Tag: merlini

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May 12: Poets reading poets

artwork by yael merlini based on a photo of celia dropkin
Poets reading Poets: Celia Dropkin; print: yael merlini.

The “Poets Read Poets” workshop series on Yiddish modernist poetry continues on May 12th with a session dedicated to one of the most celebrated — and arguably most sexually charged — Yiddish poets, Celia Dropkin. Though she published only one book of poetry, alongside several short stories and a serialized novel, Dropkin’s striking imagery and fearless reflections on love, desire, sensuality, motherhood, depression, and nature continue to captivate readers today.

At the workshop, participants will read and discuss Dropkin’s poetry and celebrate her work. The discussion will be held in English, with texts provided in Yiddish and English translation.

Featuring a song performance by singer Olive Ivy Benito, with discussion by yael merlini, Katerina Kuznetsova, Jordan Lee Schnee, and Anna Rozenfeld.

May 12, 2026, 7pm

CHTO DELAT EMERGENCY PROJECT ROOM
Brunnenstr. 43
10115 Berlin

The event is free – donations are more than welcome to support our hosts from the Chto Delat collective who are generously providing us with their space.

Register here to receive the texts in advance:
https://forms.gle/sSJPTNsG7ovMNdRi7

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April 14: Poets reading Poets

Poets reading Poets: Rokhl Korn; print: yael merlini.

Spring is here, reminding us of the blossoming apple trees in Rokhl Korn’s garden. On April 14th, we will gather — for the fourth time already! — to talk about her poetry.

Rokhl Korn once said about her childhood, “I had no friends. Instead of friends, I had trees, and I spoke to them.” Her work offers some of the most vivid and naturalistic images in Yiddish poetry. Yet it was not only the magic of nature that fascinated her. Korn also wrote extensively about social justice, and especially about women’s experiences and inequality, even if she herself would not have used the term “feminist.”

At this meeting, we will explore different aspects of her rich and multifaceted poetry.

Please register here in order to receive the texts in advance.

April 14, 2026, 7pm

CHTO DELAT EMERGENCY PROJECT ROOM
Brunnenstr. 43
10115 Berlin

Free admission, donations welcome.

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February 17: Poets reading Poets

Poets reading poets: Debora Vogel; print: yael merlini.
Poets reading poets: Debora Vogel; print: yael merlini.

The second meeting in the Poets Reading Poets series is dedicated to Debora Vogel, one of the most innovative and unconventional Yiddish poets, who introduced elements of montage and cubism into Yiddish literature.

During the workshop, we will read and discuss several of Vogel’s poems, focusing on both their formal qualities and their thematic concerns.

This time, Yiddish poets Katerina Kuznetsova and yael merlini will be joined by two more speakers: Anna Rozenfeld — researcher of Jewish history and Yiddish culture, painter, and actress. She is also a Yiddish translator and language instructor, and a professional Yiddish performer on Polish Radio and at the Jewish Theatre in Warsaw. Jordan Lee Schnee — poet, writer, and translator. In 2024, he edited collections of Spanish and Portuguese translations of Debora Vogel’s poetry. His English translations of her work have appeared in In Geveb and Asymptote.

All four speakers will present and discuss different poems by Vogel.

The workshop will take place from 19:00 to 21:00, with a 20-minute break.

Please register in advance here:
https://forms.gle/PTa7yndTe6ENfufA9

February 17, 2026, 7pm
CHTO DELAT EMERGENCY PROJECT ROOM
Brunnenstr. 43
10115 Berlin

Free admission, donations welcome.

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January 13: Poets reading poets

black print on cartboard with a silhouette, invitation for the event "poets reading poets" with katya kuznetsova and yael merlini on january 13, 2026, in berlin.
Poets reading poets: Kadya Molodowsky; print: yael merlini.

Poets Katya Kuznetsova and yael merlini open the new series “Poets Reading Poets”, inviting audiences into an intimate encounter with female Yiddish poets. Through shared readings and conversation, they will explore voices such as Kadya Molodowsky, Deborah Vogel, Anna Margolin, and others. The Discussion will take place in English.

We are launching our new monthly series with a talk on the Yiddish poet and writer Kadya Molodowsky (1894—1975). Born in a shtetl in Belarus, she later moved to Warsaw and emigrated to the United States in 1935, where New York welcomed her as a grand dame of Yiddish poetry. Molodowsky’s body of work is truly impressive, spanning numerous poetry collections as well as short stories and novels.

Her poetry is remarkably versatile — ranging from deeply personal, emotional lyrics to poems addressing social injustice and the struggles of workers. In the workshop, we will read several poems from her debut collection Kheshvndike nekht (1927). We will focus on her relationship to religion, her views on womanhood, and the distinctive features of her poetic style.

January 13, 2026, 7pm
CHTO DELAT EMERGENCY PROJECT ROOM
Brunnenstr. 43
10115 Berlin

Free admission, donations welcome.