Hello dear Berlin literati and book-adjacent subscribers,
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In this in-between newsletter edition, you’ll find the events happening in the second half of June. Entries with a (*) did not appear in the first June email or have corrections.
Also, please send your July events by 24 June via the Form App here!
Thank you 🙏
Your newsletter agglomerator, Bettina
Join me too on Instagram! @berlin_literary_events
☀️ 📖 I will be giving a free reading from a new essay on Saturday, 27, 18:00+ as part of the “Atelierhauses Australische Botschaft Ost” art exhibit Cosmic Air at the Projektraum Bethanien (Mariannenplatz 2, 10997 Berlin), along with author Marc Ottiker (DE) and music by Janet Gilette
&
✍️ I will facilitate an ekphrastic (art-focused) writing workshop on Sunday, 28 June, 12:30-13:00. Come on out and see some aht ‘n culchah before your late-night plans. 👏
Table of Contents: Sponsor, Open Calls, Repeating Events, Events, Workshops/Classes
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📣 Open Calls
—Open Call by FLINTA* Literatur: Deadline June 21! The Berlin-based project FLINTA* Literatur has issued an open call for participants in its two event series “Girl, Show Me That Body (of Work)” and “FLINTA* Kultur Salon” in 2027 and 2028. They welcome applications from FLINTA* (woman, lesbian, intersex, non-binary, trans, and agender) artists, authors, performers, cultural workers, language activists, and awareness/access specialists, based in Berlin, whose work engages with intersectional, multi-generational, or transnational perspectives and lived experiences shaped by structural inequality.
*—Open call for volunteer art editor at SAND literary journal. Deadline 28 June!
Do you love literature, art, and the ways they can intersect? Would you like the chance to bring art across all media into an independent print journal?
We’re looking for someone with a strong artistic voice and a commitment to amplifying marginalised voices to be our new art editor.
Note that the whole SAND team works on a volunteer basis alongside a range of day jobs – and we're all based in Berlin!
The art editor role involves a voluntary commitment of about 4 hours per week, and will begin in July 2026 as we open for submissions for SAND 30. Find out more and apply by 28 June. www.sandjournal.com
Museum Tip
—Art Exhibit at Bröhan Museum > “Edward W. Godwin and Oscar Wilde. Dandies Decadence Modernism”
🗓 open until 30 August Open Tuesday-Sunday, 11:00–18:00📍Schloßstraße 1a
14059 Berlin (am Schloss Charlottenburg)
The exhibition is dedicated to two outstanding protagonists of the Aesthetic Movement, whose cult of beauty provided a significant impulse for the emergence of modern design. Based on the exemplary connection between art, design, and lifestyle cultivated by Godwin and Wilde, the show highlights the aesthetic and social foundations of a movement that remained influential beyond the 19th century and had a decisive impact on the development of design. 💶 €9
Repeating Events—Co-Reading: Reading Party with Pausify
🗓 Every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00📍Invalidenstraße, 65 10557 Berlin (”EDGE Grand Central”)
Pausify is the biggest community and most active of book lovers and creatives in Berlin. Bring along your current book to read (or something creative to work on) and join us for a mix of shared focus time and discussion. Discussion of books/ projects over coffee. Afterward, join for lunch if you’d like. 💶 €9,90 (or €17,90/Month membership - access to all events, cancel any time)
—Workshop: Living Philosophy: a reflective writing club
🗓 Sundays: 21, 28 June, 11:00-12:00📍11 Ohmstr, 10179 Berlin
It’s a deep human need to make sense of our experience and tell our stories. And damn, does the world need new stories. In this embodied philosophy class, you’ll turn over new ideas in body and mind, and hopefully meet yourself in the process. Here’s a taste. 💶 Urban Sports Club check-in or €16
Events
—Book Launch/Reading and Discussion: Translating Herta Müller: Berlin Book Launch for The Village on the Edge of the World
📅 Wednesday, 17 June, 19:30-22:00📍Lettrétage, Veteranenstr. 21, 10119 Berlin
Join us for the Berlin launch of The Village on the Edge of the World (Granta, UK) by Herta Müller, in which the Nobel Prize-winning author reflects on her life and craft. A short reading from the book will be followed by a discussion between critic Alex Wells and translator Kate McNaughton. 💶 free
—Reading/Talk: Translating Herta Müller: Berlin Book Launch for The Village on the Edge of the World 💶 free
🗓 Wednesday, 17 June, 19:30-22:00📍Lettrétage, Veteranenstr. 21, 10119 Berlin
Join us for the Berlin launch of The Village on the Edge of the World, by Herta Müller (original title: Mein Vaterland war ein Apfelkern). A short reading from the book will be followed by a discussion between critic Alex Wells and translator Kate McNaughton.
