≠igfem Writing Retreat in Yerevan 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! ✨

Equal Pay, Equal Show, Equal Pension (EPESEP) a project by ≠ igfem, co-finaced by the European Union see our video Join us on a writing retreat in Yerevan, Armenia this year! Raising public awareness on misogynistic and sexist structures in the literary world and proposing measures to improve the social and economic position, reception, and standing of female authors in the European Union and Armenia. E qual P ay Female writers often have lower income than male writers. Not only are they less published than men, but they are also financially disadvantaged as they are less rewarded with prizes. These differences impact female writers' working and living conditions. E qual S how E qual P ension Female writers suffer from a lack of visibility, as they are less invited to readings, receptions and awards ceremonies as male writers. The literary field is not exempt of sexist violences, and sexual harassment, misogynistic comments and behaviours become additional obstacles when it comes to achieving success and participating in public events . Due to the pay gap, retired female authors have lower income than male retired authors, which has consequences on their living conditions. Project Partners Interessensgemeinschaft Feministische Autorinnen ≠ig fem AUSTRIA Schamrock GERMANY The Dutch Writer's Collective, FixDit NETHERLANDS Today Art Initiative (TAI) ARMENIA Read more Yerevan Join us on a writing retreat in Yerevan! A whole week dedicated to and for feminist writers, thinkers, and creatives for exchange and exploration. Engage in daily writing groups, readings, discussions, and the Yerevan book fair – all set in the inspiring atmosphere of Armenia. 🗓️ August 31 – September 7, 2025 📍 Location: Yerevan, Armenia 💶 Course Fee: 250 € (Reduced fee available for women authors) Know more Events & Networking EU-CREA Grant Holder's Meeting 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. EPESEP teaser video

Reading List Writing Group Survey Symposia Report on the situation of female authors 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 Progress Reports Interessensgemeinschaft Feministische Autorinnen ≠ig fem AUSTRIA see update read gender report Schamrock GERMANY work in progress The Dutch Writer's Collective, FixDit NETHERLANDS see update Today Art Initiative (TAI) ARMENIA see update

Reading List Writing Group Survey Symposia Participants of the International English Writing Group Gerlinde Hacker Writer, literature activist, project manager, president of ≠ig fem Based in: Vienna, Austria Know more: www.gerlindehacker.com Eva Surma Writer, president of Styrian ≠ig fem Based in: South of Graz, Austria Verena Mermer Poet, novelist Based in: Vienna, Austria Susanne Darabas Writer (poetry, prose, essays), editor, translator, project manager Based in: Munich, Germany Know more: www.darabas.de Barbara Korun Poet From: Ljubljana, Slovenia Dr. Behnaz Amani Former political prisoner of Iran’s recent revolt “Woman, Life, Freedom”. Poet, critic, teacher, human rights activist Know more: https://jacket2.org/commentary/behnaz-amani-peril-iran Sanneke van Hassel Literary writer Based in: Rotterdam, Holland Augusta Laar Writer, visual artist and musician Based in: Munich and Vienna Birgit Kempker Researches: word, image, sound, space, idea, concept and awareness. Teacher and mentor Based in: Basel, Switzerland Nora Nadjarian Based in: Cyprus Vera Linder Poet and translator From: Italy Arpi Voskanyan From: Armenia Evita Arakelian Poet, performer, masters student in Creative Writing Based in: London, UK Mehak Gupta Writer, communication designer Based in: Mumbai, India Christine Yohannes Poet, playwright and overall writer mainly in English From: Ethiopia Kholoud Charaf Syrian writer, poet, activist Status: L iving in exile since 2018, currently holding an IG scholarship in Vienna Fleur Speet Writer Based in: Amsterdam, Netherlands < Back

Reading List Writing Group Survey Symposia Write with us! 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 group is in English and lasts 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 See Active Participant List Poetry 2024 Poetry Collection 2024 A Voice Says Evita Arakelian The Stand Susanne Darabas Qarchak Women Prison Behnaz Amani I’m married to a house Gerlinde Hacker Untitled Sanneke van Hassel on privilege Mehak Gupta cyclical poems by Augusta Laar & Birgit Kempker If you force me Claudia Andersag

