Stories and Features

From the Black Forest to the Black Sea, the Danube flows through ten countries – and just as many languages, stories and cultures. It divides and unites, it carries and remembers. The Residency for Writers and Translators from the Danube region is presented by summer school participants Katrin Böthling, Maiwen Denays, Maia Wullen and Sophie Hennrich as a project towards cultural understanding. The residency invites participants to gather at a unique site along this European river, the Port Cultural Cetate in Romania, to work on texts, cross borders and let languages flow together. 

The Danube flows through ten countries over its 2,850 kilometers – more than any other river in the world. It has witnessed war, exile, trade and cultural exchange. Inspired by this European river, summer school participants Katrin Böthling, Maiwen Denays, Maia Wullen and Sophie Hennrich created the Voices of the Danube project. It's first itiretion, the Donaupost, sees literature and translation as bridges across linguistic and national borders. It gathers literary voices from the Danube region – and lets them travel onward in translation.

Ciorbă & Conversations is a multilingual (German–French) culinary booklet by summer school participants Franziska Abele, Alina Cruceru, Fynn Eckart, and Aleksandr Fedotov. Through traditional recipes and reflections on food culture, it explores Romania’s diverse culinary heritage as a space of cultural exchange between Eastern and Western Europe.

Summer school participants Anne Picard, Elise Pinon, Denisa Maria Cobzaru present their impressions of the historical cultural port, where the summer school was held. 

Roma actress and filmmaker Alina Șerban speaks with Ismael Cortés about her journey challenging stereotypes, reclaiming narrative power, and creating space for Roma voices on stage and screen.