Sofa Stories im Hempies

In the organizer's words:

Let's kiss winter goodbye! Just put the costume away in the wardrobe and the next event is just around the corner, it's time for Sofa Stories again ✨📖 Snuggle up with us and let's end the last days of winter with lots of warmth and great texts ❄️🧣⛄

On February 26 at 7 pm, five selected authors will once again share their queerfeminist stories with us. Hempies am Rudolfplatz is a space for exchange, quiet listening and an opportunity to get to know other reading fans. Of course, the well-known Hempies classics will be available for you to enjoy: vegan croissants, paninis and the winter menu 🥐✨🫶🏻

Tickets are available in advance here on Rausgegangen, one ticket guarantees you a place. But if you're quick, you can also get one at the Box Office! ⚡

♿️ Hempies is accessible at ground level. Please note, however, that the toilets are unfortunately not wheelchair accessible. If you have any questions about other barriers (e.g. volume, seating, allergies), please contact us (freiraum@hempies-vegan.de) - we will try to find solutions together

Artists

Dillen Pauli Niedert (er/they) studied theories and practices of professional writing, musicology and German studies in Cologne. His texts have appeared in literary journals and anthologies, e.g. Das Narr and Transcodiert. Since the pandemic, he has published the Kranke* Lyrik project online. Sometimes he also writes for podcasts.

Instagram: @dillenpauliniedert

MAXI THERESA (she/her) lives and writes in Cologne, where she also studies Theories & Practices of Professional Writing. Thematically, she prefers to deal with queer realities of life. She performs her texts on the city's stages, e.g. as part of lit.COLOGNE, at homochrom or Mit anderen Worten.

Instagram: @maxi.theresaa

Lara Franzen (she/her) is an actress and writer from Cologne - as part of the self-founded writing collective "alles zu wischen", she reads on independent stages or in self-organized settings. Last year for the first time at Hempies - "worte werkeln, worte wachsen" (writing workshop and reading with @alleszuwischen) and this year in April there's another Hempies event on the calendar to look forward to.

In the performing arts, she is mainly active in children's and youth theater, works and plays on various stages in Cologne and with some plays also on tour throughout Germany!

Instagram: @larafranzen_

Katharina Sieverding (she/her) lives and studies in Cologne. She likes to work interdisciplinary with language, photography and haptic art. Above all, however, she is currently writing poetry and prose that deal with multiculturalism, body images and identity in general.

Instagram: @kat_svd

Laura Marie Waldschmidt was born on July 25, 1995 in Flörsheim am Main (Hesse). Even as a little girl, she was passionate about writing short stories and making colorful magazines. After leaving school, she moved to Cologne to study Media Cultural Studies and English Studies. Internships at magazines and agencies brought her into contact with journalism and public relations. In 2024, she completed her master's degree in "Theories and Practices of Professional Writing" at the University of Cologne, through which she actively pursued literary writing again and won fourth place in the Cologne Prize for Young Literature "Land in Sicht" in 2023. In her texts, she tries to process the big issues of the world in small everyday scenes and has found that many things become easier if you have a few literary characters at your side with whom you can go through life's challenges together.

Instagram: @magnum_mandel_