Workshop

Liminal Language: Language, Migration & Collective Practices

16 and 22 January 2026

The two-day workshop “Liminal Language” invites participants to explore artis-tic and literary approaches to multilingualism, migration, and collective writing. In collab-oration with the projects Generis, the Woman’s Cave Collective, and the writer Usama Al Shahmani, the workshop opens up a space for new forms of expression, cooperation, and translingual exchange.

The first day (16 January 2026) brings together Generis and the Woman’s Cave Collective. Through discussions, writing activities, and reflections on texts as mobile carriers of knowledge, participants examine cultural mobility and the idea of a collective voice. Generis is a collaborative, multilingual publishing platform that fosters free modes of writing and intercultural dialogue (in French, Italian and German). The Woman’s Cave Collective gathers people from diverse backgrounds in bilingual writing sessions and creates an environment for inclusive, experimental forms of practice. Together, they explore lan-guage as a space of connection across cultural contexts and expressive forms. At the intersection of theory and artistic practice, a collective map of knowledge will take shape over the course of the day. On this map, participants will trace the places from which the books they bring to the workshops originate. The map makes visible how knowledge circulates and is categorized, what paths and prior understandings are needed to access further sources. It becomes a shared space of thought where movements, memories, and linguistic multiplicity are interwoven and made tangible.

The second day (22 January 2026) is led by writer and translator Usama Al Shahmani. A writing workshop and a reading offer a deeper engagement with themes of exile, memory, linguistic transition, and literary multilingualism. Al Shahmani combines aca-demic and literary writing practices and leads multilingual workshops within his project “L’altra lingua – Die Sprache, die meine Mutter nicht spricht”.
The workshop welcomes anyone working with questions of language, migration, or trans-cultural writing and research practices.

Program

Across two sessions, participants will engage in discussions, collective writing exercises, mapping practices, and a reading:

First Session (January 16th, English): 10:00 - 17:30 (CET)

Focuses on collective and multilingual publishing practices, as well as mapping knowledge production and questions of accessibility.  
With Generis and the Woman’s Cave Collective

Focuses on collective and multilingual publishing practices, as well as mapping knowledge production and questions of accessibility.

Second Session (January 22nd, German): 9:30 - 13:30 (CET)

Consists of a workshop and reading with Usama Al Shahmani, addressing literary multilingualism, migration, and language.

Venues: 

16 January: 

TH Köln, Ubierring 48, 50678 Köln, Room 211

22 January 2026: 

Auerbach Library, Weyertal 59 (Rückgebäude, 3. OG), 50937 Köln
 

Registration: Please click here to register.