Reading List Writing Group Survey Symposia A series of networking events in 4 cities over 3 years Four EPESEP symposia are going to be held in the cities of the partnering groups: Munich, Amsterdam, Yerevan and Vienna. Feminist and literary organisations will be promoted, aiming to establish a transnational collaboration amongst writers. The symposia will include expert lectures, meetings of the writing and networking group, readings of female authors, exchange and discussions on the results of the project. It will be the opportunity to present the results of the survey, but also to provide female authors with a platform to present their works in front of an international audience and to exchange writers, stakeholders and experts from other European countries. The first symposium is happening this year, in Munich. 25. to 27. Oct 2024, Werksviertel-Mitte Kunst Munich organised by Schamrock.org Where did the symposium happen? The first symposium happened under the framework of the Schamrock Festival - Conference of the Birds in Munich at Werksviertel-Mitte Kunst. When did it happen? From the 25th to 27th October 2024 How was it conducted? As an onsite event with multidisciplinary performances of poems, lyrics, fiction and music. A book purchase counter, an open bar and ample time to network with fellow readers and audience members was a prominent part of the three days. Who all joined? Performers from over 20 nationalities including authors from PEN's Writers in Exile program, and an audience of over 120 people over three days. Why was EPESEP symposium a part of Schamrock Festival? Schamrock Festival is still the only festival for female poets in the world, it is a success story from Munich. Schamrock was honoured with the Anita Augspurg Prize of the state capital of Munich in 2021, the Bavarian Culture Award 2022, and strengthened by the diverse response of poets, audiences, sponsors and press from all over the world. Reading List Workshop Day 1: October 25, 2024 Gerlinde Hacker, Doro Pointner, Hannah Oppolzer, Yra van Dijk, Lilit Stepanyan, Arpi Voskanyan, Susanne Darabas Presentation of the ≠igfem Reading List by Hannah Oppolzer Discussion of the criteria for the website and generally the presentation on the website (suggestions made by ≠igfem) Presentation of the Schamrock Reading List by Susanne Darabas Presentation of the TAI Reading List by Lilt Stepanyan Presentation of the FixDit Reading List by Yra van Dijk Discussions of literary issues on which the Feminist Reading List is based such as the availability of titles on the list, criteria for the experts on the expert panels, genres and types of books that are listed… Discussions of the targets group of the different Feminist Reading Lists Discussions of timetable, responsible persons, and further meetings Workshop Leaders Gerlinde Hacker Writer, literary activist, project manager, and president of ≠igfem. Selected publications: störfeuer, herzgeröll, blind spot, weiwamessa, meine wahrheit kennt deine wirklichkeit nicht. www.gerlindehacker.com – www.hackerin.at – www.igfem.at Doro Pointner Born in 1969, grew up in Styria, and has lived and worked in Vienna since 2000. Studied linguistics and philosophy. Published poetry and short prose in anthologies, literary magazines, and radio. In 2021: Poetry collection "Früchte des Schnees". Member of the Grazer Autorinnen Autorenversammlung (GAV) and co-founder of the Feminist Authors Interest Group (IG feministische Autorinnen). https://doropointnerblog.wordpress.com/ Verena Mermer Author and literary scholar. Most recent works: die stimme über den dächern (2015) and Autobus Ultima Speranza (2018). Editor of Louise Werner’s ... aber mir hat der Marxismus besser gefallen! (Theodor Kramer Society Publishing House, 2018). Hannah Oppolzer Born in 1999, studied German Studies in Vienna, currently pursuing a master's degree in Literary Writing and Editing at the University of Hildesheim. Her debut novel "Verpasst" was published by Braumüller Verlag in 2023. She has been a member of ≠igfem since 2023 and is working on the Feminist Reading List project. Eva Surma Born in Graz, lives and writes in Leibnitz, Styria, but also enjoys writing by the sea. Member of ≠igfem since 2022 and co-founder of ≠igfem Bezirk Leibnitz with Anna Cech. Member of the international platform literatur*grenzenlos and a PEN member since 2023. Susanne Darabas She has studied German and American Literature and Philosophy, and was a research assistant and an editorial officer. She is writing poetry, prose and essays and is working as a freelance editor, translator, and project manager. Dr. Yra van Dijk Dr. Yra van Dijk (1970) is professor of Modern Literature and researcher at Leiden Hogeschool, and member of the feminist writers collective Fixdit. After publishing volumes and monographs on Late-postmodern literature (Reconsidering the postmodern. European Literature Beyond Relativism, 2011), on Intertextuality and on Shoah-Memory in the novel, she is now researching trauma, narrative and meaning for a next monograph: Structures of Signification in Dutch-Caribbean Literature. (with Thalia Ostendorf, 2025). Van Dijk also writes essays and reviews for Ducth newspapers and journals, like NRC Handelsblad and De Nederlandse Boekengids. Jannah Loontjens Jannah Loontjens is a novelist, poet, and philosopher, who writes regularly for Dutch newspapers and magazines. Her novels include How Late Actually (2011, nominated for the Halewijn Literature Prize), But Then Again (2014, translated into Danish and Hungarian) and Who Knows (2018). Her poetry collections include Variants on Now (2002), The Incredible Shrinking (2006, nominated for the Eline van Haaren Prize), and It’s You (2013). Her non-fiction: My Life is More Beautiful Than Literature (2013), the autobiographical philosophy book Roaring Nineties (2016, nominated for Best Spiritual Book 2016) and When it Comes to Love (2019). Loontjens’ writing engages with topical issues, while drawing on her personal experiences and grounding in philosophy. Her latest non-fiction book, Guilty: An exploration of my conscience reflects in her own authentic voice on the role of guilt in western culture (2021, nominated for the ‘Socrates Wisselbeker’). Her newest novel: And Then He Was Gone (2023) was nominated for the Boon Literature Prize. www.jannahloontjens.nl Workshop language: English Co-financed by the European Union - Creative Europe Program and BMKÖS - Austrian Federal Ministry for Art, Culture, Public Service, and Sport. Full programme here

