31 July 2010

troglodyten [troglodytes] - written last fall

so streiche die schattenmorellen zurück in den busch
weich die stiele die blätter noch regenfeucht und nicht
ein einziger feuerstein für vor die höhle man singt sich
zu zweit in den schlaf übt die wandmalereien die speere
das schaf das den speeren entkommt . man hat sich 
verlaufen im eigenen tal aber wie das erklären -
da war keine fackel gesteckt da gab es nicht spuren von
bären nur vor allen wänden den funken nachsehen sie suchen
die muster in die sie sich wenden . wo wuchs diese 
plötzliche höhle und aus wessen händen glimmt licht / 



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[rough translation:

troglodytes

so push the morellos back into the bush soft
the pedicals moist of the rain still the leaves and
not one single flint stone to rub by the cave and
one sings one another to sleep drawing murals
the spears and the sheep that outrun them . one loses 
her way in her very own valley but how to explain that -
there was no torch and no traces of bears just
the standing in front of those walls watching sparks
going up in a turning of ornaments . where did that cave
grow so suddenly out of whose hands glows that light /   ]

29 July 2010


28 July 2010

last night i ran into the bunch of students who are behind litaffin. they were really nice.

in an unrelated story, this morning i came across an article written in april that recommends berlins best three literaturcafes.

25 July 2010

ever wished for a book cover archive?

today is your lucky day: http://bookcoverarchive.com/ - a great resource for designers, too.

24 July 2010

Wär ich ein Buch (1973)


Via Sandra Uschtrin, who edits the most useful newsletter I have ever signed up for.

22 July 2010

i blog, therefore i am

on 10 july 2010, i was speaking to a bunch of very clever FU students. the day's topic was narrative identity, so besides technical issues like how does a blog work and what is it good for, we also touched upon topics like does blogging help or hinder my writing and whether i am aiming at constructing a certain online image of myself, and if so why. i had prepared a little introduction and a couple of questions i was going to ask (like how many of you blog yourselves?) but didn't, because i forgot. so i had absolutely no idea about their previous social media knowledge and was constantly worried someone would fall from her chair, bored to death and all sweaty, as it was really hot that day. but as far as i could tell, christoph ribbat, one of the other two invited speakers, was the only one who fell asleep. into some microsleep maybe, but still, he was silently snoring right into my face. okay, i thought, this is it, you're in asia and that's how it goes here, no face-loss, it will never matter. i really liked christoph and his talk on alison bechdel's graphic novel 'fun home' and i think he got along with me okay, too, so i thought, well, let the man rest and hoped no-one would notice. and the students seemed with it, my talk i mean, which was the main thing. after i had finished, they had a long list of questions which i found interesting to answer, and i got very nice e-mail feedback: kerri drew me, complete with tattoo and necklace, and fredi left an encouraging comment. thank you for having me, i'd come back any time!

johann reißer was added to lyrikwelt.de

view his profile - including some work samples - here.

11 July 2010

i was asked to promote this

tuesday night, hanna lemke will be reading stories from her new book 'Gesichertes' (reviews here):

tue, 13 july 2010, 8 pm, ballhaus ost, pappelallee 15, berlin - prenzlauer berg, 3 €

09 July 2010

me talking at the FU tomorrow:


please find more information on the symposium here.