Julia Boll

newleaf goes Pusdorf

At 8 p.m. on Monday, 17th May 2004 we put on our first pub reading for years, at the Gaststätte "bei Lilli & Walter" in Bremen-Woltmershausen, or "Pusdorf", as this peninsula in the middle of the Weser opposite the docks is affectionately known to the locals. After a brief German-language greeting and introduction, newleaf-authors Julia Boll, Tatjana Pfennig, Ole D. Herlyn and Marc Brauns read both from their own work but also from other writers' representative of the magazine. The wonderful musical accompaniment, purely instrumental this time, was provided by classical guitarist Leo Unglaub. We had followed an invitation from Angela Schmidt-Küppers, our Department secretary, who had inherited the pub, a Pusdorf landmark for over forty years, from her mother. Frau Schmidt-Küppers, whose parents were both concert singers, described her feelings towards newleaf as "an intensive friendship" and was delighted at the response of the audience, which packed the pub, to this first instance of literature in the pub. Pusdorf will never be the same again.

More pictures