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Delphine de Stoutz

(c) Mick Vincenz

Please introduce yourself in two or three sentences.
As an author, dramaturge and artistic director, I bounce between languages, countries and texts. My work revolves around hetero-linguistics, post-patriarchal language and literature beyond the book. In the various facets of my occupation, I study new areas of expression for literature, including digital media.

What career experience do you have in your field of consultation?
1. Orientation consulting in Berlin’s literary sceneSince 2019 I’ve worked in the independent scene as an author and literature outreach professional in various places (LCB, Lettrétage, Brotfabrik, among others). As a board member of NFLB e.V. and the Berliner Literaturkonferenz from 2020 to 2023, I obtained in-depth insight into the Berlin literature industry and its political challenges.

2. Work-life balance (emphasis on reconciling family life with an artistic practice)
I am the mother of two children and have worked for over 15 years as a freelancer in Switzerland and Germany – so I am well-accustomed to working through impossible situations! My own experiences inspired me, among other things, to found the Autorinnennetzwerk in 2019, which has allowed me to accompany and advise women writers on the professionalization of their literary careers.

What are typical questions that participants might ask you in a consultation session?
1. Orientation consulting in Berlin’s literary scene
– I have an idea, but I don’t know where or how I can realize it.
– I’m new to Berlin and would like to meet other writers to start a dialogue with.
– How can I finance my literary project?
– What constitutes the Berlin literary scene (institutions, collectives, networks, places, financing, etc.)?

2. Work-life balance (emphasis on reconciling family life with an artistic practice)
– Is it possible to apply for a writing residency with (young) children?
– Am I eligible?
– Freeing oneself of feelings of guilt.
– How can I better reconcile my artistic practice with my family life? (Offer concrete tools)

What are some of your professional achievements?
As an author and multimedia artist, I’ve received a Swiss work stipend for digital literature (2024–2025) as well as a work stipend from the French literary fund (2019–2020). As a literature outreach professional, in 2020 I founded the HOTEL DES AUTRICES platform. This digital platform for writing residencies and publications has to date added 30 authors and 260 texts. It is supported and funded in part by the Literaturfonds, the Bürger Fonds, and institutions such as the LCB, La Marelle, the CWB and Rhizome Productions. The project was awarded the Rovan Prize and, as a pilot project in the field, we are regularly invited to events, symposia and literature festivals.

In addition, since 2019 I have run the first French reading series in Berlin, which takes place twice monthly. I’ve co-developed and produced two podcasts. I regularly run workshops on collective writing and organize literary performances.

What languages do you offer consultation sessions in?
German, English, French.

Where can you be found in the internet/on social media?
www.autrices-berlin.com
www.hoteldesautrices.com
www.delphinedestoutz.com

What piece of advice would you offer anyone interested in working in your professional field?
Hardly any other city offers as many opportunities in this field! It’s difficult, but there’s a place for every author. You’re not alone here.

What were your greatest challenges in the early years of your career?
The transition from theatre to literature! I swapped out a house full of people and solid jobs, secured two to three years in advance, for the precarity of life at my own desk. That first year I wrote a lot and even published my first novel, but I ended up horribly isolated, until a friend convinced me to come out of my cave. Three months later I founded the Autorinnennetzwerk and realized that, as a foreigner, I also had a right to participate in Berlin’s literary scene!