#12 December

Time warp spiral with a side of cookie overdose

Nov 26, 2025

Welcome everyone to issue #12 for December 2025 of Berlin Literary Events, a Berlin-based English-language literary event newsletter! All terms are loosely defined, but the main focus is IRL in Berlin. If you’re not already overwhelmed with the spiral vortex of time that is Advent, here are even more events to compete with your calendar full of holiday parties. Everyone is busy until the 18th it would appear, and then silence. But then there will be one special event….

The last issue covered November; have a look at events still happening through 30.11.

Publishing Deadline: Please submit your January events before Christmas or at the latest 26 December, using the Google Form here.

Events with * were added after initial publication and/or were corrected. So check the post on Substack after you receive the email for the latest version.

You can sign up for free here, but paid subscriptions or a Kofi or Tip Jar are also appreciated, as I spend many hours compiling every month—or share with your friends! The newsletter may contain affiliate links.1

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Thank you 🙏

Your verbose aggregator, Bettina

Instagram: berlin_literary_events

Big news! I’m hosting a creative writing workshop! It’s on Sunday, December 28th, called “Between the Years” at Metis Cafe in Prenzlauerberg! If you’re still in town and haven’t escaped to warmer climes, come spend an afternoon eating delicious Spanish cake and looking back over the past year and preparing for the next in a creative, meditative setting.

🗓 Sunday, 28 December, 14:00-16:30📍Metis Cafe and Bookshop, Gleimstr 21 10437 Berlin 💵 €30. Registration via Eventbrite until 21 December; seats are limited.

Calls for Submissions

📣 berlin_literary_review The submission window is now open for the Berlin Literary Review for short stories, flash fiction, poetry, and essays. Guidelines are on the site. No clear deadline, but approx. end of the year.

📣 Call for applications: freelance consultants wanted! Lettrétage is looking for expert consultants for the 2026–2028 program. Check the link for areas of expertise sought. Deadline: 15 December.

Events

—Open Mic: 90𝙈𝙄𝙇 𝙋𝙊𝙀𝙏𝙍𝙔 & 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙆𝙀𝙉 𝙒𝙊𝙍𝘿 𝙊𝙋𝙀𝙉 𝙈𝙄𝘾
🗓 Tuesday, 2 December, 19:00–23:00📍90 mil, close to Jannowitzbrücke, 10179
The third edition of 90𝙈𝙄𝙇’s community night of poetry and spoken word—a space to gather, to speak, to listen, and to be. The performers and crowd is usually quite queer, so awareness and respect is expected. 💵 Suggested entry donation: 5-10€ + 5€ membership for new members.

—Reading/Exhibition: A Night for the Everyday at ICI
🗓 Wednesday, 3 December, 19:30📍Christinenstr. 18/19, Haus 8, 10119 Berlin
The ICI Library Event will consist of a staged reading, delving into the manifold ways scale plays out in the literary perception of everyday life, and, in its second half, the opening of the exhibition ‘The Everyday in Dramatic Closeness,’ which focuses on everyday objects and the notion of scale in the visual realm. 💵 Free, but registration is required.

—Reading/Conversation: Jennifer Kabat, Jessica J. Lee Plants as Promise
🗓 Wednesday, December 3, 18:00📍Callie’s, Lindower Str. 20, 13347 Berlin
💵 Admission is free; registration is not required.
Writing at the intersections of history, scientific research, and memoir, Kabat and Lee will each read from their work, followed by a conversation on genre, authorship, and the radical narratives that may emerge when humans are de-centered, and the languages of plants take the foreground.

—Open Mic: TapWater A Writer’s Open Mic
🗓 Thursday, 4 December, doors at 19:45-22:00 📍Z-Bar, Bergstraße 2, 10115 Berlin
Send us a DM or sign up via the link in bio to get your spot! TapWater is a cosy literary open-mic event, open to beginners and professionals alike. @tapwater.berlin on instagram. 💵 free

—Book Launch: Inversion – Book Launch Berlin
📅 Friday, 5 December, 19:30-21:30📍We Are Village Kurfürstenstraße 31/32 10785 Berlin - Studio Three. 💵 free with registration
Join us for an evening of provocative discussions about the crisis of gay life after homosexuality with Travis Jeppesen (The Suiciders, Settler’s Landing), Amir Naaman (Die Nektarvögel), Pierre D’Alancaisez (The Critic, ArtForum, Compact) and Ran Heilbrunn (Newsweek, American Affairs).