—Book Launch: Untold Narratives x My Dear Kabulat Chapters Bookshop
🗓 Wednesday, 17 June, 19:00📍Chapters Bookshop, Wilsnacker Straße 60, 10559 Berlin 💶 €6.51
My Dear Kabul: Twenty-one Afghan women writers on keeping a collective diary under Taliban rule. With Untold Narratives. Voice & Witness Batool Haidari and Naeema Ghani in conversation with Lucy Hannah
*—Writing Club: DNA Club Creative Writing and Wine
🗓 Wednesday, 17 June, 19:30-21:30📍DNA. ART HOUSE Wrangelstraße 25 10997 Berlin.
Our Creative Writing & Wine evenings are open to everyone - whether you are just discovering your voice or have been writing for years. No pressure, just presence. Guided by Daniela Dair, you will be invited into the space with gentle, uplifting prompts and the freedom to create, share, or simply listen. 💶 €17,17.
*—Speculative Fiction Book Club: The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
🗓 Thursday, 18 June, 19:00–21:00📍Metis Books and Café, Gleimstraße 21, 10437. Book available in the store. 💶 €7.50 admission; includes a drink.
—Book discussion: Nussaibah Younis in conversation with Sharmaine Lovegrove
🗓 Friday, June 19, 19:00📍Chapters Bookshop, Wilsnacker Straße 60, 10559 Berlin
💶 €11.83
Nussaibah Younis on faith, belonging, and finding comedy in the darkest material. Featuring her award-winning debut novel Fundamentally. A novel about a British Asian academic sent to Iraq to work in deradicalisation should not be this funny. And yet.
*—Shibari & poetry: Shibari, Soundbath and Poetry Performance by Roja and JJ
🗓 Saturday, 20 June (summer solstice special) Doors open at 20:30; performance begins at 21:00📍The Fool: Skalitzer Str. 43, 10997 Berlin
In this performance/ritual, Roja and JJ invite you to reflect on how fear could shape and disrupt our path toward the consciousness that is only available in the deep waters of vulnerability, manifesting itself in intimacy through a holistic exchange of a r0pe session, enhanced by live Iranian traditional soundscapes and Farsi Sufi poetry as mantras of surrender. Together, we will alchemize by setting aside our fears (BÂK) to maintain a connection. 💶 ?
*—Poetry Slam: Petty Poetry Slam
🗓 Saturday, 20 June, 19:30📍Das Gift, Donaustraße 119, 12043 Neukölln
Berlin’s poetry “Hold-a-grudge” Match is happening in June We have found seven of the city’s funniest and pettiest poets. The Petty Slam is a three-round poetry slam. Judged by you, the audience! 💶 ? contact them for tix
—Reading: Berlin Writers’ Workshop Student Reading Series
🗓 Sunday, 21 June, 19:00-21:00📍Cafe Plume, Warthestraße 60, 12051 Berlin
Join us on June 21st at Cafe Plume for a reading with current and former students, featuring Lieselot De Taeye, Diana Kostovic, Jason Heinen, Michele Majidi, Srisuda Rojsatien, and Clár Tillekens, introduced by Çağla Arıbal, Zack Darsee, and Tracy Fuad. 💶 ?
