Just write - but differently

The Bavarian Academy of Writing wants to be a place of learning, but above all of inspiration. And that is exactly what it was for Balduin Eilmes. He is one of three students at the University of Bayreuth who were selected for the Bavarian Academy of Writing last winter semester. At the time, he was studying Philosophy and Economics; he has since graduated and moved on.

Franziska Rost and Juliane Schindler from Bayreuth were also selected alongside him. To apply, they had all submitted a text on the topic of travel. The participants were then able to work on this and other texts during three workshop weekends. A reading of selected texts will now take place in Bayreuth on 30 June.

Franziska Rost became aware of the academy through a poster at university and applied spontaneously. "I had already written short passages and short stories from time to time as a teenager and was therefore interested in the workshop," she says. "The academy has definitely improved my writing even more, I have learned what to look out for and always get super constructive feedback. Also, discussing the texts of the other participants* there was a lot of exchange and you meet other writing enthusiasts." She can recommend the academy to anyone, whether they have writing experience or not, who wants to write and improve their writing. (Link to the application for the next round of workshops).

"The Academy has given my personal writing a clearer direction. The detailed feedback from the editor, author and the other participants, have helped enormously to find out in which aspects of writing one's own strengths lie and which unintended margins of interpretation can arise through the perception of so many different readers", Juliane Schindler says about the Writing Academy. "It taught me to use language in a more nuanced way and to perceive everyday situations more consciously as potential writing opportunities. The Writing Academy was a really great experience!"

Balduin had a similar experience. "Many points were pointed out to me that I had not thought of in this way," he says. "The Writing Academy has sharpened my focus on the text." He will present his text "131 Applications" at the final reading. This is the story of a person whose illusion is disenchanted at the end of her studies. "My protagonist is confronted with reality," he says. It is a true incident, but not his story. The reading at the Bayreuth Kolping Centre on 30 June 2023 starts at 7 pm. Admission is free.