Whoever has always wanted to tell their own story, to struggle to find words, to embark on a quest for the tone-setting sound of language is literally in the right place at this writing workshop. The event offers an opportunity to pen one’s own literary texts, as well as to experience new things through writing techniques and topic selection. By applying practical writing exercises, the participants can put into words their own formative experiences or simply write down whatever is going through their heads. What is more, the Graz author Florian Labitsch will familiarize participants with ways of publishing prose, poetry, and plays. Behind-the-scenes insight is offered by passages of text and interviews by select authors.

Mag. Florian Labitsch (*1980 Graz, lives in Graz) is an author and works at the Universalmuseum Joanneum. He studied history at the University of Graz, has published prose in literary magazines (Lichtungen, manuskripte, perspektive, BELLA triste), and has already written over a hundred journalistic contributions to printed media (Falter, Kleine Zeitung), as well as academic essays (Historisches Jahrbuch der Stadt Graz). Labitsch has participated in readings in Graz (Literaturhaus, Forum Stadtpark, Minoriten), Vienna (Literaturhaus, Die Angewandte), Berlin, and Hildesheim. He is a member of the author collective called plattform and received the Literaturförderpreis der Stadt Graz in 2018, the BMUKK Arbeitsstipendium für Literatur in 2013 and 2018, and the Salinen-Austria-Stipendium in 2011. From 2014 to 2018 Florian Labitsch organized readings for the Literaturhaus Graz, including the formats Montagsbühne (11 readings, 2016–17, together with Christoph Szalay) and plattform-Lesungen.