In the organizer's words:
It’s High Noon—and the world has been turned upside down.
Crammed into the saloon, we listen to texts about the West: as a Renaissance and a colonial crime, as a transatlantic phenomenon, as a self-centered force, as Hollywood and a cyberpower. We bellow, we stomp, we spit into our bowls. But in doing so, we also show that the world is big enough for all of us.
We’re turning the Limes into a saloon: Six authors will read fantastic texts on stage—amidst straw, cacti, and a sun hologram. There’ll also be authentic live old-time country music, plus water, whiskey, and bean stew on the house—while supplies last!
THE PROGRAM
Kamala Dubrovnik: “LASSO” (12 min)
The dusty soul of the road kisses my boots, the ground coughs, and little clouds cling to my mud-caked pant legs. Most people thought I was dead, that I’d met a typical woman’s fate—killed and violated by my ex-boyfriend. But no. I return as a heroine, a heroine with a bra that hasn’t been washed in two years. With a half-loaded gun, and saddlebags full of vengeance. Come on, pull out your lasso—we’ll play cowboys and Indians—I’ll win.
Kamala Dubrovnik, media artist, author, great-aunt, has quite a few tricks up her sleeve: theater, film, literature, performance, and the voice of a velvet-covered grater. Born in a Westphalian olive grove, but at home in the goddamn big city (Cologne). Always tired as hell, sometimes crying, but she’s getting shit done—her first album, *Weltraumradio Satinfunk*, is coming out in July together with Max Hurlebaus, and now, finally, for real, she’s going to write her damn book. I swear! Motto and book title remain the same: “Art has destroyed my life.”
Justus Maria: “THE MIDDLE EAST” (12 min)
Two college students who earn their rent by humiliating people online via AI videos are searching in Japan for a missing intellectual who prophesied the downfall of the West in the Middle East.
Justus Maria is an author and psychology student from Cologne. He has been writing since high school and has published several pieces in magazines, primarily in the Literarische Blätter. His debut novel will be published in 2027 by Luchterhand Literaturverlag. For this work, he received the 2026 Work Scholarship from the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Barbara Thiel: “STUPID TOURIST” (12 min)
Set against backdrops in the East and West, an unemployed Sherpa and a young American woman cross paths: one aiming to return to normalcy, the other longing for lasting change. A story about the aftermath of an earthquake, prejudices, and men who play at being cowboys.
Barbara Thiel studied creative writing and cultural journalism in Hildesheim. She has since returned to the Rhine and earned her master’s degree in the theories and practices of professional writing in Cologne. In 2023, she placed fourth in the Cologne Prize for Young Literature and received the Wilhelm Fabry Prize from the City of Hilden. In 2024, she took third place in the competition for the Hamburg City Writer Fellowship. Her writings have appeared in various anthologies and magazines. She works as a garden assistant to make ends meet and is working on making writing her full-time career. She lives in Wachtberg and is writing her first novel.
Maria Babusch: “HACKER ON ESTRADIOL” (12 min)
“Hacker auf Estradiol” (Sukultur, Fall 2026) uses the character of a transgender hacker to explore a question of crucial importance to the West: What's happening after hope in technological progress—in progress itself—is lost? The return of longing? Oscillating between speculation and research, in “Hacker on Estradiol” we sit amid the rubble of old cable piles, listen to SOPHIE, and gaze at the moon.
Maria Babusch works as an author, theater maker, event organizer, and host. She studied cultural and literary studies as well as French in Dortmund and Bochum, and is now studying creative writing at the Academy of Media Arts. In 2024, she was invited to the Favoriten Festival 2024; in 2025, she curated the literary series “Hospitality Between Folds” for the Temporary Gallery. Her performative works were most recently presented at the Westfälischer Kunstverein and at Kampnagel, and her texts have appeared in magazines and online.
Leo Lemke: “MELASSE” (12 min)
Würzburg, 1699. Between an execution and a parlor concert, have a coffee at Zum Schönbrunnen, sweeten the cup with Surinamese sugar, and invest in a plantation startup while stuffing your pipe. Look gallant while doing so. Behave politely. Express the right opinions. And if someone takes off their wig and reveals a shaved head, always remember what Descartes said: The seat of the soul in the body-machine lies in the pineal gland.
Leo Lemke lives and writes in Cologne, where he also studied German language and literature and media culture studies. Today—after completing a second degree in computer science in Aachen—he works as a software engineer for art installations. In April of this year, he received the 3rd Berlin Prize for Science Fiction. His fantasy short stories appear in numerous magazines (e.g., das Narr, mosaik, DANKE, Gym, absolut-zine), and he is currently working on a historical fantasy novel. He is part of the moderation team for the reading series MIT ANDEREN WORTEN.
Paul Becker: “COWBOY DAN” (12 min)
The title character of “Cowboy Dan” wears a hat, boots, and a rifle—and carries within him the certainty that being a cowboy on the wide, wide prairie is enough. But something has gone awry in the fabric of his world, and out of necessity, he sets out to search for answers by the light of nighttime campfires.
Paul Becker, born in Frechen, spent several years in England and now lives and works as a translator and author in Cologne. In his work, influences from cinema, comics, and music blend into a wild mix.
With MUSIC by Rambling Boy Harrers
Rambling Boy Harrers is an old-time country musician from Cologne. He sees himself as a repository for 100- to 150-year-old traditional songs, cowboy songs, and yodel songs. In his radio show *Drifting and Dreaming* on Kiosk Radio, he explores the historical and sociocultural contexts of this music.
THE DETAILS
Doors open at 7 p.m. At the door, our “saloon regulars” will welcome you and treat you to water, whiskey, and bean stew (vegan). Our program begins at 8 p.m.
WILD WILD WEST is an event in cooperation with Limes Müllem, netzwerk junge literatur e.V., and Schreibwerkstatt Köln. All donations go toward the artists’ fees.
Host & Organizer: Marie Foulis, Anna Celina Schneider, Lisa Hartmann
Team: Nathalie Thiel, Ben Eigl, Felix Konradi, Eva Niesen, Despoina Panteli
If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at mariefoulis@icloud.com.
Accessibility: Limes Müllem is accessible via a step that is approximately 10 cm high. Unfortunately, there is no wheelchair-accessible restroom. Earplugs are available upon request. The bar staff has received awareness training and is always available to assist.
