PICADOR at School

The guiding principles underlying the Picador Guest Professorship for Literature are Democracy‚ Diversity and Creativity. The magnificent cultural diversity that the invited authors from the USA, Great Britain and Canada bring to Leipzig will provide these guiding principles with committed ambassadors.
The spin-off project 'Picador at School' enables students to participate in this form of creative interchange with English-language authors. Classes in the form of creative writing workshops given in cooperation with teachers from the Anton-Philipp-Reclam School engender in students an understanding of the immense treasures to be found in cultural diversity.

Students of the Reclam Gymnasium met Morgan Jerkins on November 26 at the University of Leipzig and on December 10, 2019 at their school library for creative writing workshops.

After the first workshop, one student asked Morgan Jerkins: “How has your life changed since the book publishing?” The author replied: “I’m here!”

On May 27 Josh Weil met students of the Reclam Gymnasium at their school library to do a work shop about creative writing. Josh also shared some personal thoughts of his own writing process:

“Writing requires isolation. It requires to take yourself out of this world. You have to prioritize it over a lot of things. It requires sacrifice. But that’s how it is with every kind of art and everything you do, when you really want it.”

Josh Weil

The partners in the Picador at School project

The motto of the Reclam Grammar School at the German French education centre in Leipzig is "Language connects. Culture communicates. Education unites." It defines the school's approach to education, blending lively engagement with a spirit of partnership that conveys to students a broad-based curriculum and enables a wide range of practical activities.

The Institute for American Studies at Leipzig University was refounded in 1994 after the reunification of Germany, but can look back on a rich tradition of American studies in Leipzig that extend back into the 19th century. The Institute now has three Chairs, among them Germany's first and only Chair for Minority Studies.

Our heartfelt thanks to the U.S. Embassy for its generous support of this project.

Please find more about the partners of the Picador Guest Professorship initiative here.