July 30 to August 4, 2025 From July 30 to August 4, 2025, a delegation from ≠igfem travelled to Oslo to present and further develop the EU-funded project EPESEP (Equal Pay, Equal Show, Equal Pension) on an international level, and to establish meaningful connections with feminist authors and literary institutions in Norway. The delegation consisted of Gerlinde Hacker, president and national representative of ≠igfem, and Eva Surma, ≠igfem representative for the region of Styria. The ≠igfem delegation presented the contents and goals of the EPESEP project, which include: A Feminist Reading List, a curated and continuously growing online collection of literary works by mainly contemporary female authors from the project’s partner countries. It aims to increase the visibility of feminist and socio-critical literature and is accompanied by recommendations for use in schools, universities, and the general public. An International Writing Group, a digital space in which women authors from various countries write together, discuss texts, and support one another artistically and politically. A Europe-wide survey on the social, economic, and public status of women authors in EU member states, aiming to provide evidence-based insights for feminist cultural policy. A series of international symposia, hosted in four countries, that bring together authors, researchers, activists, and institutions to discuss feminist literary strategies, structural inequalities, and opportunities for political action. During the stay in Oslo, several on-site writing sessions took place – both individually and in group settings. These sessions were inspired by the cultural, political, and geographical impressions of the Norwegian capital and will be reflected in future ≠igfem publications, performances, and artistic projects. One of the key meetings took place at the Austrian Embassy in Oslo, where Gerlinde Hacker and Eva Surma introduced ≠igfem’s ongoing work and outlined the contents and aims of the EPESEP project – including the feminist reading list, the international writing groups, and the planned symposia. In conversation with embassy officials Manuela Linke and Ute Friessner, possible formats for cooperation were discussed – such as readings, artistic dialogues, and cultural exchange activities in Oslo. Another central appointment was the visit to the Deichman Library, the oldest and largest public library in Norway. The delegation was warmly received by Ranveig Stende Johnsen. The focus of the conversation was the exchange of feminist reading lists, especially the one published on the Deichman Library website, which closely aligns in content and approach with the EPESEP list. The discussion included shared experiences, challenges, and visions for the future development of such feminist literary resources. Both sides expressed interest in future editorial cooperation, for example in the form of a transnational exchange of recommended readings or a joint digital publication platform. In addition, the Deichman project “Future Lab” was introduced – an innovative platform designed to promote critical dialogue about the future, foster creative participation formats, and support inclusive cultural work. The ≠igfem team explored possible points of connection and discussed the potential for future involvement. Another important highlight of the trip was the visit to Litteraturhuset Oslo (House of Literature) – the largest institution of its kind in Europe. The ≠igfem delegation explored opportunities for cross-border feminist literary programming, connections with local authors and institutions, and the potential for readings, discussions, and joint events. The team at Litteraturhuset expressed a strong interest in further collaboration, and ≠igfem is currently planning a follow-up trip to Oslo in autumn 2026 to build on the connections made and realise concrete events. For ≠igfem, this journey was not only artistically enriching and creatively productive but also a decisive step towards strengthening the international visibility of feminist authors from Austria. The direct exchange with Norwegian colleagues, institutions, and networks provided essential input for the next phase of the EPESEP project – especially in terms of transnational cooperation, structural improvements, and sustainable feminist cultural work across Europe.

