Readings, stand-up & discussions in Hanover

Book readings, literature, poetry slams, lectures, stand-up comedy, talks and reports in Hanover

There are cities where the spoken word is so deeply rooted that it feels as if it is part of the drinking water. Hanover is such a city. Anyone who experiences an evening of poetry slam, spoken word, readings or cabaret here quickly understands that the scene doesn't just exist, but is really alive. For years, the Macht Worte! format has turned the Warenannahme on the Kulturfaust grounds into a living room for anyone who wants to watch words at work, with a mix of slam poetry, performance and pure stage energy that looks different every evening. Anyone wondering whether poetry slam can really be as exciting as everyone says: yes, it can, at the latest when the audience itself becomes the jury and decides whose texts win the evening. The Poetry Slam at the Hanover State Opera, which has been the largest regular poetry battle in the German-speaking world since its premiere in March 2010, is even bigger and more venerable. Slam at the opera sounds like a contradiction in terms, but it's exactly the right thing to do, and anyone who has been there will understand why. For all those who prefer curated and literary events, the Literaturhaus Hannover is the first choice. Here, German-language and international contemporary literature meets an audience that not only listens, but also thinks, in readings, talks and formats such as Resonanzen and Klartext, where authors and experts talk about topics that really matter right now. If you are looking for even more topics of conversation, you will find them at the Literary Salon Hannover, which regularly offers events in cooperation with Leibniz University, where literature and society are not worlds apart. On top of this, the Wortwerkstatt Slam is another regular format in which young and old poets present their pieces of language on stage, roughly milled or finely turned, as the self-description so beautifully puts it. The calendar of spoken word events in Hanover is full to bursting all year round, and the great thing is that the scene doesn't hide behind doors that are only open to selected cultural figures. Anyone can come in, listen, laugh, be shocked and then talk over a beer about what has just hit you so unexpectedly. Hanover has a lot to say. You should come and listen.