—Meetup: NFLB Meetup - Network of Independent Literary Scene in Berlin
🗓 Tuesday, 23 June, 19:30📍Biergarten Jockel, Ratiborstraße 14c, Kreuzberg
The NFLB invites you to our next members’ get-together. Are you an author, translator, or otherwise active in the literary scene? Then come along! To chat, brainstorm or make new friends. Would you like to find out more about the Berlin literary scene? Would you like to have some change from writing at your desk on your own all day? Would you like to get involved? Do you just want to have a relaxed summer drink with colleagues? And bring friends, including those who are interested in joining the NFLB. We have reserved a table outside at Jockel Biergarten. (The football will be on, but we don’t have to watch it.) Please send an RSVP to lucy.jones@nflb.de 💶 free
—Reading/Talk: Book Launch “Blind, ins Auge”
🗓 Wednesday, 24 June, 19:30-22:00📍Lettrétage, Veteranenstr. 21, 10119 Berlin
The publication Blind, ins Auge examines the role of political imagery in the context of the 2022–2023 protests in Iran. It focuses on the question of what happens when sight itself is suppressed and on the possibilities and limitations of images. 💶 free
—Presentation/talk: Scheherazade to #MeToo: The Power of Women’s Stories
🗓 Wednesday, 24 June, 18:30-21:00📍CIEE U-Lounge, Gneisenaustraße 27, 10961 Berlin. The U-Lounge is located in the courtyard on the ground floor
Feminist author Dina Honour focuses on the power of women’s stories, exploring how they’re used to form communities and facilitate change, from Feminist consciousness-raising groups to #MeToo, and the ways in which women’s stories can reshape our narratives. Can those new shapes help us imagine a more inclusive future? 💶 5€ (goes to an AWC Berlin charity). Sponsored by AWC Berlin but open to the public.
*—Presentation/talk: Devoted II : A Reading Event by FU Review Literary Journal
🗓 Wednesday, 24 June, 14:00-16:00📍JFK Institute for North American Studies, Lansstraße 7-9, 14195 Berlin-Bezirk Steglitz-Zehlendorf
Devoted is a reading series in which we invite writers, thinkers, and artists to share texts by other authors that have influenced them personally or professionally. In this edition, rather than taking a supposedly detached approach to writing and reading literature, we will look at how we connect to particular traditions, movements, and voices. 💶 free
*—Reading: Kinky Soul Reading Night
🗓 Thursday, 25 June, 20:30📍Art.City.People Oranienburger Str. 32, 10117
Kinky Soul is an interactive community event for kinky self-expression through literature and performance. Audiences witness shared desires and fantasies while performers share original or favorite texts (3-7 min) across any format—spoken word, comedy, or song. All identities welcome in this sex-positive, inclusive space.
💶 Reader 10€ / Master 15 / Sugar 20€
*—Books/Drinks: Multilingual Summer Reading Night at Metis
🗓 Thursday, 25 June, 18:30 pm - 21:30 – Doors open at 18:30 pm, with a presentation of our picks at 19:00📍Metis Books and Café, Gleimstraße 21, 10437
Find your books for the season over a drink. Before Berlin empties out for the summer, come and pick your reading for the months ahead: novels first and foremost, with a handful of essays and a few titles on politics and the wider world. The evening is led in English, but the table stays true to Metis—alongside the English selection, you’ll find summer picks in German, Italian, Spanish, French, and Catalan. Drop in any time and stay as long as you like. 💶 Entry 5 € including your first drink—the 5 € comes back as credit on any book purchase of 30 € or more. Space is limited. Email: newsletter@newsletter.metisbooksandcafe.de to RSVP.
*—Poetry Reading: Poetry and Beyond
🗓 Thursday, 25 June, 20:00📍Laden 2, Brunnenstr. 65, 13355 Berlin
Ugly Duckling Presse and Err Editions present poetry and beyond with Rebecca Smith, Adelaide Ivanova, and Gabrielle Civil. 💶 ?
