Speakers 2025

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Doris Akrap, born in 1974 in Flörsheim (Hesse), journalist and moderator. Head of the society section at taz, previously at Sport-BZ and Jungle World. Co-founder of the anti-racist reading show “Hate Poetry”; named one of the Journalists of the Year in 2014 and 2017. At the congress: “Georgia: And What If the Turn Fails?” (conversation), “Disco” (DJ)

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Aron Boks, born in 1997 in Wernigerode (Saxony-Anhalt), author and slam poet. Project manager of the PEN Berlin series “Das wird man ja wohl noch sagen dürfen”. Most recent publication: “Starkstromzeit. Vom Leben in einem Staat, den es nicht mehr gibt” (HarperCollins, 2025) At the congress: audience debate “Is There a Right to Hate?” (roving microphone)

Photo: Andreas Schmidt

Catherine Newmark, born in 1976, is a philosopher and cultural journalist. She works, among others, for ZEIT Online and Deutschlandfunk Kultur as editor and presenter of the philosophy programme “Sein und Streit”. Since 2023, Newmark has been a member of the jury for the Tractatus Prize for philosophical essay writing. . At the congress: “Power, Money, NGO” (discussion)

Photo: Tamara Stajner

Paul-Henri Campbell, born in 1982 in Boston/USA, studied Catholic theology and classical Greek. He is a poet. In addition to poetry collections such as “nach den narkosen” (2017) and “innere organe” (2022), he has published translations, essays and nonfiction, including “Die bunten Kathedralen des Selbst” (2019). Member of the editorial board of the Vienna literary magazine Volltext.  At the congress: “What’s Next, America?” (conversation)

Photo: ZMO

Dr. Noura Chalati, is a political scientist with a focus on international relations / international political sociology, intelligence services and security. She received the DAVO Dissertation Prize 2025 for her thesis “Spying (on) Comrades: The Relations of the East German Stasi and the Syrian Mukhabarat”. At the congress: “Transnational Repression: Where Power Finds You” (conversation)

Photo: Peter Rigaud

Thea Dorn, born in 1970 in Offenbach, studied philosophy in Frankfurt am Main, Vienna and Berlin. Writer and essayist, host of the ZDF programme Das Literarische Quartett. Works include: “Männertreu” (screenplay, 2014), “Die Unglückseligen” (2016), “Trost. Briefe an Max” (2021). Since November 2024 spokesperson of PEN Berlin. At the congress: opening speech

Photo: Susanne Krauss

Jan Fleischhauer, born in 1962 in Osnabrück. Journalist, columnist and author of, among others, “How dare you. Vom Vorteil, eine eigene Meinung zu haben, wenn alle dasselbe denken.” (2020). From 1989 to 2019 he worked for Der Spiegel, since August 2019 he has been with Focus. Member of PEN Berlin. At the congress: “Power, Money, NGO” (discussion)

Photo: M. O’Ryan

Katharina Franck, born in 1963 in Düsseldorf, w grew up in Portugal and Brazil and founded the successful band Rainbirds in Berlin in 1986. She later released several solo albums and worked with the band Club der toten Dichter. She has long been a member of the Paul Klinger Künstlersozialwerk e.V., which advocates for artists in all disciplines. At the congress: concert

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Jenny Friedrich-Freksa, born in 1974 in Berlin, is a journalist and author. Since 2005 she has been editor-in-chief of the magazine Kulturaustausch. Her book “Pferde” was published by Hanser in 2019. She writes, among others, for Die ZEIT. At the congress: “Transnational Repression: Where Power Finds You” (conversation)

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Ralf Fücks, born in 1951 in Edenkoben, is a politician (Alliance 90/The Greens), publicist and nonfiction author. He was a member of the executive board of the Heinrich Böll Foundation and is the founder and managing director of the Centre for Liberal Modernity in Berlin, which sees itself as a think tank and platform for debate on the renewal of liberal democracy. At the congress: “Power, Money, NGO” (discussion)

