Short Story Night

Five Short Stories by Five Authors

Look forward to high-quality literary short stories in a relaxed atmosphere—right where the stars of the film world usually flicker across the screen!

“Short story” is the English term for a short story—a distinctive literary form whose defining characteristic is that it can be read in one sitting. Emerging during the magazine boom of the 19th century, the short story has since established itself as a narrative form and, thanks to its brevity, has offered many authors who went on to become famous the opportunity to experiment with literature.

Evening Lineup

Muri Darida

Muri Darida works as an author, journalist, host, and writing coach. Her literary works have appeared in publications such asBELLA triste,Edit,Jenny,mosaik, andtranscodiert. Her short story “Der Landkartenarm” was nominated for the WORTMELDUNGEN Award in 2022. In 2024, Darida was invited to the 32nd open mike with her piece “Neue Leichen braucht das Land” and was awarded the taz Audience Prize.

Readings have taken place at venues including the auftakt Festival in Cologne, Schauspiel Dortmund, as well as at Stadtsprachen and Schreiben gegen die Norm(en). Since 2014, Darida has been writing journalistically on political and social conflicts, resistance movements, and right-wing populist conspiracy narratives. Her articles have appeared in ZEIT ONLINE, arte, taz, RBB, and jetzt.de, among others.

Olivia Wenzel

Olivia Wenzel, born in Weimar in 1985, studied cultural studies and aesthetic practice at the University of Hildesheim and lives in Berlin. She writes plays and prose, and most recently made music as Otis Foulie. Wenzel’s plays have been staged at venues including the Münchner Kammerspiele, the Thalia Theater in Hamburg, the Deutsches Theater Berlin, and the Ballhaus Naunynstrasse.  In addition to writing, she leads workshops with children, teenagers, and young adults. In the independent theater scene, she collaborates as a performer with collectives such asvorschlag:hammer. “1000 Serpentinen Angst” is her first novel.

Literary Awards:
City of Fulda Literature Prize 2020
Mörike Encouragement Award from the City of Fellbach, 2021
Hugo Ball Encouragement Award 2023

Ronja von Rönne

Ronja von Rönne (born in Berlin in 1992) is an author, journalist, and host. After her early work in journalism, she gained recognition among a wider audience through her essays and columns. Her debut novel, *Wir kommen*, was published in 2015, followed by further literary works, including *Ende in Sicht*. In addition to her writing, she hosts cultural and social affairs programs for television and digital media, and her writing frequently addresses topics such as mental health, identity, politics, and contemporary culture.

Manik Sarkar

Manik Sarkar (born in 1973 in Groningen) is a writer, literary translator, and lecturer. He studied French and comparative literature and has been translating major works of contemporary French- and English-language literature for many years. He has received numerous awards for his translations.

With his debut novel*Ochsenkopf*, he made a highly acclaimed entry into contemporary literature in 2026. The novel, which explores questions of origin, belonging, and social mobility with great linguistic precision, was nominated for several prestigious literary awards. In his literary work, Sarkar combines social observation with psychological precision and a keen sense of the fractures in modern identities.

Juan S. Guse

Juan S. Guse, born in 1989, is a sociologist and author. His novels *Lärm und Wälder* (2015) and *Miami Punk* (2019) were published by S. FISCHER. He has received numerous awards for his work, most recently the KELAG Prize at the 2022 Ingeborg Bachmann Prize. In 2025, his book *Tausendmal so viel Geld wie jetzt* was published. Juan S. Guse teaches at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne.

Literary awards: KELAG Prize at the 2022 Ingeborg Bachmann Prize. City of Hanover Literary Prize, 2017. Hallertau Debut Prize, 2015.

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Short Story Night is organized by LAND IN SICHT e.V., a nonprofit cultural association based in Cologne that has been working since 2014 to raise public awareness of literature. In addition to readings, the association’s projects also include the Hörspielwiese Köln, the Auftakt Festival for Scenic Texts, and the Cologne Literature Promotion Prize. Project Directors: Kevin Kader, André Patten

Sponsors of Short Story Night: Cultural Affairs Office of the City of Cologne, Kunststiftung NRW, State of North Rhine-Westphalia

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