Current Issue
You can find the current issue (2/2026) here as an e-book
Editorial
“More and more people are writing that
fewer and fewer are reading,” it was recently noted
at the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize. The annual spectacle surrounding this time-honored literary prize has a nostalgic quality: the jury and audience listen to the authors while following along with the text in the printed manuscript. Pages are turned and comments are made—the rustling of the paper is just as much a part of it as the discussion of every word.
The writing workshop at the University of Siegen operates in much the same way. Students read their texts aloud; the others read along, highlight passages, take notes, and then discuss the stories together, down to the smallest adjective. Those who are reading listen and remain silent. Just like with the Bachmann Prize. While there’s no prestigious award at the end, there is something just as valuable: the insight into how a text comes across and how it can be improved. And sometimes there is an award after all. Some of the authors get to present their texts at a public reading or have their work included in a publication. For the first time this year, the Writing Workshop is publishing its own anthology.
In this roundup, we’ll be covering this and many other exciting books and publications. Perhaps you’ll take a look at one or two of these books, so that more people will read instead of writing.
Sabine Nitz
