The poet moves

Tom Schilling

Social media are not only popular with young people and have a wide reach, but are above all one thing: short and concise. Has the feeling for words, stylistic devices and interpretations been lost in the age of digitalisation? Tom Schilling, organiser of the literary competition "poet | bewegt", says no and shows with his competition that they still exist: Young people who like to hold a real book in their hands, express themselves with elaborately chosen words and simply like to write a lot. Born in Chemnitz, he is a writer himself and tells us in the Maker of the Week interview what a poet can really achieve.

The "poet | bewegt" competition developed ten years ago from the Chemnitz youth initiative in.bewegung. How did the idea for the competition come about?
Tom Schilling: The idea was born out of a shortage. At the time, I was leading a writing workshop with pupils from all corners of Chemnitz. We made audio book recordings with texts we had written ourselves. One of the participants then had the idea of organising a literary competition. Many of us had already taken part in such competitions, but something always bothered us, whether it was the entry fees or the lack of feedback. Many of us were disappointed. So we organised our own competition.

Who takes part in the competition?
It's young people, mostly over 20, who like to work with words and texts. In the first year, we had a good start with 130 entries. Since then, the number of participants has levelled off at around 100. Berliners are very well represented among the participants. From Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt to Brandenburg and Thuringia, we have significantly increased our reach over the last ten years. The winners can win prizes worth 150 euros, but it's important to us that people don't write for the money, but because they want to.

How does the competition work? When and where will it take place this year?
The competition starts in April and runs until mid-July. Anyone between the ages of 15 and 27 can submit a text. A twelve-member jury will judge the anonymised texts. At the jury meeting in September, everyone presents their favourites and makes their case, as only ten entrants make it to the final. This is called the "Literatur Arena" and takes place at the end of the year, this year on 12 November, at Schauspielhaus Chemnitz. For each competition, we compile an anthology with the entries and information about the jury, including an audio book.

How is the jury appointed and who is on it?
It doesn't have to be a professor or literary scholar - it's essential to have a feel for texts. That's why we've already had painters and sculptors on the jury. A winner from the previous year automatically becomes a member of next year's jury. This year, for example, the writers Roswitha Geppert and Jan Kuhlbrodt, journalist Greta Taubert, Burkhard Müller, a seasoned literary critic and lecturer, cultural ambassadors Egmont Elschner and Holm Krieger and others are on the panel - the jury is a colourful mix.

What is the literary scene like in Chemnitz?
Chemnitz has a long literary tradition, but at some point there was a break. When we set up the competition, we realised that many of the authors had left the city in the early 2000s. The remaining core is quite small. There is a lack of young up-and-coming authors in the city.

What moments from the last ten years do you particularly remember?
In the first two years, initiator Franziska Stölzel was the director and I had the luxury of being the artistic director and didn't have to worry about administration and bookkeeping. That was the best time for me. In the beginning, we travelled around and approached people who had what it takes. That's how Maren Kames came to us in 2008 and submitted a text for the competition. Last year, she published her first book "Halb Taube, halb Pfau" with a Zurich publishing house. I was really pleased about that.

The poet really moves people: some to think, others to write and others even to publish their own books. In addition to Maren Kames, other young writers published their own books with a publishing house after taking part in the competition: Stefan Etgeton - Rucksackkometen, Paula Fürstenberg - Familie der geflügelten Tiger or Willi Hetze - Das Unbegreifliche der Katzenwege are just a few examples of publications by former competition participants. Tom Schilling writes prose and poetry himself and also works as a graphic designer. The publications of the competition participants make him proud. He knows from his own experience how difficult writing books can be. This makes it all the more of an honour for him to write reviews for the publications of the up-and-coming authors. A copy of each book can be found in Tom's large piles of books: "And that's a great experience when you realise that the participants have been motivated to write and publish through Poet Moved and have gained a foothold in the publishing world."

What is your aim with this competition?
The mediation between authors and publishers is very important to us. Anyone who has made it to the final round has already been able to hold their own in front of a jury and then there must be something to it. Then the participants get the final motivational kick to continue by presenting their texts.

In your opinion, has the use of writing and language changed as a result of increasing digitalisation?
I personally have not noticed this, but many publishers and co-operation partners in my environment have identified such trends. Writing texts in a short, concise form, as can be found on Twitter, crops up from time to time in submissions. Those who take part in our programme, for example, really appreciate the fact that we do it in a printed format and not in an online magazine.

Where do you see the literary scene and the city of Chemnitz in 2025?
We are very enthusiastic about the Capital of Culture bid. It has given us a sense of optimism. Who else, if not Chemnitz, could do it? When I was looking for jurors, the literary critic Hubert Winkels asked me to finally put Chemnitz on the literary map. That was an incentive for me. A spirit of optimism can develop here. In Chemnitz, there is sometimes a lack of cohesion between groups, initiatives and associations. The Capital of Culture can definitely promote exchange and unity.