*—Storytelling: Club Motte
🗓 Thursday, 25 June, 20:00📍Prachtwerk, Ganghoferstr. 2, Neukoeln 💶 €drinks
—Festival: Miss Read: The Berlin Art Book Fair & Festival 2026
🗓 June 26–28📍Silent Green Gerichtstraße 35, 13347 Berlin
The Berlin Art Book Fair & Festival brings together a wide selection of the most interesting artists/authors, periodicals, art publishers and zines and is accompanied by a series of lectures, discussions, book launches and workshops exploring the boundaries of contemporary publishing and the possibilities of the book. This year’s Miss Read will have a special focus on bibliodiversity. 💶 free
*—Reading: Same Same Reading Circle (Sama سماء सम 様)
🗓 Saturday, 27 June, 18:00–20:00📍encounters bookspace, Prinzenallee 60, 13359
Same Same Reading Circle (Sama سماء सम 様) gathers to read and discuss inter-Asian theories and writings. In our first session, hosted by Inter-Asian Berlin editors Wassan Ali and Julianne Chua, we warmly invite you to a collective reading of Queer Asia and unravel what "inter-Asia" means in Berlin's context. 💶 Free (donations appreciated)
—Book Club and Film Screening: Buch Klub Orakel
🗓 Saturday, 27 June, 20:00 book discussion, 21:00 film screening📍F-HAUS, Lottumstr. 9, 10119 Berlin
We read and discuss a selected book and screen a related film afterward at F-HAUS, a creative space/bar in Prenzlauer Berg. We meet on the last Saturday of each month. Email for the next book we are reading and film we are screening: radiohochsee@gmail.com 💶 Free, donations welcome.
—Performance: CONVERGENCE 12
🗓 Saturday, 27 June, 19:30-22:00📍Lettrétage, Veteranenstr. 21, 10119 Berlin
CONVERGENCE XII invites attentive listening, porous boundaries, and the quiet thrill of disorientation. Opening the evening will be Kross Collective co-founder Days Like Television. Following this will be DeeeVeee, a psychedelic-noise duo. Closing the event will be HOTARU, a guitar-and-electronics duo. 💶 7€
—Storytelling: THE BEAR presents Eve of the Champs ‘26 - Your Favorite Storytellers from the Last 10 Shows
🗓 Saturday, June 27, 19:00-19:30📍THEATRE POOLBoxhagener Straße 18; 3. Hinterhof, 10245 Berlin-Friedrichshain, 3. Hinterhof Berlin-Friedrichshain
Every year, we close the season with something special.
Not an open stage, but a return. Eight storytellers. Eight voices you couldn’t forget.
Chosen by you. They made you laugh, pause, feel, and maybe even shift something inside. And now—they’re back. Theme “Surrender.” 💶 40 €?
—Reading and Music: Reading with Bettina Rolyn (EN) and Marc Ottiker (DE) at Art Exhibit “Cosmic Air” at Projektraum Bethanien
🗓 Saturday, 27 June, 18:15 readings (EN/DE), 19:30 live music by Janet Gilette
📍Projektraum Bethanien, Mariannenplatz 2, 10997 Berlin 💶 free - we’ll pass the hat.
I’m grateful to have been invited to take part in the Vernissage of the interdisciplinary art show “Cosmi Air” at Projektraum Bethanien, which features 14 artists from the former Australische Botschaft Ost atelier community. Come out to hear me read and enjoy some live music.
—Writing Workshop: Cosmic Air Ekphrastic Writing Workshop - facilitated by yours truly, Bettina Rolyn
🗓 Sunday, 28 June, 12:00-13:30📍Projektraum Bethanien, Mariannenplatz 2, 10997 Berlin. Bring yourself, your eyeballs, and an open heart to look at the artworks and let your reflections land on paper in the form of words in any language you want. 💶 free, donations welcome.
—Meetup: Re(a)d Wedding: a berlin open mic for poetry and storytelling
🗓 Monday, 29 June, 19:00-22:00📍Hank Chinaski, Koloniestraße 32, 13359 Berlin. The monthly open mic in Berlin’s kiez of Wedding! This is an inclusive space in which all mediums of speech are welcome, in any language. 💶 donations
Workshops/Classes
Creative Writing I (In-Person) with Gurmeet Singh
Start date: July 1st, 2026
End date: August 18th, 2026
Wednesdays, 19:00-21:00
Location: Neukölln
*Tuition: €350
(Berlin Writers Workshop has reverted their course prices in solidarity)
Join the fun on Instagram! @berlin_literary_events
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