Authors at School
Workshops

Daniel Peña at Max-Bill-Schule Berlin

In November 2020, the first workshop adapted to the Covid hygiene measures took place at a Berlin school.

The U.S. author Daniel Peña taught the course. One of the writing assignments involved having students invent a character who is the complete opposite of them. In addition, Peña talked to the students about the impact Corona and the Lockdown has on their everyday lives and what the students learned about themselves in the process. „Create your own story!“ was the theme of the two-day workshop.

Daniel Peña is a Pushcart Prize-winning writer and Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Houston-Downtown.  Formerly, he was based out of the UNAM in Mexico City where he worked as Fulbright-Garcia Robles Scholar. A graduate of Cornell University and a former Picador Guest Professor in Leipzig, Germany, his writing has appeared in Ploughshares, The Rumpus, the Kenyon Review, Texas MonthlyNBC News, and The New York Times Magazine among  other venues. He’s currently a regular contributor to the Guardian and the Ploughshares blog. His novel, Bang, was published by Arte Publico Press. He lives in Houston, Texas.

„It’s an incredibly great opportunity for the students to discuss with Daniel Peña and also get impressions from a U.S. perspective so soon after the election.“

Stefanie Gröne — Head of English & Language Education Officer, Max-Bill-Schule, Berlin

 

„I found it very interesting to hear a real writer’s experience of what makes him tick. I would definitely recommend this to other schools and classes.“

Merlin — Student at Max-Bill-Schule