Listen to the Opening Ceremony of 10th Anniversary of lyrikline.org / Zum Nachhören: Die Eröffnung der 10 Jahre lyrikline.org Festwoche

From October 26 to 31, 2009 lyrikline.org has celebrated its 10th anniversary together with friends and partners in a series of events in Berlin. The week of events was opened by German Federal President Horst Köhler, project manager Heiko Strunk and the poets Monika Rinck and Lebogang Mashile, who each gave insightful and eloquent speeches about poetry.
The whole event can be listened to here

You will find on the website also many other rare and interesting poetry talks! Recommended!

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Mit einer Festwoche hat lyrikline.org vom 26.-31. Oktober 2009 zusammen mit vielen Freunden und internationalen Partnern sein 10-jähriges Bestehen in Berlin gefeiert.
Bundespräsidenten Horst Köhler hat die Festwoche mit einer Rede zur Poesie während der Auftaktveranstaltung am 26.10. eröffnet. Köhlers Rede sowie weitere Reden von Projektleiter Heiko Strunk und den Dichterinnen Monika Rinck oder Lebogang Mashile können nun hier auf der website der Literaturwerkstatt Berlin gehört werden.

Auf der website der Literaturwerkstatt Berlin kann man viele weitere spannende und interessante Poesiegespräch entdecken und nachhören!

Opening Address by Federal President Horst Köhler at an event to celebrate 10 years of the ‘lyrikline.org’ Internet platform on 26 October 2009 in the KulturBrauerei Berlin

Ladies and gentlemen,

I’m pleased to be the guest this evening of a small, “radical” minority. I very gladly, and very consciously, accepted your invitation to help celebrate ten years of lyrikline.org.

When asked, from time to time, what I’m responsible for as President, I often say, “for the overall picture”. This is correct, overall, but when one looks more closely at that overall picture one sees that it consists of myriad small pieces.

This is true of society, which is held together by countless different initiatives and groups and by committed people who have noticed that something is missing and have devoted themselves to filling that gap. Our society depends on those who get involved, who get down to work, who make an issue their own.