Photo: Baraniak

Nino Haratischwili, born in Tbilisi in 1983, is a theatre director, playwright and author. “Europa, wach auf! Texte und Reden” (2025) is a collection of texts reflecting the relationship between East and West after the end of the Soviet Union, Russian aggression, and the role of language and art. In 2024, Haratischwili staged Penthesilea at the Deutsches Theater Berlin in a bilingual production. At the congress: “Georgia: And What If the Turn Fails?” (conversation)

Photo: Anne Hornischer 

Nora Krug, born in Karlsruhe in 1977, is a German-American illustrator and author living in New York. In 2021 she illustrated a new edition of Timothy Snyder’s “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century”, has been a poetics lecturer at RPTU since 2025 and holds a fellowship at the American Academy in Berlin. At the congress: “What’s Next, America?” (conversation)

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Wolfgang Kubicki, born in 1952 in Braunschweig, is a lawyer and politician. Since 1990 he has been a member of the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament, where he served for many years as chair of the FDP parliamentary group, and since 2017 he has been Vice President of the German Bundestag. At the congress: “Is There a Right to Hate?” (audience discussion)

Photo: Dirk Skiba

Renate Künast, born in 1955 in Recklinghausen, is a politician (Alliance 90/The Greens). From 2002 to 2025 she was a member of the German Bundestag, including as Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection and as chair of her party’s parliamentary group. From 2014 to January 2018 she chaired the Bundestag Committee on Legal Affairs. At the congress: “Is There a Right to Hate?” (audience discussion)

Photo: Thorsten Wulff

Andrea Landfried, born in 1976 in Heidelberg, fully qualified lawyer, trained systemic family therapist, runs her own mediation practice in Heidelberg. Managing director of the purely charitable Landfried Stiftung GmbH. Her debut “Pasteurgasse 4, täglich” was published by Frankfurter Verlagsanstalt in 2023. She lives in Heidelberg with her two children and has been a member of the PEN Berlin board since November 2024.  At the congress: “Writers in Prison” (presentation)

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Kristof Magnusson, born in 1976 in Hamburg, is a German-Icelandic writer and translator. He became known through the play Männerhort, which was staged on over 120 stages in Germany and abroad and was also adapted for film. At the congress: “Literature Today: Can We Throw It Away?” (discussion)

Photo: Melanie Grande

Helge Malchow, born in 1950 in Bad Freienwalde (Oder), is a German publisher. From 2002 to 2018 he was publisher at Kiepenheuer & Witsch. In 2005 he was named Publisher of the Year and is a co-founder of PEN Berlin. At the congress: “Literature Today: Can We Throw It Away?” (discussion)

Photo:Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times

Ijoma Mangold, born in 1971 in Heidelberg, is a journalist, literary critic and author. He has worked for Die Zeit since 2009, previously for the Süddeutsche Zeitung and the Berliner Zeitung. His works include “Das deutsche Krokodil” (2017), “Der innere Stammtisch – Ein politisches Tagebuch” (2020) and “Die orange Pille” (2023). Recipient of the Berliner Preis für Literaturkritik. Since June 2025 he has been a member of the PEN Berlin board. At the congress: introduction of the keynote speaker

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Holger Marcks, born in 1981 in Viernheim, works for the “Network Against Hate on the Net and Disinformation” in the academic sub-project based at the IDZ and serves as editor of the online magazine “Machine Against the Rage”. His work focuses, among other things, on right-wing extremism, Islamism and left-wing radicalism.  At the congress: “Power, Money, NGO” (discussion)

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Thomas Meany, is a writer based in Berlin. His reportage and review essays have appeared in Harper’s, the London Review of Books, The New Republic, the Guardian Long Read and The New Yorker. He has taught in Columbia University’s Core Curriculum and at the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Humboldt University. He is a member of the editorial committee of the New Left Review. At the congress: “What’s Next, America?” (conversation) 

