Queer Monday Story Cafe: Poetry in Resistance

Poetry in Resistance - Bärbel Klässner reads her poems and reports from the GDR and the transition period to today. The lesbian movement of the GDR had different facets. We are inviting a well-known representative of it who has made a name for herself as a poet, but who also became known through political activity and consistent advocacy for the rights of women-loving women in the GDR. The first and only lesbian newspaper 'frau anders', which was illegally designed and distributed at the end of the GDR, is a testament to this movement in which Bärbel Klässner was involved. Lived and reported history is brought closer to the audience through reading and exchange with Bärbel Klässner. Bärbel Klässner was born in Magdeburg in 1960 and has lived in Essen since 2004. In the GDR of the 1980s, she was involved in the women's and lesbian movement and opposition groups that were able to establish themselves 'under the roof' of the Protestant Church. She was co-editor of the only lesbian newspaper 'frau anders' published illegally in the GDR. Today she is a freelance author, writes poetry and essayistic prose, has received scholarships and awards, and has been leading writing workshops for many years.