This municipality in the state of Rondônia stands out for the strength of its coffee and indigenous culture, serving as a source for tales and poems that seek to balance the preservation of traditional roots with the economic and social progress of the Rondônia interior.

This is a fascinating investigation. As a researcher and journalist, I must begin with a confession: the literary scene in Cacoal, Rondônia, is not announced in spotlights or major national awards. It breathes in the courageous format of self-publishing, in the affective memory of pioneers, and in the pulse of literary gatherings that resist outside the Rio-São Paulo axis.

Below, I present the complete panorama I was able to gather about literary production in the coffee capital of Rondônia.

The Letters of BR-364: A Portrait of Literary Resistance in Cacoal (RO)

1. Roots and Tradition: Writing as Testimony

Cacoal's literary history is intrinsically linked to its own settlement. Unlike the traditional academies of the Northeast or the avant-gardes of the South, here literature is born from testimony. The city, officially established in 1975, had its soul captured by those who pioneered the land.

The figure who best represents this phase is Setembrino Ragnini. Arriving in the municipality in the year of its founding, Ragnini embodies the "pioneer writer." At 88 years old, he released "Memórias do meu viver" (2015), a work that shuns academicism to embrace chronicles of daily life and "funny and true" stories of the city's formation. This movement to immortalize the family saga through words is the purest seed of the local literary tradition.

Another name that emerges from these roots is Edson Bento da Silva. Although he moved between several cities, it was in Cacoal, at Escola Estadual Carlos Gomes, that he received his technical education. Starting his writing late, during the pandemic, Edson represents the poet passionate about nature and memory, having participated in national anthologies and keeping the flame of classical poetry alive in the region.

2. The Contemporary Scene: Independent Protagonism

If the first generation wrote to record the possession of the land, the new generation writes to record the possession of the soul and emotions. Cacoal's contemporary scene is, above all, independent. There is a lack of major local publishers, but an abundance of creativity and the use of digital platforms.

The Self-Publishing Phenomenon: Mayhara Paixão

The most prominent living and active exponent of Cacoal's new literature is Mayhara Paixão. Young, Christian, but with a secular literary approach, Mayhara discovered on the UICLAP platform the tool to disseminate her prolific production. Unlike the solemn poets of the past, Mayhara engages with contemporary mass-market romance.

With titles such as Aimée Amada, Investigando o Amor, and the dystopian Depois do Apocalipse, her work oscillates between emotional urgency and entertainment. What draws attention is not just the quantity (five solo books), but the recent collaborative turn. In a rare and beautiful move, Mayhara co-authored with her father, Moiseis Oliveira da Paixão, the poetry book "Coração Magoado e Outras Histórias." This gesture symbolizes the passing of the baton: from the father's oral memory to the daughter's publishing technology.

Small Publishers and Collectives: The Calamari Case

If UICLAP solves the production issue, collectives solve the belonging issue. The city breathes through the Calamari project, responsible for the "Sarau do Círculo" (Circle Gathering). This is not a festive calendar event; it is a countercultural institution.

With over 90 editions held (as of 2024), the Sarau do Círculo goes beyond simple poetry recitation. It functions as a cultural citizenship laboratory, where the circular arrangement eliminates hierarchies. It is the space where the anonymous poet, the MC, the graffiti artist, and the elder carrying memories meet. The project's curation has the intelligence to connect Cacoal to the world through the "Poets Around the World" segment, bringing voices from Lisbon to California to dialogue with the Rondônia periphery.

The Institutional Space

The scene also strengthens through education. SESI of Cacoal has proven to be an active agent, promoting events such as the "Literary Gathering Coffee with Poetry." Under the coordination of teachers like Alkyones Santana and Claudia Nepomuceno, the school takes Machado de Assis off the page and puts him on stage, forming new audiences and, potentially, new authors.

3. Themes and Works: The Soul of Cacoal on Pages

Analyzing local production, it is possible to perceive clear patterns that define the "Cacoal style":

• Contemporary Romance and Emotional Fiction: Led by Mayhara Paixão, the themes revolve around affective relationships, "unrestricted love," losses, and new beginnings. It is a literature with high emotional appeal and easy access, designed for the digital reader.

• Backyard and Existential Poetry: While the Sarau do Círculo champions a rawer, more performative poetry, authors like Edson Bento keep alive the flame of more traditional poetry that observes nature.

• Memory and Document: Works like Setembrino Ragnini's keep the genre of memory alive. These books function as non-official historical archives, detailing the lives of pioneers, the difficulties of the road, and the construction of the city from scratch.

Conclusion

Cacoal's literature is not in the windows of national bookstores, but it is alive. It pulses in Mayhara Paixão's self-management, who masters the editorial process from beginning to end; it echoes in Calamari's circle, which resists as a space for speaking and listening; and it perpetuates in the memory of its pioneers. It is a small scene, but with a resilience that deserves to be told in prose and verse.

References

• G1 RO. Pioneer from Cacoal to launch book about his 40 years living in the municipality. 2015.

• Tribuna Popular. Mayhara Paixão stands out in contemporary literature with works published by UICLAP.

• FIERO. SESI of Cacoal promotes Literary Gathering for High School students. 2024.

• Família Literária. Profile of Edson Bento.

• Calamari. Sarau do Círculo.

⚠️ Research conducted with the aid of Deep Research may be subject to referential ambiguity.
🖥️Clean HTML code using proprietary tools.