Photo: Gaby Gerster

Prof. Bascha Mika, born in 1954 in Komprachcice (Poland), journalist and publicist (“Die Feigheit der Frauen”). 1998–2009 editor-in-chief of taz, 2014–2020 editor-in-chief of the Frankfurter Rundschau. Honorary professor at the Berlin University of the Arts, 2007–2014 head of the cultural journalism degree programme. In 2020 she was honoured for her life’s work as one of the Journalists of the Year. Most recent publication: “Freiheit – Wo unsere Freiheit beginnt und wer sie bedroht” (Societäts-Verlag, 2016, with Arnd Festerling). At the congress: day moderator 

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Basma Mostafa is Programme Director at the Law and Democracy Support Foundation e.V., where she works on transnational repression, press freedom and the protection of journalists in exile. She is also spokesperson for the Coalition against Transnational Repression in Germany and advocates throughout Europe for the protection of diaspora communities. The multiple award-winning Egyptian investigative journalist lives in exile and has herself been a target of transnational repression in Germany since 2022. At the congress: “Transnational Repression: Where Power Finds You” (conversation)

Photo: Toni Härkönen

Sofi Oksanen, born in 1977 in Jyväskylä (Finland) to an Estonian mother and Finnish father, is an author and dramaturge. Her third novel, “Fegefeuer” (“Purge”), topped the Finnish bestseller list for months. In her latest book “Putins Krieg gegen die Frauen” (2024) she addresses sexual violence as a weapon of war. At the congress: keynote address

Photo: Nassim Rad

Khuê Pham, born in 1982 in Berlin, is a journalist and writer. She has written for Die ZEIT since 2010. Her novel “Brothers and Ghosts” was published in 2024, three years after her debut “Wo auch immer ihr seid”. She has received both the Reporter Prize and the Helmut Schmidt Prize for her journalism. At the congress: “Literature Today: Can We Throw It Away?” (discussion)

Photo: Christoph Voy

Manja Präkels, born in 1974 in Zehdenick (Brandenburg), playwright, writer (“Als ich mit Hitler Schnapskirschen aß”) and musician (“Der Singende Tresen”), recipient of the Anna Seghers Prize. Most recent work: “Welt im Widerhall oder war das eine Plastiktüte?” (Verbrecher Verlag, 2022) At the congress: “Literature Today: Can We Throw It Away?” (discussion)

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Timo Reinfrank, is Executive Director of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation and advises civil society initiatives, politicians and public administration on combating right-wing extremism and promoting democratic culture. He also serves on the board of the Bürgerstiftung Barnim-Uckermark and on the editorial board of the journal Demokratie gegen Menschenfeindlichkeit. At the congress: “Power, Money, NGO” (discussion)

Photo: Ali Ghandtschi

Jayrôme Robinet, born in 1977 in Saint-Saulve (France), is a writer, translator and slam poet. He is head of the PEN Berlin office and a board member of the Netzwerk Freie Literaturszene Berlin. His most recent book is “Sonne in Scherben” (Hanser Berlin, 2024). At the congress: “Writers in Prison” (presentation)

Photo: Nassim Rad

Daniela Sepehri, born in 1998 in Paderborn, is a slam poet, journalist, moderator and social media consultant. She is particularly engaged on feminism, anti-racism, migration and Iran. Her first book “Im Namen des Stiftes” was published in February 2025. She has been a member of the PEN Berlin board since June 2025. At the congress: “Writers in Prison” (presentation)

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Ulrike Winkelmann, born in 1971 in Wiesbaden, is a journalist and editor-in-chief of taz. She previously worked for six years at Deutschlandfunk in Cologne. She has spent most of her professional life at taz since 1999 in various roles: as social affairs editor, parliamentary correspondent and head of domestic politics. At the congress: “Power, Money, NGO” (discussion)

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Insa Wilke, born in 1978 in Bremerhaven, is a literary critic and moderator. She writes literary criticism for, among others, the Tagesspiegel, Die Zeit and the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Together with Denis Scheck and Ijoma Mangold she was, until 2024, a permanent member of the SWR programme lesenswert Quartett. At the congress: “Literature Today: Can We Throw It Away?” (discussion)