#5 May Literary Events Berlin
2 May-2 June / mostly English and IRL *updated 27.04
Can you believe how time whirls by? Welcome new followers, and a heartfelt thank you to the gentlemen at 20%Berlin and Berlin Events Weekly for the shoutouts that brought more of you here. Their newsletters helped me discover Berlin in the last few years, and inspired me to start mine own.
This is the 5th issue of my litstack, a Berlin-based English language literary event newsletter. All terms are loosely defined.
If you attend an event and have a moment, please let me know how it goes, if the information is accurate, if it’s a good recommendation, etc.
The last issue covered April, take a look at the last events still happening.
According to recent statistics, Berlin has 3.9 million inhabitants, with over 41k from India, and nearly 36k from the US and UK combined. That’s a lot of English speakers. And I know there are many poets and writers among them (us)! If you have an English-speaking, literary-minded friend, do them a favor and send them my newsletter. Or maybe send me their events?
(Events with * were added after initial publication and/or were corrected.)
You can sign up for free here, but paid subscriptions or a Kofi are also appreciated, or just share with your friends! Thank you 🙏
And if you have a new event for the future, submit it here via Google Forms.
For now, here are the categories of primarily English-language literary and other interesting in-person events that have come to my attention. They are listed by date, with a few exceptions.
Happy community building!
-- Bettina
Ongoing Events
*—Open Mic: Berlin Spoken Word or Insta. UPDATE: No open mic on 1. May!! Picnic instead, check Insta.
📅 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 May - Every Thursday all year, check Insta for the different theme each week.
Each Thursday at 19:00, doors and performer sign-ups open at 19:00 (get there early, I’ve seen it fill up crazy fast)📍 Das Gift, Donaustraße 119, 12043 Berlin
Entry via donation: 💵 2-10 €
”BSW Open Mic invites but is not limited to spoken word artists, poets, musicians, singer-songwriters, rappers & storytellers. The show is hosted in English, but ALL LANGUAGES WELCOME! The theme is suggested but not mandatory.”
—Reading group: Book: Johan Huizinga's Homo Ludens (1938) hosted by John Lee
📅 Sundays, May 4 & 18, June 1 & 22, from 16:00-18:00
📍 Silent Green, Gerichtstraße 35, Seiteneingang, 13347 Berlin. Please contact the host, artist John Lee at johnshlee1@gmail.com to sign up. 💵 Free.
”Johan Huizinga’s Homo Ludens is a groundbreaking exploration of the fundamental role of play in human culture and civilization. …With the analysis of the "play spirit," Huizinga’s work invites us to rediscover the playful essence at the heart of human existence—a perspective that feels increasingly urgent in our modern world.”
—Writing Meetup: Writing to music from... [varies]
📅 Mondays, May 5, 12, 19, 26 from 19:00–21:00
📍Another Country - Bookshop Riemannstraße 7 10961 “Join a small group of geeky writers while we work downstairs in the sci-fi section of a bookshop called Another Country! We'll keep the lights low and spend roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes in deep focus writing our short story/novel/comic book/screenplay/etc. Drinks are available!” 💵 FREE but reserve a spot via Eventbrite.
—Open Mic: Open Sofa Sessions (Poets/Songwriter Open Mic)
📅 Fridays 📍 Hank Chinaski, Koloniestraße 32 13359 Berlin. 💵 FREE
The chaotic, charming, classic open mic returns for a new season of poetry & orginal music hosted by Kilkelly. Presented by The Famous Gold Watch studios, who've been kind enough to supply a baby grand piano. Kilkelly Opening Set: 19:00. Open Sofa Sessions: 19:45 Sign-Up: 19:00.
—Reading Party: Pausify Reading Party Event
📅 Sunday, May 4, 11:00–13:45 📍EDGE Grand Central, Invalidenstraße, 65 10557 Berlin. Open to all. 💵 €14,90/month gives access to all Pausify events (or €9,90 per event)
”Bring along your current book to read (or a personal project to work on - your own book, crafts, etc. 📚🎨🧵) and join us for this mix of a shared focus session + discussion. Coffee, tea & snacks are included ☕️ 11:00-11:30 - Meet & greet 11:30-12:30 - Silent focus time 12:30-13:30 - Discussion of books/ projects over coffee Stay around afterwards for lunch with others - or simply join next time! More impressions from our events on Insta.”