The Austrian Report, June 2025 📌 Read the full report here   The following passages can be found in the Austrian curriculum for the subject German: "Mechanisms of discrimination and violations of equality [...] in linguistic formulations in texts [...] are analyzed and questioned." And: "Working with literary [...] texts [...] allows [pupils] to get to know, adopt and question different views of the world."  However, these demands on the reading socialization of children and young people at school are still far from being sufficiently implemented. A glance at schools is enough to see this: Current reading recommendations for German lessons consist of 88% to 100% works by men. Feminist narratives are virtually non-existent. Female perspectives, especially of the past, are largely ignored. The texts covered are almost exclusively representative of a male literary history. Problematic images of women are accepted.  The history of women and the history of female writing is a different one. Their perception of the world, their perspectives and realities of life have always differed. A young girl attending school in Austria should have the practically realized right to learn about this history. This is why ≠ig fem is calling for more texts by women from different eras to be included in school reading. School is one of the most important places of socialization. Stories tell readers what they can be and become in this world. Consequently, canonization and literary historiography for schools need to be discussed anew! For this reason, ≠ig fem is working with a panel of experts to develop a feminist reading list for German lessons in lower and upper secondary schools from 2023. The aim of the project is to compile a canon that conveys modern female and male role models and depicts the history of women. Project objective The following lists are in progress:  Lists for schools (around 100 titles per list):  Lower school (10-14 years) (literature & feminist non-fiction) Upper school (14-18 years) (literature & feminist non-fiction) Lists for adults:  Recommendations for the university (literary studies subjects) (around 200 titles per list) Feminist non-fiction (around 100 titles per list) Adults general (no upper limit, open list)  The following additional lists are planned (around 100 titles per list):  Kindergarten (reading books, 3-10 years) Elementary school (children's literature, 6-10 years) Project steps   Putting together a panel of experts (completed) Collect titles (completed) Rate titles and assign age groups (completed) Curating final lists (in progress) Presentation of the lists on the website (in progress) Public relations (in progress) Focus on children's literature: New, expanded panel of experts, collecting new titles, curating new lists for kindergarten and elementary school (still pending) ... 📌 Read the full report here

Expert Panel for the Austria Feminist Reading List / The first 9 Current reading recommendation lists for school lessons at Austrian schools consist of 88% to 100% of the works "of old white men". Feminist narratives hardly appear in it. School is one of the most important places of socialisation – both in the sense of reading and through reading. Stories tell readers what they can be and what they can become in this world. It is therefore important to discuss canonisation and literary historiography for the school anew! Since 2023, together with an expert committee consisting of authors, literary scholars, educational scientists, publishers, booksellers and teachers, ≠ig fem has been developing a feminist reading list for German lessons for the lower and upper level, which we will send to the Ministry of Education after their completion, the educational directorates of the individual federal states as well as to the schools themselves. The aim of the project is to put together a canon that conveys modern female and male role models and depicts the history of women and feminists. Below is an update about our wonderful, Austrian expert panel! 📌 Read more here on the ≠igfem website TANJA RAICH , author and editor. Worked as a juror, program manager at Kremayr & Scheriau until 2020, currently: program manager for literature and children's books at Leykam. Novels: "Jesolo" (Blessing 2019) & "Schwerer als das Licht" (Blessing 2022) Editorship: "Das Paradies ist weiblich" (Kein & Aber 2022) & "Frei sein" (Kein & Aber 2024) TANJA OBEX , PhD, educational scientist and university assistant at the Department of Educational Sciences in Music Education at the mdw Vienna. Her work focuses on pedagogical ethos, teacher professionalism, knowledge and science studies; education and decoloniality; education for sustainable development. SANDRA FOLIE , PhD, literary scholar and member of the project “Black Narratives of Transcultural Appropriation” at the Leibniz Centre for Literary and Cultural Research in Berlin. Her research focuses on Afro-European literatures and intersectionality and is closely linked to questions of canonization: Who is read in which context (how) and why (not)? JULIA PÜHRINGER  is a journalist and film critic who likes to think, write and ask questions. She writes for tele, Falter, Der Standard and an.schläge, among others. Whether in film, literature or elsewhere, she is passionately interested in the question of the representation of women's art and its reception and canonization. BEATE HAUSBICHLER  studied philosophy at the University of Vienna and has been an editor at Der Standard since 2008, heading its women's policy section dieStandard since 2014. Her most recent publication is: “Der verkaufte Feminismus. Wie aus einer politischen Bewegung ein profitables Label wurde” (2021) and "Geradegerückt. Vorverurteilt, skandalisiert, verleumdet: Wie Biografien prominenter Frauen verzerrt werden” (together with Noura Maan, 2023). Dr. VERONIKA SCHUCHTER  is a Senior Scientist at the Department of German Studies at the University of Innsbruck. She studied German Philology and received her doctorate in 2012 on the topic of victim, heroine and perpetrator narratives in literature and film. Her research focuses on contemporary literature, literary mediation and gender studies. She has been working on power structures and socio-political issues in literature for many years. RABEA KOHNEN is a Germanist medievalist. She has been working as an assistant professor with tenure track at the University of Vienna since 2019. Her work focuses on historical narratology, material philology and cultural studies issues in the field of intersectionality. Her current book project deals with the self-fashioning of medieval narrators and exegetes, using the voice and figure of Mary of Nazareth as a model and examining in particular the significance of femininity in these narratives. DAGMAR KAINDL , born in Lower Austria in 1968, was culture editor at the weekly magazine NEWS (1993 - 2016) and was head of the literature department there for sixteen years. She has been a freelance contributor to Buchkultur magazine since 2017. From 2011 to 2020, she was a member of the Literature Advisory Board of the Austrian Federal Chancellery. CLAUDIA SACKL , MA MA, is a research assistant at ISEK - Popular Cultures at the University of Zurich and a lecturer at the Department of German Studies at the University of Vienna. From 2017 to 2023 she worked as a research assistant at STUBE Vienna, from 2019 to 2023 she was head of the Literary Courses. Her research focuses on multimodal and transmedia narrative forms, postcolonial studies, critical race theory and its intersections with gender studies, queer theory and ecocriticism. In her doctoral project, she is researching contemporary German- and English-language Afro-diasporic literatures.

