Name: Season Opening: Dreaming
Start: 2026-09-18T17:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-09-18T19:00:00+02:00
Location: Literaturhaus St. Jakobi

A literary kickoff between skylight, stage and present

The season opening at the Literaturhaus St. Jakobi combines reading, spatial art, and a keen look at the questions of our time. Guesting is Selene Mariani with her new novel Seeing the Clouds from the Skylight – a text about life designs, longing, and the search for a fulfilled life amid the crises of the present.

A reading with subtle power

Mariani's language does not work with volume but with precision. Her first-person narrator observes, compares, doubts, and dreams; it is precisely from this that the literary tension arises that characterizes good contemporary literature. Anyone interested in psychologically dense prose, female life models, and the fine art of storytelling will find a serious and simultaneously openly resonant literary experience here.

Selene Mariani and her literary signature

The author, who studied at the Hildesheim Institute of Literature, is present with Miniatures in Blue, Ellis, and now the novel Seeing the Clouds from the Skylight. Her texts have been nominated for the Prenzlauer Berg Literature Prize, the Berlin Radio Play Prize, and the BücherFrauen Literature Prize, among others. This indicates a literary quality that connects observational sharpness, condensation, and societal sensitivity.

The venue as a player

The Literaturhaus St. Jakobi also shapes the evening. The historical church nave, the new stage design, and the special atmosphere between culture church and literature house create a space where texts are not only read but experienced. Added to this are coffee and cake, a consciously open and inviting format, and a warm invitation to children and adults alike.

Why this date is worthwhile

This advance report presents an evening that brings together literature, architecture, and conversation culture. Those in search of contemporary literature with depth, a sensitive author encounter, and an atmospheric seasonal kickoff should experience the season opening in Hildesheim live.