1u < Back I'm married to a house Gerlinde Hacker Previous Next I inhabit my body and my body inhabits me it has its preferences and provides a reliable net my mind loses time and my mind shatters changes laughs my body’s getting stronger my mind follows I steal my time away from you time loses me my body has its own preferences Gerlinde Hacker is a writer, literature activist, and performer based in Vienna, Austria. Her work spans various formats and genres, including texts for festivals, books, essays, and contributions to anthologies and literary magazines. Her publications reflect a diverse range of themes, from personal dialogues and societal observations to poetic explorations. Latest Publications: störfeuer. Anthology of the IG feministische Autorinnen which showcases her engagement with feminist literature. It highlights her efforts to challenge societal norms and contribute to the feminist discourse through her writing; BE-GEGNEN. A text for the Mölltaler Geschichten Festival, 2019; shortlist. A collection of texts, 2018. aufgebrochen, 2018; meine wahrheit kennt deine wirklichkeit nicht - ein dialog. Text and photo book, 2018

3g < Back cyclical poems by Augusta Laar & Birgit Kempker Previous Next Summers End starting with summer how should you mourn its passing? the loss of daylight a crack-of-dawn walk along what you’ve done and what you’ve missed starting with your face how should you mourn its fading? a girl is ageing maybe she’s a hag by now kinky and extravagant Augusta Laar summary the end remember all and put it in a bag and fre not nice but helps destroy the enemies in your bed insects parasites and humans biting you in the private parts and leg down you grab with your hands the old old mattress and rip it apart stuf it in black bag back to fre in the waste incineration plant messed up incarnation plan not completed language shows back to your face in the mirror you cry what is left of the girl once which also felt ugly but now it is decay you had no time to moan and do it now because there is still something staying in beauty and with you even yourself some parts are untouched by evil it will not be for ever oh Eva take this flthy joke do a better one do a poem and write just moan and do it just burn that shit just come back to music Birgit Kempker Sum & Something feat. Ella Fitzgerald where do we go from here? which ferry can we take? heading for a dark place ain’t nothin’ but the blues everything will be fine sum what you owe what you get what you spend what you give what you take what you merge what you avoid lurching between islands on each pier a festive group bridal whites & glossy suits ain’t nothin’ but the blues:|| everything will be fine something to go down to gain to bury to blow in the air to count to sleep on to hide to throw away a wedding or a funeral where do we go from here? which ferry can we take? ain’t nothin’ but the blues:|| everything will be fine Augusta Laar Nothing must be fine you marry you stay alone you take the train or car you have children or dolls you live in a house or a caravan in foreign country you prefer the ocean you love mountains and the night you love sun and daylight you stay away from danger you must be in danger you stay awake all night you enjoy endless dreams you eat and drink too much you fart or you dance you undress often in public you behave smart or dull you believe in God in gold you believe in money or endless honey over your body in smelling lost low pubs your body in bang bang or romantic situation you feel home or lost or even not lost enough because you live in your own not foreign country you like boys or girls or to cut yourself or prefer suicide not and then relax: nothing must be fne you fight with your shadow you fight with the hole in your body and soul emptiness you fight with your ancestors and your baby you do not like yourself at all there is no such thing as this way or that one that ferry that bridge this ship left right or above there is no companion path no intuition nor right or wrong or even suitable Bauchgefühl the german compass remember: nothing must be fine forget Kafka there are a lot of personal closed doors you can not enter not open too even the entering of the perfect door is not the beginning of a perfect day relax and follow what follows you and do not believe on order but you never should not love numbers all of