Dear Author, Our EU project EPESEP (Equal Pay Equal Show Equal Pension) is now in its second year. At the heart of the EU project is a study that sheds light on discrimination against women in the literary scene. This scientific study is carried out by FORBA carried out. Forba has designed an online questionnaire for female authors, which will be translated after the test run for partner organisations in Armenia, the Netherlands and Germany. We warmly invite you to take part in our survey as part of the EU project EPESEP – Equal Pay, Equal Show, Equal Pension . The goal of this project is to better understand the social, economic, and public situation of women authors. 👉   Click here to access the survey   The BMKOES Gender Report 2024 confirms what many have long perceived and studies have already shown: women are structurally discriminated against in the literary sector . This is especially visible in the male overrepresentation among prestigious awards and decision-making positions. We want to investigate the deeper causes of these imbalances and document the actual working and living conditions of women writers – in order to develop meaningful solutions and a political agenda for equality. Your participation will help make structural inequalities visible and support calls for real change – for fair pay, better visibility, and secure social protection in the literary field. 👉 Click here to access the survey 🕒 Duration: approx. 10 minutes  🔒 Anonymity: Your responses will remain strictly confidential. About us:  The ≠ig feminist authors collective  is an independent advocacy group by and for feminist authors in Austria. We fight for equality, visibility, and better working conditions in literature, arts, and society. Your participation makes a valuable contribution to advancing equality in the literary world. Thank you for your support and engagement!  Learn more about the EU project:  🌐   https://igfem.at/eu-projekte/  🌐   https://www.igfem.eu/

Online writing groups are precious spaces for female writers who may face physical, psychological, or geographical barriers that prevent them from participating in in-person writing groups. This initiative by the EPESEP project encourages international female writers to fully participate in the literary community. Mutual help and appreciation are at the centre of our core values, and we hope to create a supportive space in which all members will find their place.  ​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​Our writing groups are in English and last about two hours​ We begin with short introductions Each writer presents the subject she would like to write about The writing phase lasts 1 hour Writers read their texts and occasionally give feedback to one another ​​ Our online writing group takes place every first Monday of the month, between 1pm CET and 3 PM CET. For the sake of inclusivity, the writing group is free of charge, has no age barrier and is open for all writers (published or not) and all genres of creative writing. PS: majority of the current participants enjoy writing poetry!   To join, please send a short description of you and your work to:  world@igfem.at So far we have conducted 13 international writing groups with over 40 active participants globally from Austria, Germany, Armenia, Italy, Netherlands, Cyprus, Slovenia, India, Switzerland, UK etc. 📌 Read a detailed report here (updated in February 2025) 📌 See active participants list 📌 Read a few of our texts from our website English Writing Groups conducted so far:

