European Literary Activist Conference
A project by the European network “CROWD”
CROWD is an international network of young European writers who regard themselves as “literary activists” and advocates of a not-yet established contemporary literature scene. In this network, they aim to discuss various concepts of contemporary literature in Europe and address current issues related to European literature and literary promotion. Together with other leading figures in the literary branch, they will share their ideas and event formats and help each other develop and implement their projects. Their primary objective is to increase the readership of contemporary literature regardless of its original language by means of appropriate literary promotion measures and generate increased public awareness of pan-European literature. The CROWD network, initiated and coordinated by the Lettrétage in Berlin, organised a festival in Graz. The international conference in Berlin was the network’s first outwardly active engagement; literary activists from all over Europe met in various formats to discuss current literature-related issues. During a three-month omnibus reading tour, 120 European writers travelled in varying arrangements through Europe from Finland down to Cyprus. The Federal Cultural Foundation funded the German section of the tour, as well as the conference in Berlin.
Curators: Lily Michaelidis (CY), Laura Serkosalo (FI), Max Höfler (AT)
Writers: Ondrej Buddeus (CZ), Jazra Khaleed (GR), Alessandro de Francesco (IT), Odile Kennel (FR), Ricardo Domeneck (BR), Artur Becker (PL), Andrea Inglese (IT), Gür Genç (ZY) and many others
Additional Venues:
Literaturhaus, Hamburg: 18 – 19 Jun. 2016; Tucholsky Museum, Rheinsberg: 20 Jun. 2016; Literaturarchiv, Sulzbach-Rosenberg: 22 – 24 Jun. 2016; Lyrikkabinett, Munich: 25 – 26 Jun. 2016