When does the reading take place?

The reading takes place on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM.

Where does the event take place?

The event is at the Central Library in the Education Center, Ebertstraße 19, 45879 Gelsenkirchen.

What will be presented at the reading?

Students from the Grillo-Gymnasium will read their own literary texts from the 21st Essen Anthology My Today and Tomorrow at the Ruhr.

Who presents the anthology?

Artur Nickel presents the anthology as editor and project leader of the Essen writing and publishing project.

Is there an exchange with the audience?

Yes. After the reading blocks, a joint exchange between the young authors and the listeners is planned.

What is the admission fee?

The admission to the event is free.

Young Voices Tell About the Ruhr Area and Its Future in Gelsenkirchen

Name: "My Today and Tomorrow at the Ruhr"
Start: 2026-10-06T17:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-06T18:30:00+02:00
Location: Zentralbibliothek im Bildungszentrum

Young Voices, Big Questions: Literature from the Ruhr Area

How do young people experience the Ruhr Area today, and what future do they envision for their region? The reading "My Today and Tomorrow at the Ruhr" brings together students from the Grillo-Gymnasium in Gelsenkirchen at the Central Library. On October 6, 2026, they will present their own literary texts from the 21st Essen Anthology, giving a whole generation a voice that can be heard.

An Anthology as a Literary Snapshot

The Essen Anthology is a collaborative writing and publishing project of the Grend Cultural Center in Essen and Geest Verlag. Editor and project leader Artur Nickel has been accompanying the series for many years. The 21st edition collects texts from young authors aged 10 to 20 who engage with family, friendship, culture, religion, social change, personal experiences, hopes, and fears.

418 contributions have been submitted for the current volume. More than 40 texts come from students of the Grillo-Gymnasium. This strong participation makes the reading a special literary moment: The Ruhr Area speaks about its present and future from the perspective of those who experience it today and will shape it tomorrow.

Open Forms, Personal Language

The literary quality of the volume arises from its formal diversity. Stories and poems stand alongside slam texts, diary entries, dialogues, and reports. This open dramaturgy allows for different voices, rhythms, and narrative perspectives.

In the reading's atmosphere, linguistic art and everyday reality come together directly. The young writers do not tell from a safe distance but from the everyday life of school, family, friend circles, and city. Their texts connect intimate observation with social reflection and make visible how differentiated young people perceive their environment.

Reading, Anthology Presentation, and Exchange

The evening begins with a welcome speech by Bianca Herms, co-leader of the city library. Following that, Artur Nickel will present the anthology. In several reading blocks, selected students will present their texts. Hacer Akgün from the school’s internal project coordination of the Grillo-Gymnasium will guide the event.

The evening will culminate in a joint exchange between the young authors and the audience. The discussion will focus on the topics that concern the youth in the Ruhr Area and the future images that emerge from their texts. This literary experience thus acquires a dialogical dimension: The reading becomes an encounter with the authors and a conversation about cultural education, participation, and the power of writing.

Literary Mediation with Societal Significance

The Essen Anthologies are among the prominent projects of literary youth promotion in the Ruhr Area. They open up a public space for young people to express their thoughts and show that literature is not only created in established forms. Especially the combination of writing workshops, publication, and readings strengthens reading promotion, expressiveness, and cultural participation.

Artur Nickel describes the anthology series as an opportunity to reflect on one's own situation through writing and to engage in conversation with each other. The current event continues this approach live. It transforms printed texts into speaking voices and an anthology into a shared cultural event.

Conclusion: An Evening for Young Voices and Curious Listeners

Visitors can expect a multifaceted reading featuring personal texts, various literary genres, and an open exchange about the present and future in the Ruhr Area. Anyone who wants to experience how young people linguistically measure and literary reshape their region will find in the Central Library an evening full of closeness, resonance, and linguistic discoveries.