them false language must be loved immediately by all of you because you are all the stuf the belief the friends is you Birgit Kempker Summer is Ex she cries she sighs with bright eyes all over paradise only in her exboyfriend jeans – im schlussverkauf she sat in the tube and cried with her exboyfriend jeans lurching over the top stop here stop now ooooops what? does she? she twines her whole lovestory into a wreath – foral oral – she’s living with fowers now witnessing the eruption of a real condition windshield wipers striking back what? does she? she’s also been a sniper her interior is all exterior she exercises the pleasure of refusal she’ll not shame it – ooooops Augusta Laar Augusta Laar lives in Munich and Vienna. She is a writer, visual artist, musician. Founder and Head of the Shamrock salons and festivals for poets and of the Shamrock Film festivals. Most recent awards include: Bavarian Culture Prize 2022, Anita Augspurg Prize from the City of Munich for Schamrock e.V. 2021. Recent publications: Nocturnes – Interverntions, Vienna 2024, messages against sleep, Vienna 2021, Avec Beat, Munich 2020, Spinning Records, Ledbury/UK 2019, Best Friends. Exhibition catalog, Munich 2019. Birgit Kempker was born in Wuppertal in 1956. She lives in Basel and researches: word, image, sound, space, idea, concept and awareness. She teaches and mentors at FuF, School for Experimental Design Zurich, Swiss Literature Institute Biel and Fine Arts/FHNW Basel. Most recently: holidays from suicide, a fantastic journey with Iggy Pop, Radio SRF 2020. Spirit of Embarrassment, 2022, meet thy spirit, a multimedia ebook from Esther Hunziker's digital publishing house, electrfd.net, free download there; the German house, 2024, opposite chickens, 2024.

1s < Back Qarchak Women Prison Behnaz Amani Previous Next For Mary who dreamed the Moon-like murdered girl while awake, Calling Her name, ‘Mahsa!’, ‘Mahsa!’ ‘Did you see Her? She was in the kitchen. Where did they take Her? Mahsa?’ Injection Dead paralysed in the corridor Two days. For Tahmineh who was not Sohrab’s mother anymore Yet standing in the middle of riots With her hands covering her ears SCREeeeeeAMING ……… nein! This Tahmineh was afraid And shitting her bed almost every night Night, night, night Every morning Marching in a plastic basin Cigarette on her lips Pretending to conquer the world Courageous! Indifferent to all the hatred in the world For her mixed-up pills by the warden On the ‘Trolley of Happiness’! All vividly, viscously appealing. For sparrows whose wings were cut off By our poisoned prison food! For the lice in our hair And the bleach in the water. For the cats on the rooftop waiting for our leftovers And the fool of a guard wondering to whom those Kisses were thrown! And the despondent, monstrous walls Sequestered Hope In the back of beyond With their telephone booths And the two minutes calls In bottomless queues. For the smell of rain In the background of the bars And all the rack outs while The lights were still On! For all the riots, Hunger strikes And crackdowns. For all the sighs, sorrows, sought-after hopes. For the shaved head of a girl Who under acute compulsion rips her head, And for the bleeding iron pole afterwards. For all the Imposed forfeited court appearances And all the enforced disappearances. For Mahsa, Mohammad, Nika, For Sarina, Siavash, Sasan, For all the hundreds of thousands For Us all in EXILE! I‘m from the Middle East, the cradle of civilisation, yet ironically the place that each day reminds me of this part of Dante‘s Inferno Canto iii "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here". As a woman, a poet and a literary scholar, I can paint the 21st-century human condition and his/her hopes, endeavours, devastations, and beliefs with my words; my audience can see each like an Alice who dares to enter the rabbit hole. I am a former political prisoner of Iran’s recent revolt Woman, Life, Freedom who spent almost two months in Gharchak Women‘s Prison and only bailed out due to her uterus cancer. I used to teach English Literature at the university but after my imprisonment, they expelled me from university and prohibited me from publishing anything academically or non-academically. Thanks to dear Mr. Charles Bernstein and other American poets who ran a petition for me, my voice was heard first by PEN America and then by PEN Germany.

