Prepare for everything! - About changes and the time afterwards

How does one survive extreme experiences such as system change, war, exile or domestic violence? What traces do such profound upheavals leave behind in identity, language and relationships? And is it possible to prepare for survival?

Our guests deal courageously and sensitively with their own or collective upheavals in various genres such as poetry, sports reportage, essay writing or true crime. With precise powers of observation, astute self-reflection and black humour, they tell of states of emergency and heroes who dare to make a new start in order to preserve their freedom and identity.

With Elsa Aids (CZ), Tania Archimovich (BL), Biljana Crvenkovska (MK), Jānis Joņevs (LT), Barbi Marković (RS/AT), Svetlana Lavochkina (DE/UA), Faruk Šehić (BH) and music by Afro-Ukrainian hip hop project Fo Sho Sisters.

The evening will be moderated by Salwa Houmsi.

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Elsa Aids, a Czech author who lives under a pseudonym and has made a name for himself as a writer and editor. His novel ‘Preparing for Anything’, published in 2020, is a profound examination of the present; the German translation was published by Parasitenpresse in 2024. The novel has also been adapted as an audio book and theatre play.

Tania Arcimovich, is a Belarusian author and curator. She has launched numerous cultural projects, including the art and culture magazine pARTisan. Her essay ‘Manifesto of a Gardenless’ (Fototapeta), a philosophical and cultural examination of Belarusian society, will be published in March 2025.

Biljana Crvenkovska, from Skopje, is a writer, screenwriter and philosopher. She is particularly well known for her children's books, which have been sold worldwide. Her book ‘Stella Dark and the Creatures of Creepy Town’ was nominated for the ‘Children's Book of the Year’ award in 2019. Her first novel for adults, ‘The Nine Moons of Miss Sith’, about the moving fates of women, was published by Mitteldeutscher Verlag in 2025. 

Jānis Joņevs, is an author and cultural scientist from Latvia. His debut novel ‘Jelgava 94’ won several awards and was adapted into a feature film. In 2024, he published the documentary novel ‘December’ with Parasitenpresse, which tells the story of a country in upheaval.

Salwa Houmsi, Journalist and presenter, hosted the award-winning format ‘Jäger und Sammler’ until 2019. She was honoured with the International Music Journalism Award for her work, including the documentary ‘Frauen im Pop - Wo ist die Gleichberechtigung?’. She currently presents programmes including ‘Aspekte’ and won the German Television Award for the format ‘13 Fragen’.

Barbi Marković, born in Belgrade, has lived in Vienna since 2006. She caused a sensation with her novel ‘Ausgehen’ in 2009 and published ‘Superheldinnen’ in 2016, for which she received several awards, including the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize. In 2024, she was awarded the Leipzig Book Fair Prize in the fiction category for the novel ‘Minihorror’. Her latest publication ‘Piksi-Buch’ (2024) was published by Voland & Quist.

Svetlana Lavochkina, born in 1973, is a Jewish-Ukrainian author who writes in English. Her debut novel was published in 2017, most recently ‘Carbon. A Song of Donetsk’ (Engl. by Diana Feuerbach, Voland & Quist 2024). She lives in Leipzig.

Faruk Šehić, is a Bosnian writer and journalist who writes poetry, prose and essays. Šehić fought in the Bosnian war and uses his experiences to reflect on the consequences of the war. He was awarded the European Union Prize for Literature in 2013 for his novel ‘Knjiga o Uni’ (‘From the Una’). The book was published in German by Voland & Quist in 2025. 

FO SHO SISTERS, is a Ukrainian hip-hop project that was founded in Kharkiv in 2019. The three sisters, daughters of Ethiopian-Jewish parents, express their multi-layered cultural identity in their music. The band rose to fame with the song ‘Xtra’, and their music conveys the message of freedom and self-determination without borders. FO SHO SISTERS is one of the best-known musicians in Ukraine today.