16th Lübeck Youth Book Days

Stories change lives

Lübeck Youth Book Days ? Are you serious, Barbara? Aren't you a tiny bit older than a teenager? Uh, yes, but this little glittering gem of Lübeck's event scene is explicitly aimed at everyone who loves literature. And because I so greatly appreciate Bücherpiraten e.V. (Book Pirates Association) ZWISCHENZEILEN about the upcoming 16th Lübeck Youth Book Days, about Bücherpiraten , and about the Lübeck Children's Literature House at Fleischhauerstraße 71.

Two members of the seven-person organizing team for the 16th Lübeck Youth Book Days, Maria Czepat and Kalle P. Demmert , aged 16 and 15 respectively, recently gave me a tour of the unique, one-of-a-kind house with its ochre-yellow facade, together with Anneke Brors , the colleague responsible for press and public relations at the Bücherpiraten e.V. ). Since 2011, it has provided a home for Bücherpiraten e.V. and, consequently, for young literary explorers between the ages of 3 and 19. The association is financed exclusively through donations and foundation grants, and numerous volunteers support its work – for example, in the bookstore. Twelve groups, under the roof of this children's literature house, dedicate themselves to exploring one of the most beautiful worlds of all – the world of books – through reading, creative writing, drawing, or performance. These include the "Club of Wondrous Readers," the "Slammer Lambs," the "Lost and Found Office of Words," and the "Bookworm Gang." The groups introduce themselves here on Instagram .

Past Future from August 24th to 28th, 2022

One of the 12 groups – the one Maria and Kalle belong to – dedicates itself to planning, preparing, and running the Young Adult Book Days for virtually an entire year. Besides them, Sophia, Nick, Edda, Clara, and Isabelle are also involved in the organizing team. The process always kicks off with a work camp focused on finding a potential theme for the next Young Adult Book Days. Ideas are brainstormed and discussed, presented and discarded, until THE theme emerges that all group members are curious about. From August 24th to 28th, 2022, the theme is " Past Future ."

The subsequent meetings, held on many Sundays, during school holidays, and—to be honest—constantly as the event date approaches, serve to prepare for the event. The group writes all the texts, organizes itself, and thus learns by practical experience how to organize a high-quality cultural event. The center's educational director, Martin Gries, available for consultation as needed.

The Youth Book Days offer more than just a week packed with readings. Poetry walks through Lübeck and the book café are also part of the program. As part of this year's Museum Night, the book café will surprise visitors with unexpected literary events on August 27th.

Slam and Hermann Hesse

Two highlights are particularly close to Kalle, Maria, and their group's hearts: the opening event of the Youth Book Days is the Slämmerlämmer Slam on August 24th at 7:00 p.m. , and the closing event is a staged reading of Hermann Hesse's classic "Beneath the Wheel" on August 28th at 7:00 p.m. Kalle reports that each team member has invested around 100 hours in preparing this reading. One might think that the teenagers' days would be completely filled with school and their work with the Youth Book Days group. But no: Maria loves music and also plays the piano "on the side." Kalle has completed training as a museum guide as part of the "Youth in Museums" project. And he writes reviews for the online literary magazine "Blaue Seite" (Blue Page) .

When asked what they appreciate about the Book Pirates, Maria and Kalle spoke of the friendships that develop within the community, the wonderful feeling of spending time with like-minded people, and working on projects across group boundaries. Simply put, they spoke of the great joy of being part of something bigger.

The children's literature house is well worth a visit. The house is lovingly designed. There's such a warm and welcoming atmosphere that you'll want to sit down in one of the colorful chairs and read.

You don't have to be a child, not Mom, Dad, Grandma, or Grandpa. It's enough that you know children you'd like to make happy with a souvenir book. It's enough that you were a child yourself. And for some books, you're never too old.

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