2g < Back Untitled Sanneke van Hassel Previous Next I am not a woman I am an animal look at my ferce grin stretched out mouth, strong teeth broad chin My pointed skull sharp, fostering wide eyes that gaze and swallow digest it all My breasts small, active, vivid with my long fexible arms I embrace the womb I carry You might think I kneel one foot forward, toes exploring but with my other foot I push using the earth as starting point I push launch myself I take of and release inspired by a sculpture by Lotti van der Gaag (1923–1999) Sanneke van Hassel (Rotterdam 1971) lives and works in Rotterdam. Her literary work is published by De Bezige Bij, Amsterdam. Her debut collection of short stories IJsregen (Ice Rain), published in 2005, was nominated for several literary awards. In 2006 she wrote about every day life in Sarajevo: Pieces of Sarajevo. In 2007 her second collection of short stories titled Witte veder (White Feater) came out. For this book she received the BNG Literary Award. In April 2010 she organised and curated Hotel Van Hassel, an international short story festival in Amsterdam. In 2010 her first novel was pubished: Nest, followed by a third collection of short stories: Ezels (Donkeys) in 2012. Together with Flemish writer Annelies Verbeke she compiled an anthology with short stories from all over the world: Naar de stad, To the City (2012). In 2014 her fourth short story collection came out: Hier blijf ik (Here I'll stay), with 45 stories inspired by photographs from young photographers from Rotterdam. August 2017 her second novel was published, Stille Grond (Silent Ground). Recently she published to highly acclaimed collections of short stories, Nederzettingen (Settlements) in 2019 and Milde klachten (Mild complaints) in 2024. Her latest collection is set during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2 < Back on privilege Mehak Gupta Previous Next Is being born in love a privilege? Is having a roof on my head and a security guard on my gate a privilege? So, you are saying that the acid tears of the girl whose lover took revenge is underprivileged? So, you are saying that the teenager who was dragged naked on the streets, cameras blaring on her body, men and their million mannequin penises teasing her dignity is underprivileged? Should I ask Maslow if I have it easy? He would say I am at the top of his pyramid where the floors are made of glass and if I look down – like water that is leaking from the ceilings of my palace – I will spill down Right at the bottom Do I have it easy, should I feel guilty? Is this even a question of privilege? We are divided by invisible boundaries dictating the sequenced polarization of rich versus poor, right versus wrong Can’t we see suffering as it is Not more not less In the loud battle of reasons voices that need listening dissipate into a whisper Wait Listen A human being is trying to speak Mehak Gupta is a writer and communication designer from Mumbai, India. She writes creative non-fiction, experimental poetry and memoir. Parallely, Mehak runs a creative studio called Hereafter; to support social enterprises with their written/visual communications.

≠igfem stands for “Interessensgemeinschaft Feministische Autorinnen”, which translates into Association of feminist authors’ interest group. We seek to support feminist writers, feminist approaches and actions and are committed to an interdisciplinary and diverse approach. Our association works together with Austrian and international authors, literary representatives, organisations and public institutions. We aim to bring attention to the inequalities faced by women in the literary scene, advocate gender equality as well and establish an international network through the coordination of various projects such as writing groups and symposia. Our Team ≠igfem was founded in July 2019 by Gerlinde Hacker and Mag.a Dorothea Pointner to support women working in literature, to promote feminist perspectives, and to foster national and international networking for female authors. President: Gerlinde Hacker … lives, works and performs as a writer, artist, and literature activist in Vienna. She publishes poems, prose, and political literature. She is active on various media as described in detail on her website . She is the president of ≠igfem and sprachkunst. xyz , as well as a member of Graz Female Authors' Assembly Vice President: Mag.a Dorothea Pointer … lives and works in Vienna. She studied linguistics and philosophy. She writes poetry and prose and has been widely published in anthologies, literary magazines, and on her website . She is as the Vice President of ≠igfem and is a member of Graz Female Authors' Assembly. Visit website