A 60-minute discussion with writer and journalist Adéla Knapová followed by an immersive workshop that works with the Narrative 4 methodology focused on building empathy through story sharing and images from current exhibitions.

School groups have a unique opportunity to participate in discussions with selected Czech and foreign writers who will share how their own lives find echo in their work. The conversation with the writer will be followed by an educational workshop inspired by the methodology of the global project Narrative 4 - developing empathy through story exchange. Storytelling, as Narrative 4 and DOX’s educational programmes work with it, allows us to experience the sharing of stories with another person in a way that seems simple at first glance – listen and retell. And there is power in simplicity. Colum McCann, world-renowned Irish writer and founder of Narrative 4, has named this concept “radical empathy”. 

Participants are invited to share their own authentic stories (no more than five minutes long) on the topic of “light and darkness”. And because the story is meant to be shared, each participant can decide whether to choose a sad, happy, serious, or light-hearted story. Participants will prepare their stories in advance. 

The discussion will be hosted by Karolína Kočí. 

Adéla Knapová is a writer and journalist. She first caught readers’ attention with her novella The Impossibility of Zero (Nemožnost nuly, 2016), which was followed by ABC Book (Slabikář, 2017), Vanguard (Předvoj, 2019), and the auto-fiction novel Cowardly Notes from the War in Ukraine (Zbabělé zápisky z Ukrajinské války, 2023). In 2024 she published a collection of war stories titled Bloody Compote (Krvavý kompot), which she wrote during her time in Kharkiv. The book paints an authentic portrait of life in the city, which lies just thirty kilometres from the border with Russia and is subject to constant drone and missile attacks. Without pathos or politicisation, it captures the strength and fragility of the people who remain in the city, and it does not shy away from even the most sensitive issues, such as forced conscription and efforts to hide from the commission. Knapová is personally involved in helping war-torn Ukraine and regularly travels to the front lines. She is also an animal rights activist and founder of the foundation One Heart.  She lives in Prague, Greece, and Kharkiv.