Navkiran Mann is a Coventry-based writer and poet. She has been commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Birmingham Commonwealth Games, City of Culture and has co-organised arts events. She has a special interest in supporting writing and other forms of expression in underrepresented communities. In September she visited Dresden to connect with poets, writers, and artists from Germany. Here is her account.
Dates: September 6-13, 2024
Location: Dresden, Germany
Introduction
From September 6th to 13th, 2024, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in a poetry exchange between Coventry and Dresden. This experience not only allowed me to connect with talented poets, writers, historians and artists from Germany but also to immerse myself in the rich culture and history of Dresden. Here’s a glimpse into my journey.
Arrival in Dresden
I arrived in Dresden filled with excitement and anticipation. I was greeted by the stunning architecture.
One of the highlights was visiting the Frauenkirche, which stood as a symbol of resilience after the devastation of World War II. I had the pleasure of meeting Maria Noth who shared the ethos and value of the relationship with Coventry. She shared an invitation to write a commissioned piece in the future. I also had a tour with Franka Funke.
I had the opportunity to go on an English tour at the Albertinum of paintings by Caspar David Friedrich by a local art historian. It was the first time I had seen his paintings and they were so beautiful. I loved learning about him as a painter and what inspired him.
I had an official guided tour through Dresden city centre with Laura Park after which she kindly took me for a drink and answered lots of questions I had about the city. It was fascinating to hear from a British lady who’s married to a German gentleman and taught at university level and lived in the country for over 30 years. We talked about cultural differences and what life is like living and working in Dresden. Laura is very proud to call Dresden her home. She taught me a lot about life in the city. I asked why Germans say “you’re invited” at the end of a coffee/drink/meal. This phrase usually means to a wedding, party or function in the UK. But when people said it in Dresden they meant “my treat” or “I will pay for you”.
I was taken on a visit of Gastmahl “Dresden isst bunt” on Augustus Bridge which was a fantastic experience which I have not seen before. I had the pleasure of meeting many local communities from around the world who have been welcomed into Dresden. I thought this event was very uplifting.
My first performance was at Interlokal with international people who’ve made Dresden their home. There were people from India, UK, Russia, Czech Republic and Germany in attendance. The poetry went down very well with the audience. One piece of feedback on my performance was “your words are honey on my heart”. Afterwards I opened the floor for questions. It was inspiring to hear diverse voices and perspectives, and the discussions were incredibly enriching. My work and the event was shared through Interlokal social media channels and I received several requests for followers who are still in touch as I write this from the UK. Audience members wrote personal messages to me and asked for physical copies of the poems I shared. I received an open invitation from Fatima Darbar to come back and perform again.
Another performance was with CVDD Arts Exchange which was a wonderful evening of sharing my poetry with visual artists from Dresden, many of whom have enjoyed residencies in Coventry. We had some great conversations, exchanged details. I got to see some of their work which I very much enjoyed. Lucas Oertel was a very warm and welcoming host. We spoke about the possibilities of visual artists collaborating with writers in the future and what that might look like.
Next on the programme was a workshop with authors from Literaturforum where we discussed and dissected my poems in English and in German, kindly translated by Rainer Barczaitis and Patrick Wilden.
One of the highlights of the residency was the “Story Slam” at the Mondpalast hosted by the marvellous, witty and charming Laura Park. She introduced me and set me up for success. I performed twenty minute sets three times during the evening and then had a Q+A for the audience who asked me a lot of insightful questions about culture, poetry, society, mental health and wellbeing. One thing I learnt by this experience was that German audiences listen very closely and care a lot about what is being said. This made me feel respected and honoured by their focused attention and thoughtful and interesting questions. The Mondpalast audience made up of invited guests, locals, internationals and lot of young people. This filled my heart to see how important poetry is and how it builds great connections and community cross cultures and different generations. It leads to better understanding of humanity. It was one of the best experiences in poetry I’ve had and it filled me with confidence in moving forwards. I felt completely supported by Laura Park and over the next few days we talked and reflected about this night many times over dinner.
Next stop was an early morning German class at Erlwein-Gymnasium where I prepared a thoughtful lesson on writing for wellbeing. I wanted to encourage and inspire them to be the best version of themselves they could be. To have confidence and self-esteem. I chose poems and quotes that they could keep afterwards as a reminder of how unique and special each of them are and to remember that they matter as people, even on difficult days. The students loved the lesson and the exercises I gave. There was a hum of writing and silence as they diligently worked their way through the lesson. The feedback was that some never thought that writing, journalling and self-reflection could be a good way of processing and collecting our thoughts, managing our emotions, used to create headspace by using creativity for positive mental health. Some of the young women said they would start to write every day as they felt so inspired. The feedback I received from their teacher Franca Funke was that it was a well-prepared and executed lesson plan and it added a lot of value to the students to meet and speak to someone from Coventry. I thought the students were very open, intelligent, respectful and enthusiastic. I hope they will keep writing.
My final stop was ‘Whisky Stollen Tasting’ with Master Baker Rüdiger Zopp who kindly showed me his bakery, the process behind making stollen and indeed his love of the British. I loved hearing his story about how he sent a stollen to the late queen of England and received a letter from Her Majesty. It was framed and hung on the wall. He had signs of his love of Britain everywhere in the bakery. From a real life red telephone box, postal box and the door painted in the union jack. I hope he is sent to Coventry – along with his baked goods one day! He was a brilliant host, generous and very interesting and fun to be around. I really appreciated this visit and the effort he made to make it special for me.
Master Baker Rüdiger Zopp gave me a specially designed stollen to take home. The artwork on the box is by local school children which is wonderful. I gave this to Monika Campbell and Nikolai Press, Coventry, UK Event Organisers, Coventry Dresden Exchange. German Liaison, Coventry Association for International Friendship (CAIF). They are planning to share the stollen with the various groups in Coventry which I am sure they will enjoy this Christmas.
Apart from poetry, I was also eager to delve into the local culture. I loved the cultural passage, I tried traditional Saxon dishes thanks to Laura and Jan Park who took me out for dinner almost every night. I learnt that Dresden is a vibrant place bursting with art galleries, theatres, and music.
As my time in Dresden came to an end, I felt a deep sense of gratitude. This exchange was not only about sharing poetry but also about forging connections across cultures and discovering the universal language of words. Thank you to Volkmar Weiß for welcoming me to Dresden and making sure I got settled in safely on arrival. To Patrick and Rainer for accompanying me on my visits and making sure I could get around with limited mobility. Another very special thank you to Laura and Jan Park whom I had lunch and dinner with almost everyday and gave me a ‘family’ experience. We shared a lot of love, warmth and laughter and I really appreciated having company and someone to talk to and socialise with after my appointments. Thank you to all the hosts, all the venues and people that supported me from Fatima, Franca, Lucas, Maria and Rüdiger (hosts) and the German British Association Dresden for all their kind support as well as the Dresden Council for this wonderful opportunity.
I returned to Coventry inspired and with a new appreciation for the German literary scene. The friendships I formed and the experiences I had will stay with me forever. I look forward to the next chapter in our poetic journey between Coventry and Dresden!
Navkiran Mann
Coventry Association for International Friendship 
.jpeg){kind=link}
