Welcome and (Anti-)Book Fair Manifesto

Live-Stream via Zoom

The Performative Book Fair deliberately sets itself apart from established book fairs and shows that coming together in the literary industry can also take place in a different way - beyond capitalist sales pressure. We want to take up the criticism of the existing German fairs and break new ground.

What possibilities do book fairs offer when the perspectives of marginalised and precarious actors take centre stage? What futures are possible when it is not usability but content that counts? The curators will welcome us and talk about the reason for the Performative Book Fair. They explain the approach of crossing performance with literary production, introduce the publication project Texttissues, and share some of their thoughts on the four-day programme. How can we critically engage with existing structures, but also create space for alternative realities?

Literary scholar Dr. Maha El Hissy opens the Performative Book Fair immediately afterwards with a radically conceived "(Anti-)Book Fair Manifesto" - what are book fairs (not) needed for, what about them should be abolished and rethought? Together with the audience, she reflects on a new form of literary gathering.

Sarah Bekambo is a spoken word artist and curates the Written and Spoken Word program at the VIERNULVIER art center in Ghent. She will give a brief insight into her curatorial practice at the opening of the book fair.

With Dr. Maha El Hissy, Sarah Bekambo, Pajam Masoumi and Alina Buchberger.

We appreciate if you do a Corona rapid test at home and wear a mask in crowded indoor spaces at the Book Fair. Those with cold symptoms: Instead of on site, you can take part in the discourse events via Zoom.