Keijo Ahtonen comes from a background of metal work and engineering. The roots of his family are in the Karelia of the White Sea region, behind the Finnish-Russian border. For him, learning about cultural history is a way to understand his own heritage and discover connections to his ancestors. Nowadays culture is also his livelihood, as he currently works in the Juminkeko Information Center for Kalevala and Karelian Culture. He is also an entrepeneur and an enthusiastic woodworker, when he has time for it. For him, writing this poem was a chance to combine all of his interests, and celebrate the completion of a succesful project.
Keijo Ahtonen
