Lesung (engl.) „Ours.Die Stadt" – Phillip B. Williams über Frei­heit und Fürs­orge

In the organizer's words:

In the 1830s, north of St. Louis lies a town that doesn't exist on any map: Ours. Founded by the mysterious Saint, it is a refuge for the formerly enslaved and lost. Neighbors, families and lovers grow together here. For decades, Saint protects the community from evil. But at some point, the question arises: can security exist without bondage?

Phillip B. Williams' Ours. The City is a visionary novel that takes a radical look at the past to find a haunting voice for the present. The event will be held in English.

Phillip B. Williams, born in Chicago, Illinois, is the author of two books of poetry, for which he has received several awards, including the American Book Award, and was a finalist for the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry Collection. He currently teaches creative writing at New York University. In the summer semester of 2025, Phillip B. Williams will be Picador Visiting Professor of Literature at Leipzig University. Ours. The City is his first novel.

Registration is required: emily.grunert@literaturbuero-nrw.de

The event will be moderated byEmily Grunert (Head of Literaturbüro NRW) and is taking place as part of Literaturtage Düsseldorf 2025 in cooperation with the Heinrich Heine Institute and zakk Düsseldorf.