Reading & Discussion | Moderation: Ulrika Rinke (Literaturhaus Rostock)
Celebrated for his provocative essays ("Desintegriert euch!", "Gegenwartsbewältigung", "Versöhnungstheater"), author Max Czollek actually has a background in poetry: he has already published four volumes of poetry, contributed lyrics to an album by rapper Retrogott and loves the work of Rostock rapper Milli Dance from "Waving The Guns". In view of current social developments, Czollek's latest volume of poetry "Gute Enden" (Good Endings) brings together the traces of futile hope, visions of humanity that have become toxic and discarded - there are no good endings in sight, but perhaps something like land.
On this evening, Czollek and Milli Dance will discuss politics and the potential of language and art to offer resistance on the basis of new texts and perhaps also tracks, while the pendulum is swinging towards more racism, anti-feminism and violence against "others".
Max Czollek is an author and lives in Berlin. Since 2023 he has been producing the podcast "Trauer und Turnschuh" with Hadija Haruna-Oelker for a plural culture of remembrance. He is currently guest curator and host of the discussion series "Gegenwartsbewältigung" at Haus der Kulturen der Welt Berlin. Together with Sasha Marianna Salzmann, he initiated the Disintegration Congress 2016 and the Radical Jewish Culture Days 2017 at the Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin, as well as the Days of Jewish-Muslim Leitkultur 2020. Most recently, he was DAAD Distinguished Chair in Contemporary Poetics at New York University, NYU.
Milli Dance, who grew up in the Mecklenburg province, has been involved in rap since he was 14. He has been performing on stages in German-speaking countries with "Waving The Guns" since 2012. Since 2015, "Waving The Guns" have been releasing albums on the Audiolith label: technically and content-wise serious rap with potential for irritation as well as political socialization. Since 2018, music has been Milli Dance's full-time occupation.
Advance booking: €8 plus fee at the press center/at mvticket.de, box office: €12/€8 (extra)
Students of the University of Rostock and the HMT Rostock receive free admission via the AStA culture ticket (registration for students/persons entitled to a discount: reservierung (at) literaturhaus-rostock(dot)de)
Venue: Literaturhaus Rostock (in the Peter-Weiss-Haus), Doberaner Str. 21, 18057 Rostock