—Storytelling Open Mic: THE bEAR presents: A Night of True Stories. Told Live.
🗓 Saturday, 6 December, 19:30-21:00📍Theatre Pool, Boxhagener Straße 18, 3. Hinterhof, 10245 Berlin-Friedrichshain 💵 15–20 €
Theme: What does it mean to give? What does it mean to receive? And what happens when those two don’t balance? Email beforehand or get there early to put your name in the hat.

—Workshop: Authentic Storytellers
🗓 29 November, 6 & 13 December, 12:30-14:30📍Lettrétage, Veteranenstraße 21 10119 Berlin. Join us for an immersive afternoon of storytelling through a diasporic, somatic, and sacred lens. 💵 €50. I have attended this workshop and can’t recommend it enough to take your storytelling to another level. Candice is a great teacher and facilitator.

—Conference: PLEASURE CON 2.0 for FLINTA
🗓 Saturday, 6 December, 10:30-22:30+📍Project Together, 34 Karl-Liebknecht-Straße, 10178 Berlin 💵 €30 Day Pass
A Day of Discussions, Panels, and Workshops organised by Feminist Fiction Berlin and Women* Writing Berlin Lab e.V. Includes erotica poetry workshop, open mic, and much more; see the program for details.

—Writing Club: EMBODIED WRITING CLUB - “THE ARTIST’S WAY”
📅 Every Sunday 7, 14, 21, 28 December 11:00-12:00📍SVERA, Ohmstraße 11, 10179 Berlin 💵 Urban Sports Club: M check-in or Eversports: €15
USC: https://www.urbansportsclub.com/en/venues/24206, or: Eversports
Are you being called to complete The Artist’s Way? In this writing club, we’ll blend somatic practices with reflective writing prompts from The Artists Way for you to come closer to your true inner artist. Drop in for a session, or join for the whole 12-week cycle. All welcome :)

—Writing Workshop: Another possible story, feminist reading and writing
📅 December 7th and 14th. 14:00-17:00.📍Lettrétage 21 Veteranenstraße Berlin
Info and registration at giukiersz@gmail.com. Another possible story is a reading and writing workshop focused on feminist storytelling as an approach to create new stories. The workshop will be held in English but everyone is invited to write in the language they feel more comfortable in. Each encounter works as a unit, so it is possible to attend one, two, three or all of them.

—Open Mic: TapWater: A Writers’ Open Mic
🗓 Monday, 8 December, 19:30-21:00📍Keith Bar, Schillerpromenade 2, 12049 Berlin
Whether a writer, reader, or listener, come along to hear some of the newest Berlin voices and meet a friendly, cosy community. Sign up early to read, only 8 spots.
💵 free

— Reading: Writing the Ongoing Nakba
🗓 Tuesday, 9 December, 19:00📍Literaturhaus Berlin Alt-Moabit 62-63, 10555 Berlin
An evening of readings of contemporary Palestinian literature from Gaza & beyond. Hosted by Wiam El-Tamami and curated by Katharine Halls and Alaa Alqaisi. With a memorial to Heba Abu Nada by her sister Somaia Abu Nada. Readings by Lamis Ammar. In English and Arabic. 💵 9 € / red. 6 € / Berlin-Ticket S 3 €

—Meetup: December Writers’ Meetup at Erika & Hilde in Neukölln
🗓 Wednesday, 10 December, 20:00 -23:00📍erika & hilde, 9 Weigandufer Berlin, 12045. 💵 free
Join the Berlin Writers’ Workshop for our monthly Writers’ Stammtisch, where writers and readers meet and socialize.

