Celebrating Community through Sound
The initiative of Sensing Sound in Literature, a faculty project supported by the School for Talents and based in the English Literatures and Cultures Department at the University of Stuttgart, celebrates community outreach for its ability to break down barriers and expand the reach of literature.
Within the framework of a collaborative workshop in December 2023, three public institutions worked together: higher education, secondary education and public radio. The objective was to revive the tradition of radio shows from the Northern Irish poet Paul Muldoon that aired on BBC Northern Ireland in the 1970s. And the result is a confluence of poetry, brief vignettes and immersive sound effects. Over 50 participants participated in the workshop on Poetry & Radio led by guest writers and scholars from Ireland and the UK: Helen Cullen, Alex Alonso and Scott McKendry. University of Stuttgart students, acting as mentors, partnered with year 9 Hölderlin Gymnasium pupils to write, perform and record their pieces about living in the city of Stuttgart.
The resulting radio show, Ecologies of Sound, edited by Katharina Naunov and Lion Oeding, will air on HORADS 88,6 on April 20, April 27 and May 4, 2024 from 10-12am. Don't want to wait? You can already listen to it here.