One-Time Events
—Reading/Panel: Wild Tongues X Writers of Colour
📅 Saturday 3 May 19:00📍Hopscotch Reading Room 2 Nansenstraße 12047 Berlin
Four writers will present and discuss their works, moderated by Winifred Wong and Sylvia Fox. The panel will examine displacement and migration, voluntary or otherwise, and how we reckon with the ripples of colonialism through art. 💵 FREE
—Lecture: In Search of Truth: A Journalist’s Journey
📅 Tuesday, 6 May 19:30-21:00📍American Academy in Berlin Am Sandwerder 17-19, 14109 Berlin-Wannsee. In-person registration online, also streamed.
In this talk, veteran journalist Mona El-Naggar offers a close look at her career as a reporter and storyteller, exploring the nuances of how journalists gather information and strive for the elusive goal of objectivity. 💵 FREE
—Poetry Reading/Music Performance: Fabrica Femina - Poetria Experience Berlin
📅 Tuesday, 6 May 19–22:00. Doors open 18:00
📍HOŠEK Contemporary Märkisches Ufer 1z 10179 Berlin
Poetria Experience is a traveling series where iconic female poetry meets the bold sounds of contemporary women composers. 💵 Tickets 15 Euro via link here
—Happy Hour: Berlin Screenwriters Network Happy Hour
Come join us for a fun evening of networking and mingling with fellow screenwriters.
📅 Wednesday, 7 May 19:30-23:00📍 KASCHK by BRLO Linienstraße 40 10119 💵 Free
—Literary journal launch: SAND 28 Launch
📅 Wednesday, 7 May, 19:30 €5 📍 Lettrétage, Veteranenstraße 21 Berlin
💵 €18 for entry + discounted print copy of SAND 28
”Join the team behind SAND to celebrate the launch of their 28th issue on 7th May! The evening will feature performances by the issue’s Berlin-based contributors and the chance to connect with writers, readers, and editors from Berlin’s international literary community.”
*—Writing/Editing Group: Berlin Fiction Circle
📅Thursday, 8 18:30 May Keith Bar Schillerpromenade 2, 12049.
Meets regularly to workshop submitted texts. Check out their site or email them to be added to the newsletter, and join the next meetup.
—Book Launch: Elegy, Southwest by Madeleine Watts
📅 Friday, 9 May 20:00📍 Lettrétage, Veteranenstraße 21. 💵 Free Admission
Join us on May 9th for the launch of "Elegy, Southwest", the hotly anticipated second novel by Australian-born Berlin author Madeleine Watts. Watts will be joined by local critic and essayist Alexander Wells for a reading and discussion followed by Q&A and a book signing over drinks.
—Writing Meetup: Read Editing: Monthly Writers Meetup
📅 Monday, 12 May 19:00-21:00
📍Vagabund Brauerei Kesselhaus Oudenarder Str. 16-20, 13347 Berlin. 💵 Free, be nice and buy a drink.
”Here, you can join in a more traditional meetup format. We will gather for a combination of solitary writing time, sharing and feedback, and guided exercises. Just show up with some writing materials (or your phone, if you prefer) and if you have pieces you'd like to develop further or receive feedback on, those as well.”
—Writing Meetup: Stone to Silver Writing Night
📅 Monday, 12 May 19:00–21:00 📍Zweiners Hermannstraße 233, 12049 Berlin Participation donation: 💵 €5-15. Register by Email or Eventbrite, all info there.
”Stone to Silver is a writing event inspired by a 'Drink and Draft' event series in New York. We want to create this opportunity for writers, often working in a solitary environment, to practice their craft with others, collaborate, and hang out.”
—Lit Event: The Dead Ladies Show #39 10th Anniversary Edition
📅 Tuesday, 13 May 19:00 📍 Lettrétage in Veteranenstraße 21, 💵 €10/€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-oft forgotten women, inviting its loyal audience into a sexy séance (of sorts) celebrating these impressive icons, turbulent lives, and deathless legacies.” This is such a great event. Where else in the world can you learn about awesome dead ladies in a humorous and informative, almost Ted-Talky but also in high-style?
