Independent Studies Section (Vol. 1, No. 1)

Autofiction is a literary genre that combines the traditional genres of fiction and autobiography. The three autofictional texts in this section stem from a class on “Autofiction,” taught by Lujain Youssef in the summer term 2022, which engaged with the genre and encouraged students to produce their own creative writing.

Read the full introduction to this section.

In this short story, Jia Shen Lim takes the reader through a night of dancing to the poetic beats of techno music, unexpected acquaintances, and the taste of vodka-infused energy drinks.

Read the full story.

This short story by Tina Pahnke tells the story of Lisa and her family, challenging the reader’s perception of memory and reality through interjections from the first-person narrator.

Read the short story.

In this poem by Sahar Al Kharsa, the reader is encouraged to feel the process of self-invention – literally, as being a real character, and metaphorically, as if the text depicts a self emerging from its cocoon.

Read the poem.

In the 2022 summer term, Anna-Lena Oldehus and master students of the English Department at Leibniz University of Hannover (LUH) conceptualized a student project that was later realized in the context of the annual WortLaut festival – an event that aims to showcase Hannover’s literary, linguistic, and intercultural diversity and seeks to inspire enthusiasm about language, reading, and words. The festival took place in October 2022 and included an evening at Freizeitheim Linden that interrogated the intersections of love, power, and academia. 

Read the full report on the event.

As part of the "Love, Power & Academia" event, Anna-Lena Oldehus conducted a lively interview with porn scholar Madita Oeming.

Read the interview.