Ole D. Herlyn and audience
newleaf reads at Thalia
On Thursday, 10th February 2005, newleaf returned to the Thalia bookstore in Obernstraße to enjoy once more the comfy yet stimulating atmosphere in the Café Centro. Surrounded by books, the reading featured four newleaf authors, among them literary award-winning Ole D. Herlyn, who also read several pieces of prose and poetry from her book Changing Nighthouses, published last year by newleaf press. She also read a couple of new poems and stories yet unknown even to the newleaf faithful among the audience who will, however, well know the other three authors who appeared at the reading. Liverpool FC supporter Tina Richardt stirred the audience with a story about cider, football and Irish pubs that killed even those without the slightest interest in football laughing. Franziska Kreuser, also a member of the university's English theatre groups, read an agnostic's monologue with God. Julia Scheit is currently studying at Liverpool Hope University. Her poem in English, French, Spanish and German about the feeling of being at home in several places - and languages - was thus read by newleaf editor Julia Boll, who had also organised the reading.
The reading had been set up at the invitation of Thalia's manager Volker Stuhldreher, who had asked the newleaf crew to return to Thalia's big city centre store after their successful Bloomsday project in June 2004. Although the texts themselves were read in English, the authors announced them in German in order to accommodate the mixed audience. However, the reading was, in best newleaf manner, supported by singer-songwriter Diana Diehl, who had already provided the musical accompaniment at the launch of Changing Nighthouses. Trusting that the rest of the audience enjoyed the reading as much as we did, the newleaf crew look forward to more co-operation with Thalia in the future.