Name: Bernd Gieseking reads in Gelsenkirchen: Seahorses at Sixty
Start: 2026-07-17T21:30:00+02:00
End: 2026-07-17T23:00:00+02:00
Location: Metropolengarten auf Dahlbusch e.V.

Bernd Gieseking brings wordplay, wisdom, and summer air to Rotthausen

On July 17, 2026, a literary evening will take place in the Metropolengarten on Dahlbusch in Gelsenkirchen-Rotthausen, unusually combining lightness and depth. At the 6th Literature Festival Nah & Fern, Bernd Gieseking will read from Seahorses at Sixty – a program about aging, sports ambition, family perspectives, and the art of not viewing life too seriously. The festival runs from July 16 to July 25, 2026, admission is free, and the garden opens 60 minutes before the program starts. ([visit.gelsenkirchen.de](https://visit.gelsenkirchen.de/de/termine/95830-6-literaturfestival-nah-fern))

An evening of humor, self-irony, and renewal

Bernd Gieseking, born in 1958, is a cabaret artist, writer, and columnist. On his official biography, he describes his journey from carpenter to studying art and evangelical theology, ultimately becoming a professional solo cabaret artist and author; he is also shaped by decades of columns for the TAZ and the Mindener Tageblatt. His texts oscillate between sharp observation, satirical tone, and remarkably warm humanity. ([bernd-gieseking.de](https://www.bernd-gieseking.de/lebenslauf))

His new book Seahorses at Sixty collects, according to Satyr Verlag, encouraging texts full of optimism and humor about new beginnings, self-overcoming, Haribo withdrawal, summer pool season passes, and a sporty perspective on the second half of life. Thus, the evening fits ideally with a literature festival that focuses on encounters, stories, and vibrant presentations. ([satyr-verlag.de](https://satyr-verlag.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Infotext_Seepferdchen-mit-sechzig.pdf?utm_source=openai))

The Metropolengarten as a literary stage

The location itself is part of the narrative: The Metropolengarten on Dahlbusch is located on the historic site of the former Dahlbusch coal mine, right next to the Villa Dahlbusch and the old coachman's house. The area covers about 4,800 square meters, characterized by garden plots, a greenhouse, and an atmosphere between industrial culture and urban greenery. The official festival text speaks of a small literature festival between garden plot, greenhouse, and old villa; admission is free. ([metropolengarten.de](https://metropolengarten.de/metropolengarten_gelsenkirchen_das-gelaende.html?utm_source=openai))

For visitors, this provides a special setting: outside, close to the text, close to the voice, close to the summer night. Those looking for literature not as a distant reading but as an immediate literary experience will find the right reading atmosphere here. The garden opens an hour before the start, creating space for arrival, conversations, and anticipation. ([metropolengarten.de](https://metropolengarten.de/veranstaltung/nah_und_fern-festival_2026/nah_und_fern_literatur-festival_2026_gelsenkirchen_metropolengarten_ruhrgebiet.html?utm_source=openai))

What the audience can expect

The evening promises not a dry reading but a lively play of narration, cabaret, and linguistic artistry. The official program title emphasizes the mix of ascent and descent, fitness and fat cells, scales and weighing, strolling and shuffling. This is exactly what creates Gieseking's style: precise everyday observation, comical fervor, and a fine sensitivity to the small tremors of life. ([bernd-gieseking.de](https://www.bernd-gieseking.de/))

The festival itself understands literature as an invitation to a change of perspective. Near and far, closeness and distance, region and world, everyday life and storytelling: these tensions shape the program and make the evening in Gelsenkirchen culturally particularly valuable. ([visit.gelsenkirchen.de](https://visit.gelsenkirchen.de/de/termine/95830-6-literaturfestival-nah-fern))

Conclusion

Bernd Gieseking in Gelsenkirchen is more than a reading: it is a clever, warm-hearted, and comedic literary experience under the open sky. Those who appreciate stories with pace, depth, and dry humor will experience a summer evening in the Metropolengarten that resonates long after. Mark the date now and experience the literary festival live. ([visit.gelsenkirchen.de](https://visit.gelsenkirchen.de/de/termine/95830-6-literaturfestival-nah-fern))