—Conference: 9th Literature Industry Summit (Literatur Branchentreff)
Theme: “My fear and I: Finding security in insecure times”
📅 Thursday, May 15 to Saturday 17
📍 Refugio (Lenaustrasse 3-4, 12047 Berlin-Neukölln) Register for individual events here. 💵 Free, but spots limited by event. Note the language of each workshop.
—Poetry Slam: Berlin Spoken Word - A Poetry Competition celebrating the little revenges in life
📅 Friday, 16 May 19:00–23:00 📍 Das Gift, Donaustraße 119, 12043 Berlin
💵 Euro 11.83-15, or at the door.
Berlin's poetry "Hold-a-grudge" Match is happening in May. We have found seven of the city's funniest and pettiest poets. Doors open at 1900, starts 1930. Tickets Eventbrite
—Open Mic Storytelling: SmutSlam Berlin
Berlin’s only community dirty storytelling open mic is back, with this month's theme of "Use Your Words"
📅 Monday, 19 May📍 Crack Bellmer, Revaler Str 99, Berlin
💵 Tickets: €15-20 sliding scale donation per person (adv purchase), or €20 cash at the door. Covid test required. Advance tickets available at Eventbrite.
I went to the April version and was again wowed at how much fun this event is. It’s well-structured, safe, and organized - a must for the risky set-up of sexy open-mic and topic. I can def. recommend, and get there early to meet all the other cool people. Bonus points for the intermission activities corner.
—Lecture: Art in a State of Siege: Berlin, Kurinskij, Nuremberg, 1942-1947
📅 Monday, 19 May, 19:30–21:00 📍 American Academy in Berlin Am Sandwerder 17-19, 14109 Berlin-Wannsee 💵 Free
”Joseph Leo Koerner presents his new book, Art in a State of Siege (Princeton University Press, 2025). Using Berlin as a point of orientation, he explores how in extreme cases of collective experience art becomes a currency of last resort.”
—Book Presentational & Discussion: Time and Desire in Queer Post-Cinema
📅 Monday, 19 May 19:30 📍 ICI Berlin, Christinenstr. 18/19, Haus 8 10119 Berlin
Queer Post-Cinema: Reinventing Resistance offers a novel perspective on the subject of queer cinema, highlighting the interplay between the cinematic dispositif and digital media in post-cinema. The conversation between Astrid Deuber-Mankowsky and Katrin Pahl will focus on the field’s connection with subjectivation as linked to sexuality. 💵 Free
*—Book Launch: “Don’t Talk About Politics” by Sarah Stein Lubrano
📅 Tuesday, 20 May 18:30 📍Shakespeare and Sons, Warschauer Str. 74, 10243 Berlin
Sarah’s collaborator and friend Max Haiven, co-founder of Sense and Solidarity, will chair and ask the important questions, like “should we form cults instead?” and “does Musk deserve the guillotine?” Then there will be a Q and A, book signing and longer chats. 💵 Free admission.
—Meetup for Women: Meetings of the Books Around the World Club
📅 Wednesday, 21 May 19:00 📍Polnisch, Gotenstr. 45, 10829 Berlin
Contact joanna@beelingotheka.com Meetings of the Books Around the World Club are part of the Berlin project SprachCafé im Ohr and are held in English at SprachCafé 💵 Free admission, buy a drink.
—Book Launch: Poor Ghost by Gabriel Flynn
📅 Wednesday, 21 May 20:00 📍Lettrétage, Veteranenstraße 21. 💵 Free Admission
Join us for the launch of Gabriel Flynn’s debut novel, "Poor Ghost!" The reading and discussion with Gabriel Flynn and Alexander Wells will be followed by an audience Q&A and a book signing.
—Stammtisch: Student-Alumni Picnic at Tempelhofer Feld
📅 Wednesday, 21 May, 18:00–21:00 📍Tempelhofer Feld (map)
💵 A free monthly gathering for writers and readers
—Open writing circle: We Are Village Queer Writing Meetup
📅 Thursday, 22 May 19:30–21:30 📍 We Are Village, Kurfürstenstraße 31/32 10785 Berlin
More info, description in German here, you can write in any language, but German hosts. 💵 Free. Audience: LGBTQIA+
Sprache: Während die Gruppe hauptsächlich auf Englisch durchgeführt wird, bist du herzlich eingeladen, in jeder Sprache zu schreiben, in der du dich wohlfühlst.
