Under the artistic direction of Annika Reich (writer) and Dr. Ines Kappert (director of the Gunda Werner Institute of the Heinrich Böll Foundation), Syrian, Afghan, and Sinti and Roma writers in particular will publish up to three literary works per month – short prose, poetry, essay, and literary journalism – on the web portal “weiterschreiben.jetzt,” starting on May 8, 2017. The texts may, but need not, deal with the topics of flight and migration. The focus is on the art of writing. The texts will be published both in the original and in German translation and will be illustrated by newcomers. The authors from the crisis areas form tandems with German-speaking authors and also cooperate with their tandem partners on the translation. This fosters the literary-artistic exchange and promotes new, shared perspectives. Through the networks of their tandem partners, the authors also gain access to the literary scene.

Invited authors include Lina Atfah (Damascus/Berlin), Galal Al Alahamadi (Yemen/Berlin), Razan Ghazzawi (Damascus/Leeds), Rosa Yassin Hassan (Damascus/Hamburg), Rasha Omran (Damascus/Cairo), Yam Mashhadi (Damascus), Suad Jarous (Damascus), Raman Khalaf (Berlin/Damascus), Khwala M Dunia (Damascus/Gaziantep), Ramy al Asheq (Damascus/Cologne), Yasin Negah (Kabul), Maroš Balog (Bratislava), Renáta Berkyová (Prague), and Mihalea Dragan (Bucharest).

Tandem partners include: Björn Bicker, Kristine Bilkau, Nora Bossong, Ann Cotten, Tanja Dückers, Lena Gorelik, Olga Grjasnowa, Annett Gröschner, Nino Haratischwili, Michael Krüger, Martin Kordic, Svenja Leiber, Ulla Lenze, Matthias Nawrat, Dotschy Reinhardt, Antje Ravić Strubel, Monika Rinck, Adania Shibli, Saša Stanišić, and David Wagner.

An anthology of selected texts will be published in late 2018 by Blumenbar. In cooperation with literary institutions such as the Literaturwerkstatt Berlin, Haus der Poesie, Literarisches Colloquium and engaged bookstores and libraries from the “Meet Your Neighbors” network of the initiative WIR MACHEN DAS (We’re Doing It), readings will take place across Germany.

“Weiter Schreiben” is a project of the initiative WIR MACHEN DAS/wearedoingit e. V. and is supported by the Capital Cultural Fund, the Schering Stiftung, the Gunda Werner Institute of the Heinrich Böll Foundation e. V., and the Goethe-Institut.