Victoria Belim at Ernst-Reuter-Schule in Frankfurt am Main

Victoria Belim taught a workshop at Ernst-Reuter-Schule in Frankfurt am Main on October 20, 2023. The workshop comprised two seminars within a single day. Victoria Belim commenced by sharing her personal journey, including her family’s migration from Ukraine. Following this, she initiated the first writing task, prompting students to jot down their morning experiences in five minutes. Subsequently, she discussed their texts, highlighting how this task facilitated writing engagement.

Transitioning to her background in perfumery, Victoria guided students through a second writing task. Here, they outlined their morning impressions in bullet points, focusing on sensory details such as scents and colors. Perfection wasn’t the goal; rather, students were encouraged to express themselves freely.

Victoria then delved into her novel, The Rooster House, exploring themes of identity and heritage. The final task involved crafting a literary scene rich in sensory elements, drawing inspiration from their earlier notes. Students shared their work, receiving feedback and encouragement from Victoria.

Victoria Belim is a writer, journalist, and translator of Persian literature and poetry. She has a column in The Financial Times and her writing on culture and lifestyle topics has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, ELLE, Red Magazine, and Marie Claire. She speaks 18 languages, including Chinese, Japanese, and Indonesian. Born in Ukraine, Victoria grew up in the USA and now lives in Brussels, Belgium. Her first book, The Rooster House, a Ukrainian family memoir, is published by Virago and has been translated into sixteen languages.

Photography: Tobias Schnurr for Holtzbrinck Berlin.