—Talk: The Changing Role of the Public Intellectual in the Transatlantic Context
📅 Thursday, 22 May 18-20:00 📍 First Floor Studio / De Gruyter Brill Lützowstraße 33 10785 Berlin. 💵 Free. More info and program here.
”What does it mean to be a public intellectual today—and who’s listening? How do thinkers, creatives, and cultural voices influence public life in North America and Europe, particularly in Germany?”
—Presentation: PARATAXE Symposium XVI = Antipodes: Down under in Berlin – the Australian & New Zealand authors of Berlin, curated by Alexander Wells
📅 Saturday, 24 May, 13:30 - late night at 📍 Maschinenhaus (Kulturbrauerei) Knaackstraße 97, 10435 Berlin
An event in English and German (partly with translations). See link for full program.
💵 Tickets at 5,-€ / reduced 3,-€ only at the box office on site.
—Open Mic: Read Wedding Open Mic for Poetry or Storytelling
📅 Monday, 26 May 19:00-10:00 📍Hank Chinaski, Koloniestraße 32, 13359 Berlin
Whether you're poetry-curious or a seasoned performer, join us for our monthly open mic night at Hank Chinaski. Share your work (or that of writers you admire) & meet fellow enthusiasts. All written works & languages are welcome. RSVP via Meetup, Eventbrite, or just show up. Online RSVPs DO NOT save performance spots Sign up at the door between 19:00-19:30. 💵 Free.
—Music: Liederabend || Merry Evenings in our house: A Celebration of James Joyce
📅 Friday, 30 May 19:30–22:00 📍 Kühlhaus Berlin, Luckenwalder Straße 3 10963 Berlin
LiedFest Berlin-Oxford and the Modern Song Collective present an evening exploring the life and music of author James Joyce.
💵 ”Free” but reserve a seat via Eventbrite - but a suggested donation of €15 at the door. All donations will support the efforts of the LiedFest-Berlin Oxford and the Modern Song Collective.
Writing Courses
The Reader
The Fiction Workshop
Course tutor: Olivia Parkes
📅 Wednesday evenings, 19:00-21:00
Start Date: Wed, May 7, number of sessions: 12. 💵 Cost: €275
Email olivia@thereaderberlin.com to sign up!
📍Another Country Bookshop (Riemannstraße 7, 10961 Berlin) Inaccessible for individuals with mobility impairments.
Here & Elsewhere: Place Writing
Course tutor: Marcel Krueger
📅 Thursday evenings, 19:00-21:00
Start Date: May 15 Number of sessions: 6 💵 Cost: €230
📍Galerie Arnarson & Sehmer, Lehderstraße 74, 13086 Berlin. Accessible for individuals with mobility impairments.
Making Your Words Sing: an Editing Masterclass with Dženana Vucic
Saturday, May 17, 10:30–16:30
📍Lettrétage, Veteranenstraße 21. 💵 €75
The Reader also offers online classes, but I am focusing on in-person events.
Poetry Writing with Zoe Darsee
📅 Starts Thursday, May 15th-July 3rd ends Mon, May 26
Thursdays from 19:00–21:00
📍Neukölln, Berlin
💵 Tuition: €350
Picture Books with Lelia Boukarim
📅 Starts Wednesday, May 21st, End date: July 9th
Wednesdays, 19:00 -21:00
📍Neukölln, Berlin (TBA)
💵 Tuition: €350
Berlin-based newsletters by good peeps, that I recommend:
From Julia’s Desk - Berlin events, focusing on Central/Eastern Europe
20% Berlin - Berlin news in English, with humor
Berlin Events Weekly - Berlin events, for even more FOMO
Save the Date!
Miss Read’s Berlin Art Book Fair & Festival 📅 June 13–15, 2025
💵 Promotion Corner 💵
Scrivener promotion with affiliate link 💵
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If you are ready to buy this writing tool I recommend, consider using my affiliate link, which gives me a percentage of your sale. I would appreciate it. 💵
A final note: I’m testing using emojis in this issue: yea or nay?
Oooo can’t wait to check some of them out when I move!
This is a fantastic resource. Thank you so much