Please introduce yourself in two or three sentences.
Saskia Warzecha was born in 1987 in Peine. She studied computational linguistics at the University of Potsdam, language arts at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and creative writing at the Deutsches Literaturinstitut (German Institute of Literature) Leipzig.
In 2020 Approximanten (Approximants) was published by Matthes & Seitz Berlin, earning her numerous prizes and grants (including the Heimrad-Bäcker-Förderpreis, a Berlin Senate work stipend, a work stipend from the Literaturpassage am Museumsquartier Vienna, and a place on the shortlist for the Ulla-Hahn-Autorenpreis).
She is the editor of Tippgemeinschaft 2016 (Betting Syndicate 2016) and the anthology Ansicht der leuchtenden Wurzeln von unten (A View of Luminous Roots From Below, poetenladen, 2017), was poetry director for the magazine STILL until 2017, and since 2018 has edited the contemporary poetry journal Transistor, which she founded with Alexander Kappe and David Frühauf.
She has conceived and organized numerous events: among others, she ran ‘open mike – Wettbewerb für junge Literatur’ (an open mic for young authors) from 2020 to 2023, and Poets’ Corner at the Haus für Poesie from 2018 to 2020. She has also led a number of workshops, and since 2019 has been active in advising others on developing events.
Core advising areas
Events
Publications
Devising concepts
Grants, applications
Networks, collectives and collaborations
Advising languages
German
English
Typical questions for an advising session with me
‘Is it true that you lose the rights to your work once you’ve read it in a literary institution?’
(No, absolutely not.) Important: you don’t need to have any knowledge under your belt to ask your questions. Come around (or call on the phone or Zoom), even if you feel insecure. The conversations take place in confidence, your questions are in good hands with me, and potential insecurities will soon seem out of place.
‘I would like to progress in my writing – what can I do?’
Of course it is easier to answer concrete questions. But if your questions are vague – and they often tend to be when we’re looking for guidance – come by and ask them anyway. During an advising session we’re sure to come up with something together!
‘How do I find out about multimedia readings in the city?’
‘How do I get in touch with other writers who are engaging with the theme ‘sports’ in literature?’
‘I would like to move my event series from Utrecht to Berlin – what should I keep in mind?’
If you have concrete questions about collectives and collaborations, writing/applications, editing or events in Berlin: excellent!
Let’s have a conversation and systematically consider what steps might make sense for you next!