—Open Mic: The Reader Open Mic
🗓Wednesday, 10 December. Doors open at 18:30.📍Das Gift, Donaustrasse 119 (U-bahn Rathaus Neukölln) 💵 free. Just in time for the darkest days of winter—the last Open Mic of 2025!

—Writing Workshop: Sip n Write Xmas Party for FLINTA
🗓 Wednesday, 10 December, 19:00 - 21:00📍Another Country, Riemannstr. 7, Berlin
Join us for a cozy FLINTA-only party. A night of creativity and fun at our Klub Write Sip and Write event! Join us for an evening filled with writing prompts, good company, and of course, plenty of sipping on your fave beverages. Registration on Eventbrite.
💵 €13.96

—Stammtisch: NFLB - Network for Independent Literature Assn. Meetup
🗓 Thursday, 11 December, 19:30📍Prater Garten, Kastanienallee 7-9
10435 Berlin—Prenzlauerberg
Come to our next gathering for NFLB members, and anyone who wants to find out what we do. We’ve reserved a table inside in the warmth of the Gaststätte!

—Show/Live Podcast: The Dead Ladies Show
🗓 Friday, 12 December, 20:00📍Lettrétage e.V. im ACUD Studio Veteranenstraße 21
10119 Berlin. 💵 €10, red. €4
The DEAD LADIES SHOW is a series of entertaining and inspiring presentations on women who achieved amazing things against all odds. Each show hosts passionate cheerleaders of too-often forgotten women, inviting its loyal audience into a sexy séance (of sorts) celebrating these impressive icons, turbulent lives, and deathless legacies.

—Writing Weekend: Queer Holiday Writing Weekend/ Queere Geschichten für die Feiertage
🗓 Saturday, 13 December, 11:00-15:00 & Sunday, December 14th, 10:00-16:30.📍FAQ infoladen, Jonasstraße 40, 12053 Berlin 💵 Donations appreciated. Partial participation is also welcome. We love the tropes, mushiness and ease of Christmas holiday stories, but we are a bit tired of how much the genre is dominated by straight, cis, white, able-bodied perspectives as well as Christian hegemony. So we want to host a fun and cozy weekend to write different holiday stories. Register by email: lukasreimann@posteo.de.

—Workshop: Historical Fiction Masterclass
🗓 Sunday, 14 December, and 18 January 2026, from 12:00-16:00📍BuchBar “One More Chapter,” Sonntagstr. 26, 10245 Berlin
Join multi-award-winning author Niq Mhlongo for an in-depth masterclass on creating compelling nonstop pleasure stories with personal wisdom and philosophical insight. This is a must-attend for anyone passionate about history, literature, and untold truth.
💵 240€/ The participation fee includes the room fee, soft drinks & snacks,10€ book voucher, reading list and materials. Email info@interkontinental.org to register.

—Open Mic: Read Wedding Open Mic
🗓 Monday, 15 December, 19:00-22:00📍Hank Chinaski, Koloniestraße 32, 13359 Berlin 💵 free donations welcome
The monthly open mic in Berlin’s kiez of Wedding! This is an inclusive space in which all mediums of speech are welcome, in any language. Arrive early to sign up and get a seat, as it’s a popular event.

—Writing Workshop: Writing Berlin/Writing Venice with Demi Anter
🗓 Tuesday, 16 December, 19:00-20:30📍Shakespeare & Sons, Warschauer Str. 74.
Join poet and teacher Demi Anter for the return of Writing Berlin (with a Venice twist), a guided creative writing workshop for all writers. The cafe is open until 19:00, so arrive early if you’d like to buy any beverages. Books will be available for purchase after. Refunds are available up to five days before the event. Patreon members are eligible for 20% off. 💵 Early bird (until Dec 1): €27.82; General Admission: €33.14.

