Two voices, two novels—an evening exploring what brings us together

What holds a life together? And what happens when something suddenly throws it off balance?

In Heimgehen, Elke Cremer tells the story of a single day in the city—seemingly ordinary, yet full of ruptures. People meet, love, argue, hope. When an act of violence occurs, everything is set in motion: lives intersect, secrets come to light, relationships are put to the test. Through short, dense episodes, a panorama emerges that shows how closely we are connected—often without even knowing it.

Laura Vogt’s *Das Jahr des Kalks* also revolves around loss and new beginnings. A young artist says goodbye to her dying uncle—and is confronted with an old pain in the process. In search of stability, she turns to nature, to limestone, the mountains, the traces of times past. By making the fragile tangible, she finds her own way through grief—and discovers what remains.

Both novels explore, in different ways, the themes of farewell, memory, and connection. They ask how we move forward when something ends—and what sustains us.

By donation.

Short biographies of the authors

Elke Cremer, born in 1975 in Ludwigshafen, studied literature and musicology in Freiburg, Munich, and Florence and lives in Berlin as an author and film critic. For her literary work, she received the annual literature scholarship from the Baden-Württemberg Art Foundation and the poetry promotion prize from GEDOK Heidelberg. Her published works include the poetry collection *Linien aus Bienen*, the poetry cycle *Die Mandarinenorakel* (co-authored with Eva Brunner), and the 2022 poetry collection *Aufriss ohne Häuser*. In 2017, 2022, and 2023, she received the German Audio Film Award.

Laura Vogt, born in 1989 in eastern Switzerland, studied cultural studies at the University of Lucerne and creative writing at the Swiss Literature Institute in Biel. Her published works to date include the novels Die liegende Frau (2023), Was uns betrifft (2020), and So einfach war es also zu gehen (2016). Her work has been recognized with various grants and scholarships and has been partially translated into English. She lives with her family near St. Gallen.

IN GERMAN