Progress Reports ≠ig fem (Austria) 📌 see update read our gender study FixDit (Netherlands) 📌   see update Today Art Initiative (Armenia) 📌   see update Brief The EPESEP team is developing an online survey that will be disseminated far and wide to gather and analyse responses on pay, show and pension gap, reception, social and economic standing of female authors in the countries of our Project Partners. The goal is to eventually propose countermeasures to improve the situation throughout Europe. Work Steps Drafting the survey questions in collaboration with an Austrian Interdisciplinary Research Institute, FORBA ( www.forba.at ) Once questions are finalised, making the online survey available in English, German, Dutch and Armenian languages Dispersing the online survey as widely as possible to stakeholders, on the website and on social media. Simultaneously controlling the survey results Conducting 10+ interviews with female authors and literary experts, and setting up focus groups in the participating countries Evaluation and assessment of the online survey (quantitative), and interviews and focus groups (qualitative) in a report by each Partner Organisation which will be made available in national and international reports Determining the best possible course of action on a national and international level Dissemination of results and proposed countermeasures to relevant sources and online channels. Interim results will be presented during the symposia and will be discussed by stakeholders regularly

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The EPESEP partner meetings happen mostly on the first Thursday every month at 2 PM CET for a max. of 2 hours. The agenda varies every meeting to cover the management of all task packages, PR and Communications of the EPESEP project and logistics for internal and public events. Partner Meetings for Project Management in 2024 Partner Meetings for Project Management (so far) in 2025

Feminist Writing as part of the EU project-EPESEP August 31 – September 7, 2025 📍 Location: Yerevan, Armenia 📅 Book Fair: September 6 & 7, 2025 📚 EPESEP Symposium: September 3 & 5, 2025 💶 Course Fee: 250 € (Reduced fee available for women authors) ​ ✍️ The Yerevan writing retreat! We invite feminist writers, thinkers, and creatives to join us in Yerevan for a week of writing, exchange, and exploration. In addition to daily writing groups, we will take part in readings, discussions, and the book fair – all set in the inspiring atmosphere of Armenia. ​ ✨ What to expect: 🌍 International feminist networking 📝 Daily writing groups – collective writing & text work 🎤 Readings & exchange with feminist authors from Europe & Armenia 📚 EPESEP Symposium: equality, visibility & literature (Sept 3 & 5) 📖 Yerevan Book Fair: presenting feminist texts & meeting publishers (Sept 6 & 7) 🏛️ Sightseeing & Cultural Program: Matenadaran – one of the world’s most important manuscript collections Yerevan Cascade – monumental outdoor stairway with a breathtaking view Armenian Genocide Memorial – museum & commemoration site Vernissage Market – traditional arts & crafts fair 👥 Self-organization: Travel & accommodation are to be arranged individually. We are happy to share tips and recommendations! We will help connect you with feminist initiatives in Armenia.​ ​ 💌 Participation & Registration: until June 3rd 📩 Apply via email: support@igfem.at ​ We look forward to an inspiring feminist writing week in Yerevan! ✨

19. to 20. Nov 2024, Spektakel, VIENNA The November 2024 ≠igfem reading festival included the ‘Equal Pay, Equal Show, Equal Pension’ (EPESEP) project presentation. Over an intimate and warm gathering of poets, authors and musicians from across Austria, we experienced two heartwarming evenings of writing, song and work.  Authors read their texts from two anthologies: “Weissnet” and “Störfeuer” which was followed by a presentation about the EPESEP project by Gerlinde Hacker and Doro Pointner.   🎤 Music performance by @ mikkmusik

20. to 21. Nov 2024, BRUSSELS The EU-CREA Grant Holder's Meeting in Brussels was a gathering of over 200 Project Leads of EU-funded projects across Europe. The two day intensive allowed everyone to connect, brainstorm ideas for their own project, discuss strategies to take forward each others projects, network, and spend time with their Project Officer (PO).   With presentations from the EU team, workshops designed for participants and information seminars on topics like "the Art of Effective Partnership Management" and "Revealing the environmental impacts of our digital use and infrastructure in Cooperation projects", the overall takeaway made the EPESEP Project Lead, Gerlinde Hacker, more confident in how to tackle challenges and take the work forward.

The EPESEP team is developing an online survey that will be disseminated far and wide to gather and analyse responses on pay, show and pension gap, reception, social and economic standing of female authors in the countries of our Project Partners. The goal is to eventually propose countermeasures to improve the situation throughout Europe. Read the Executive Summary of the Austrian Gender Report in the Fields of Art and Culture 2017-2021.