PART II.WHO WE ARE? WHAT DO WE DO IN THE IOWA CITY. Small But Inspirational&International.

BIG GREAT WORLD IN THE SMALL GREAT CITY

So far, we "know each other" - we recognize and we name each other better now in the big group and we know the seize and possibilities of the city.
There are writers from the countries like Colombia, Venezuella, Argentina, Russia, Spain, Finnland, South Afrika, the Phillipines, Burma, Vietnam, South Korea, Nepal, China, Singapore, Haiti, France, Senegal, Israel, Pakistan, Palestina, Jordan, Australia, Ireland, U.K. and who else did I forget?
We are really from the whole world - 37 participants. We introduced each other in the group the second day and then officially at an event for the Iowan´s representives. A nice evening with a smalltalk, some nice food and drinks... good to know people here! What I really like is that people are open to come and talk to you... There is no fear for spontaneious behaviour - they just come and speak with strange people if they like them - people show here " I like you" - that´s why we like Facebook and it comes from the USA! :: I can hardly imagine that I feel or hear "I like" in Germany :-( there is no spontaneity! I wish there were! 
I think we are really a great international group, we fit well together.
What do we do here all the time?
OUR DAILY:
We live/stay in different houses&hostels.
We have a breakfast every morning in the breakfast room, it´s not duty to go there, but there we have a breakfast - tea&coffee, sandwiches to make and we talk together...
Then we go to our rooms... we have had mostly a full program.We follow the schedule of our weekly program... but slowly we have some time to write, to refind our writing routine!! That makes us happy... to feel already well connected with our creative soul. To create again...slowly... well, we are here one week!
And we have already met: the law!
Meanwhile we had a discussion or a "lecture" with a bank service, we have an own bank account!
AND an attorney made for us the American laws clear: with an open mounth we were listening and wondering what we cannot do: never go across the street where ever you want - like in the most part of EUROPE we walk across without any thinking - here you must go to the end of the street and go across just where the crossroad is: in other case it calls JAY"JAIL"WALKING - you can end up in a "jail" - the sentence is 75 dollar.
No smoking in the streets & hotel rooms, nowhere in the public - just at the crossroads - why there?? Well, I dont smoke - I neednt to care, hurrai!  No marrihuana!!! tooo bad for the rest of life!! Don´t take any risk!! No alcohol outside... no drunk people should be seen outside, one drunk must walk properly...  How surprised and scared we left the room... In Germany there is ORDNUNG - rules but this is a different Ordnung - one biting strict Ordnung - no freedom, kids! How free we live in Germany/ Europe!
OKAY there is no way to break to rules... to bad for the life. So we are obedient ::: (Like my Servant (from my novel))
And after all, we go out and relax nicely together every evening ::: we must get to know each other properly, we have a limited time for each other and that we are HERE together it means that is a DESTINY :::
We are every evening out - in our favorite bar - FOXHEAD!! You can find us there! Its called BAR FOR WRITERS: HERE WE ARE! In the beginning we thought how difficult it will be to find each other without cell phones but now we know there is always this bar where we end up.

 We in the FOXHEAD.

The jukebox on Foxhead!

READING OF JOEL TOLEDO

MY READING

We are all known as writers here, we are welcome and happy to be here. I have realized that EVERYBODY has here to do with writing, everybody holds in the fingers the keybord & pen :-)
AND what else? 2nd September - GREAT DAY! At that day I had really a beautiful, wonderful time with others!! I was so happy. Joel M. Toledo, the poet from the Phillipines and me, had together a READING.
It was taking part in Shambaugh House, its a bulding, where we meet for every event, occasion when necessary, there are also some workshops.
The reading started Joel with his 15 inner profound poems. I was reading from my novel: "Nennen Sie mich Diener" In English: Please call me Servant (Excerpt translated by Steph Morris you can find here - next to my name: http://iwp.uiowa.edu/writers/index.html).
Here you can also see the BOOK TRAILER, well in German - the Servant is about to prove his rules: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx5DRvqehCE
From the booktrailer - this is my "Servant"  - the actor Karl Hemeyer and my dog Barnie...
First I was reading a part in German, then in English. All enjoyed the German part too, as they told me then...  
After the reading, with a bit feary feelings - what the others say - the others 35 participants of 30 nations!! But all came to me and expressed how they liked it!! Such a great appreciation I havent got yet - in Germany...--- it seems to me in Germany people/ institutions don´t understand my novel at all. Hmmm. Well, finally I was feeling to be really the writer!! :-)
What is more important for the writer than appreciation from the audience & readers?! Just that AND to sell books, to live from it... to live! Not only to survive...  I hope for the better times!
And I was happy you liked my T-Short!! Please order how many you will, I would be VERY PLEASED - just let me know - how many!!
(T-Short-Size&Colour&Pieces - Prize is like 20-25 dollars-it depends how much is the mailing -lets see!!)
IOWA CITY IS GREAT - small but inspirative!!
CHEERS! Best from the sunny IOWACITY!
Its September 4th. a cold INDIAN SUMMER -- but still ahaed with the sun.

