Workshop: Flâneuring – Diverse perspectives on public space in writing

09 am – 12 pm, Mon 13 May 2024
Ho Chi Minh City (the specific venue will be announced later)

From Goethe Institut:

Strolling around, exploring, and discovering, are present in public spaces. In classical literature we encounter many romantic wanderers who are roaming cities and landscapes, and who are appropriating these spaces in one way or another. We travel along with them to foreign places, and see through the eyes of Büchner or Eichendorff for example. But their view may be biased. Flexen is a compilation of essays from rare perspectives which often provide a completely different view of an environment. Being able to move freely in public places depends on the attributions given by society, and on being visible or invisible. Based on these perspectives, some of these places even become inaccessible.

Moving around in a city, waiting at a bus stop, taking a walk, using a restroom, entering a park can be a unique experience, a challenge, or even political, if you are a woman*, a person of colour, queer, or a person with disabilities.

In this workshop we want to give space for marginalized perspectives and highlight their voices, which we hardly find in literature.

Facilitation:
1. We will start with wandering around freely in a public area. Participants are invited to consciously enter public spaces and take a few notes about their experiences.
2. Reflection based on selected works and on the participants’ experiences. Participants are asked to share their findings. We will then discuss our experiences and compare them with the perspectives we usually find in literature.
3. Following the discussion, participants are asked to create literary works or drafts of any form about their walks, and are invited to share them in a final presentation.

Languages: English and Vietnamese (with simultaneous translation)

Workshop, coordinated by critic Quyen Nguyen, is FREE. Participants will be provided with beverages and light snacks during the workshop.

Application Information:
To apply for the workshop, please follow these steps:
Prepare a Word file containing:
1. A sample of your work, approximately 2000 words (short story, novel excerpt).
A brief self-introduction including your name and background.
Your expectations for the workshop (up to 200 words).
2. Send the Word file via email to [email protected].
In the subject line of your email, please write: “Application for Workshop with Nilufar Karkhiran Khozani in HCM.”
Application period: From April 28, 2024, to May 4, 2023.
Selected participants will be notified by May 7, 2024.
For any inquiries or assistance regarding application, feel free to contact us at the provided email address. We look forward to your participation.

Workshop Instructor:

Nilufar Karkhiran Khozani, born 1983 in Giessen/Germany, studied Comparative Literature and Psychology, and completed training as a cognitive-behavioural therapist. In 2020 Romance Would Be a Very Fine Bonus Indeed, a work of sampled poetry, was published by resonar. In the same year, she was artist in residence at PROSANOVA festival and translated the script Town Bloody Hall for the film Als Susan Sontag im Publikum saß (When Susan Sontag was sitting in the audience) by RP Kahl into German. In 2023 her debut novel Terafik was published by Blessing. In the following year, her essay about the protests in Iran In Schatten gebannt was nominated for the Wortmeldungen Ulrike Crespo literary prize. She lives in Berlin.

Follow updates on event’s page.

Goethe-Institut Hanoi 56-58-60 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi Tel.: +84 24 3734 2251 Fax: +84 24 3734 2254 [email protected] website