskirts of Turin, in the heart of Piedmont. It was created by the Augusto Monti High School, in collaboration with the student book club "Lavagne di carta" and the school press office "Officina della comunicazione," both now in their fifth year of activity. Para Risum was conceived by the youth but is aimed at the entire community: an opportunity for the school to open its doors to the local area and become a hub for cultural exchange.

The theme: comedy in times of war

The subtitle of the first edition, "Facing war with laughter," says it all. In an era marked by conflict, the festival chooses to examine the relationship between comedy and tragedy, posing complex questions: can one make comedy about war? Is laughter a way to resist? Can humor be a tool for denunciation and survival? For three days, writers, journalists, and contemporary intellectuals will guide students and citizens through this reflection, alternating between serious and lighthearted registers.

Guests and events

The program for the first edition brings together prominent voices from the Italian literary and cultural scene. Announced guests include:

• Nicola Lagioia, with the lecture War as a disease of the species;
• Alessandro Giraudo, sharing ordinary and extraordinary stories of wars and raw materials, with a focus on the Second World War;
• Matteo Saudino, with the talk The Constitution as the soul of our community, in an ideal dialogue with Benedetta Tobagi;
• Marco Balzano, Alice Basso, and Beatrice Tozzi, with sessions dedicated to writing and storytelling.

The inaugural event, held in collaboration with La Grande Invasione reading festival, features writer Alessio Torino on Wednesday, June 3rd, at the Museion Library. Among the side events, a mural created by students will be unveiled in the courtyard of the Monti High School, symbolizing the bond between art, school, and the city.

A local support network

Para Risum takes place with the support of the Municipality of Chieri, the Chieri Community Foundation, and the Mondadori Bookstore of Chieri, located in the historic center. The festival is part of a particularly rich cultural season for the city, which also hosts La Grande Invasione at the end of May, creating an ideal bridge between the two events and confirming Chieri as a small literary capital of the Turin area.