—Workshop/Performance/Open Mic: Read Wedding/Monolog - Cathartic Storytelling
🗓 Wednesday, 17 December: Workshop: 17:30–19:00, Performance 19:30–closing
📍800A Bar & Cabaret, Stettiner Straße 19, 13357 Berlin
A very special evening of our newest Read Wedding format: Workshop with solidarity scale pricing. 💵 Solidarity: 5€, Standard: 10€. Please RSVP with either a solidarity ticket or a standard contribution at Eventbrite (link).
Monolog Performances & Open-Mic: 19:30–closing time 💵 Free, open to public, see you there & bring your friends. :)

—Lecture and book presentation: Solidarity of the Shaken
🗓 Wednesday, 17 December, 18:30 📍Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Jacob-und-Wilhelm-Grimm-Zentrum, lecture hall, Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 3, 10117 Berlin
Belarus Lectures. The event is part of the interdisciplinary lecture and discussion series “Belarus Lectures” that offers insights into the historical and current key issues of Belarusian cultural and literary shortly while also exploring the political situation in contemporary Belarusian culture. 💵 free

—Book Presentation: Hans Blumenberg, die Wirklichkeit und der Roman
🗓 Thursday, 18 December, 18:30 pm📍Leibniz-Zentrum für Literatur- und Kulturforschung, Eberhard-Lämmert-Saal, entrance Meierottostr. 8, 10719 Berlin
Hans Blumenberg’s essay “Wirklichkeitsbegriff und Möglichkeit des Romans” (Concept of Reality and Possibility of the Novel) is a lasting provocative contribution—not only to the theory of the novel, but also to the theory of realism. 💵 free

—Workshop: Between the Years, a writing workshop to close out 2025
🗓 Sunday, 28 December, 14:00-16:30📍Metis Cafe and Bookshop, Gleimstr 21 10437 Berlin 💵 €30 Registration via Eventbrite until 15 December; seats limited.
The quiet days “Zwischen den Jahren”—the ”12 days between Christmas and New Year’s, the old year and the new—offer a rare pause for reflection and renewal. In this creative writing workshop, participants are invited to linger in that in-between space, using writing as a way to look back, let go, and begin anew. Hosted by yours truly.

*—Open Mic: Kinky Soul Open Mic
🗓 Tuesday, 30 December, 20:00📍Womanizer & Co Torstraße 161, 10115 Berlin 💵 Reader 10€ / Master 15 / Sugar 20€
Kinky Soul Reading Night is an open stage that provides an inclusive space for kinky self-expression through literature and performance.

Groups/Meetups/Other Recommendations

—Meetup, the original: www.meetup.com
And the Shut Up and Write Meetup group has events in every part of the Berlin almost every day of the week. You can get together with other writers and do as the title says.

—Read Wedding: Great community of writers hosting writing, editing events, open mics, and much more, and listed on their Meetup page.

—Writing Club: DNA Art Club offers regular writing workshops. 💵 €5

—Performing Arts Program Berlin is a great organization that provides training, consulting, and more for performing arts in Berlin for free. Even if you’re not only the performing arts, their webinars can be helpful for other independent creatives.

—Similarly, Berlin Kreativ Kultur also offers free consultations to artists of all disciplines and hosts great events.

—If you are looking for a fiction workshopping group, check out Berlin Fiction Circle

Promotion Corner

Berlin-based newsletters I recommend:

New find I’m most excited about: Berlin Daily. This newsletter arrives in my email inbox every weekday morning and saves me from that feeling of missing out and not knowing what’s going on in my adopted city. I used to listen to the Berlin Briefing news podcast when I first moved here. It was an invaluable resource for newbies, and when they stopped, I never found a comparable Ersatz until now. Berlin Daily is a daily newsletter with curated news and events in English. It’s the brainchild of Plamen Pasliev and his clever machines. I’m not a fan of AI for many of its applications, but this is what it is made for. Thanks, Plamen!

Other great Substacks I read: Berlin Events Weekly —— 20% Berlin —— From Julia’s Desk —— Handpickedberlin.com —— The German Review —— Update Germany

Books I’m reading this month, and if you travel a lot, a Kindle might be a good idea to save your back from lugging books around:

Berlin: Imagine a City by Rory Maclean - The travel writer extraordinaire tackles Berlin, his sometime home, and brings its history alive.

James by Percival Everett - this award-winning author’s novel about Huck Finn, but from Jim’s perspective, is original and moving.

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