The T-Short order please by me or by PINK GORILLA BERLIN: www.pink-gorilla.net

 

My books in German published 2011:::
Novel: "Nennen Sie mich Diener". Verlag Schumachergebler, Dresden, 2011
www.verlag.schumachergebler.de
Prose: "Ferenc. Die Liebeserklärung an die Schuhe." Verlag Verzone, Prague 2011 (in German&Czech language) http://www.verzone.cz/

Where is IOWA CITY? Whew here I am. IWP!

Actually I would like to write in German. It´s easier for me. Well, I try in English I would like that my blog read my friends from the whole world :-). Sorry for my mistakes, please! I can hear very often here and I love this expression: feel free! OK, I am gonna feel free and write free ( for free).


I arrived to IOWA on the 27th. I didn´t reach Irene, I was flying over Amsterdam- Minneapolis- Cedar Rapids/ Iowa - 18 hours. Happilly arrived!! Back to the USA! Still my beloved country!! Good bye Berlin!!

From Minneapolis I was flying with a  mental weak girl from Japan, she didn´t speak any English, but she was happy to bump in me accidently on the airport, three times, while I was waiting there for 3 hours. She followed me till Iowa and in Iowa two days later I met her randomly in one pub, she was very happy, the only thing we exchanged was a smile and hello! She was sitting with two heavy American women, they said that they were her friends... well, I was frightened if there isn´t any criminal case... friend with a bit sick girl who doesn´t speak any word English... Hopefully not!!


In the plane to IOWA I saw a guy and I thought immediatly that he is one from the IWP (International writing program) - he was thinking about me the same, and fortunately he became my friend here - Joel M. Toledo from the Phillipines. Fortunately we were sitting next each other, so our conversation could start!! Then on the airport a driver was waiting for us - what an excitement USA again!  We arrived to the hotel and went immediatly out together and discovered a pub where a beer is during the day just for 2 dollars - also Czech one :-) I don´t like the American one - for me very bitter.
Well, we stayed in the bar till the night, survived the jetlag.  We were very happy to arrive and to be here and we knew there are 2 interesting months for sure ahead of us!


The next day  sunday: 28th. In the hotel we got to know each other step by step with other writers... the whole world on the plate!! We realized that we are a wonderful group of 37 writers from the whole world!!Amazing feeling to share all the experience we could now exchange!! Its said its UNESCO for writers - that´s absolutly true!! I feel here appreciated and welcome whereever I come! they know the special guests who visit every year this small but symphathic city!! I like it here... Be honest I had a bit fear to stay in a small city, from Berlin a big step in the unknown of the American sin city! Sin because of the smallness :-)
The IOWA CITY is not very known but what a shame! Is near to Chicago, 4 hours by car. I heard today - what a coincidence - in this city settled years-ages ago a lot of Czechs and Slowaks!! Czechoslowaks... Is it the slavic - BOHEMIAN SPIRIT which was set as a gift for the writers?? Maybe!!
On the second day - trip in the nature!

Now I must make the city famous! INTERNATIONAL WRITING PROGRAM is an unique incredible PROJECT! City as a meeting point for writers from the whole world!! I am so amazed about it... I am so happy to be here!! My great thanks is to Tarek Eltayeb who told me so much about it and then I applied with my novel: Nennen Sie mich Diener, published this year by http://www.verlag.schumachergebler.de/.
Just short notion about the project - I quote from the homepage - here you can see all the writers: http://iwp.uiowa.edu/about/index.html: Since 1967, over a thousand writers from more than 120 countries have attended the IWP at the University of Iowa. The project is designed for established and emerging creative writers — poets, fiction writers, dramatists, and non-fiction writers.
OK - here we are 2011 - 37 participants.
We have already met and got to known each other. I hope I can say next time more about the writers, who we are here....
Today August 31st. 2011 Coffee Shop T-Spoon, I like it here!! Today very nice sunny INDIAN SUMMER!