TextTransit
The writing group TextTransit is inherently intercultural.
The group is aimed towards writers or students interested in writing who speak or write in languages other than German or students with a different first language who want to write literary texts in German. Writers who write entirely in German are, of course, also welcome. The group sessions are held in German. Each semester a new author heads the group.
The goal of TextTransit is the improvement of one's own writing abilities through continued work and practice throughout the semester. Ideally a literary action evolves out of the group.
More information about the current edition of TextTransit can be found in our event calender.
Heads of TextTransit
All heads of TextTransit are Berlin authors and have an intercultural background. The list is in alphabetical order.
Maria Cecilia Barbetta
María Cecilia Barbetta was born in Buenos Aires in 1972, grew up in the immigrant neighborhood of Ballester, where her novel "Nachtleuchten" is set, and attended a German school there. In 1996, she moved to Berlin and decided to stay. Her first novel, "Änderungsschneiderei Los Milagros" (2008), was awarded the aspekte literature prize, among others. María Cecilia Barbetta writes in German. Her second novel about the eve of a political upheaval, "Nachtleuchten" (2018), was honored with the Alfred Döblin Prize, the Chamisso Prize/Hellerau, and was shortlisted for the
German Book Prize.
Dilek Güngör
Dilek Güngör, born 1972 in Schwäbisch Gmünd, studied translation in Germersheim, journalism in Mainz and Race and Ethnic Studies in Warwick, England. She worked for the »Berliner Zeitung«, the »Stuttgarter Zeitung« and the Zeit-Online column »10 nach 8« as a journalist and columnist and as deputy editor-in-chief for the magazine »Kulturaustausch« until 2020. Her first novel, »Das Geheimnis meiner türkischen Großmutter« was published in 2007. Her novel "Ich bin Özlem" was published by the Verbrecher Verlag in srpign 2019, followed by the novel "Vater und ich" in summer 2021 which was nominated for the German Book Prize. Her novel "A wie Ada" is available since January 2024.
She heads TextTransit during the summer semester 2024.
Franziska Hauser
Franziska Hauser, born 1975 in Berlin, is an author and photographer. She has two children.
She studied stage design and fine arts at the KHS Berlin Weißensee and photography at the Ostkreuzschule. In 2015 her novel "Sommerdreieck" was published by Rowohlt Verlag and received the debut prize of lit.Cologne. The photo book "Sieben Jahre Luxus" was published by Kehrer Verlag and in 2018 her second novel "Die Gewitterschwimmerin" was published by Eichborn Verlag and nominated for the German Book Prize. She writes and photographs for Das Magazin, Berliner Zeitung, FAZ, Brigitte, Maxi, Die Welt, Separé and others. In 2016 she participated in the novel workshop of the Bavarian Academy of Writing.
Her third novel "Die Glasschwestern" was published in Feb. 2020 by Eichborn Verlag.
Mariusz Hoffmann
Mariusz Hoffman was born in 1986 in Poland. He studied philosophy in Hamburg and creative writing, cultural journalism and literary writing and copy editing in Hildesheim where he was also editor of the literary journal Bella triste and part of the Litradio editorial team. In 2017, he was awarded at the Open Mike in the prose category. In 2019, he participated in the creative writing workshop of the Jürgen-Pronto-Foundation, followed by residential stipends in Ahrenshoop and the monastery Broumov (Goethe Institut Czech Republic). In 2023, his first novel, "Polnischer Abgang" was published by the Berlin Verlag. For his work on his next novel, he was awarded the Alfred Döblin stipend. In addition to his work as a writer, Mariusz Hoffmann teaches creative writing at the Autorenschule Schreibhain.
Yael Inokai
Yael Inokai (*1989) studied philosophy in Basel and Vienna and screenwriting at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin. She is a member of the editorial board of the magazine PS: Anmerkungen zum Literaturbetrieb / Politisch Schreiben. She lives and works as a freelance author in Berlin. For her second novel "Mahlstrom" she was awarded the Swiss Literature Prize.
Foto: Julia Novacek
Elnathan John
Elnathan John is a Nigerian lawyer, novelist and satirist. His short stories have been shortlisted twice for the Caine Prize for African Writing, in 2013 and 2015. His novel, Born on a Tuesday won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the Nigeria Prize for Literature. It has been translated into German and French. His satire collection Be(com)ing Nigerian, A Guide was published by Cassava Republic Press in 2019. His most recent book, On Ajayi Crowther Street, a graphic novel, was also published 2019. It was published in German in 2021 under the title Lagos: Leben in Suburbia. Elnathan was on the jury of the 2019 Man Booker International Prize. He lives in Berlin.
Photo: Ali Ghandtchi
Caca Savić
Caca Savić was born in Austria in 1977 and studied the sociology of art and culture in Vienna. The poet and author has lived in Berlin since 2005. Most recently published Teilchenland, Verlagshaus Berlin, Berlin 2020 and contributions in: Akzente 1/23 - Zeitschrift für Literatur im Carl Hanser Verlag, ed. Maren Wurster, Munich 2023. In 2022 Savić was a fellow of the Austrian Literary Society at Casa-Litterarum-Paliano, Italy. In 2020, she received the H.C.Artmann Fellowship in Salzburg, Austria.