This municipality in the state of Rondônia stands out for the strength of its coffee and indigenous culture, serving as a source for tales and poems that seek to balance the preservation of traditional roots with the economic and social progress of the Rondônia interior.

This is a fascinating investigation. As a researcher and journalist, I must begin with a confession: the literary scene in Cacoal, Rondônia, is not announced in spotlights or major national awards. It breathes in the courageous format of self-publishing, in the affective memory of pioneers, and in the pulse of literary gatherings that resist outside the Rio-São Paulo axis.

Below, I present the complete panorama I was able to gather about literary production in the coffee capital of Rondônia.

The Letters of BR-364: A Portrait of Literary Resistance in Cacoal (RO)

1. Roots and Tradition: Writing as Testimony

Cacoal's literary history is intrinsically linked to its own settlement. Unlike the traditional academies of the Northeast or the avant-gardes of the South, here literature is born from testimony. The city, officially established in 1975, had its soul captured by those who pioneered the land.

The figure who best represents this phase is Setembrino Ragnini. Arriving in the municipality in the year of its founding, Ragnini embodies the "pioneer writer." At 88 years old, he released "Memórias do meu viver" (2015), a work that shuns academicism to embrace chronicles of daily life and "funny and true" stories of the city's formation. This movement to immortalize the family saga through words is the purest seed of the local literary tradition.

Another name that emerges from these roots is Edson Bento da Silva. Although he moved between several cities, it was in Cacoal, at Escola Estadual Carlos Gomes, that he received his technical education. Starting his writing late, during the pandemic, Edson represents the poet passionate about nature and memory, having participated in national anthologies and keeping the flame of classical poetry alive in the region.

2. The Contemporary Scene: Independent Protagonism

If the first generation wrote to record the possession of the land, the new generation writes to record the possession of the soul and emotions. Cacoal's contemporary scene is, above all, independent. There is a lack of major local publishers, but an abundance of creativity and the use of digital platforms.

The Self-Publishing Phenomenon: Mayhara Paixão

The most prominent living and active exponent of Cacoal's new literature is Mayhara Paixão. Young, Christian, but with a secular literary approach, Mayhara discovered on the UICLAP platform the tool to disseminate her prolific production. Unlike the solemn poets of the past, Mayhara engages with contemporary mass-market romance.

With titles such as Aimée Amada, Investigando o Amor, and the dystopian Depois do Apocalipse, her work oscillates between emotional urgency and entertainment. What draws attention is not just the quantity (five solo books), but the recent collaborative turn. In a rare and beautiful move, Mayhara co-authored with her father, Moiseis Oliveira da Paixão, the poetry book "Coração Magoado e Outras Histórias." This gesture symbolizes the passing of the baton: from the father's oral memory to the daughter's publishing technology.

Small Publishers and Collectives: The Calamari Case

If UICLAP solves the production issue, collectives solve the belonging issue. The city breathes through the Calamari project, responsible for the "Sarau do Círculo" (Circle Gathering). This is not a festive calendar event; it is a countercultural institution.

With over 90 editions held (as of 2024), the Sarau do Círculo goes beyond simple poetry recitation. It functions as a cultural citizenship laboratory, where the circular arrangement eliminates hierarchies. It is the space where the anonymous poet, the MC, the graffiti artist, and the elder carrying memories meet. The project's curation has the intelligence to connect Cacoal to the world through the "Poets Around the World" segment, bringing voices from Lisbon to California to dialogue with the Rondônia periphery.

The Institutional Space

The scene also strengthens through education. SESI of Cacoal has proven to be an active agent, promoting events such as the "Literary Gathering Coffee with Poetry." Under the coordination of teachers like Alkyones Santana and Claudia Nepomuceno, the school takes Machado de Assis off the page and puts him on stage, forming new audiences and, potentially, new authors.

3. Themes and Works: The Soul of Cacoal on Pages

Analyzing local production, it is possible to perceive clear patterns that define the "Cacoal style":

• Contemporary Romance and Emotional Fiction: Led by Mayhara Paixão, the themes revolve around affective relationships, "unrestricted love," losses, and new beginnings. It is a literature with high emotional appeal and easy access, designed for the digital reader.

• Backyard and Existential Poetry: While the Sarau do Círculo champions a rawer, more performative poetry, authors like Edson Bento keep alive the flame of more traditional poetry that observes nature.

• Memory and Document: Works like Setembrino Ragnini's keep the genre of memory alive. These books function as non-official historical archives, detailing the lives of pioneers, the difficulties of the road, and the construction of the city from scratch.

Conclusion

Cacoal's literature is not in the windows of national bookstores, but it is alive. It pulses in Mayhara Paixão's self-management, who masters the editorial process from beginning to end; it echoes in Calamari's circle, which resists as a space for speaking and listening; and it perpetuates in the memory of its pioneers. It is a small scene, but with a resilience that deserves to be told in prose and verse.

References

• G1 RO. Pioneer from Cacoal to launch book about his 40 years living in the municipality. 2015.

• Tribuna Popular. Mayhara Paixão stands out in contemporary literature with works published by UICLAP.

• FIERO. SESI of Cacoal promotes Literary Gathering for High School students. 2024.

• Família Literária. Profile of Edson Bento.

• Calamari. Sarau do Círculo.

⚠️ Research conducted with the aid of Deep Research may be subject to referential ambiguity.
🖥️Clean HTML code using proprietary tools.