Sessions led by MYB, Alanna Lynch, Regina Kanyu Wang, and others

The L is for the Way You Look at Me reading group is an assembly for reading and learning that takes place every year. In 2025, the group meets for four sessions between August and November. Departing from an ecology inhabited by human and non-human species that is constantly shaped and reshaped by these metabolizing organisms and their interactions, the reading group explores ways to understand what it means to be alive and, from there, extrapolate practices of loving that recognize the dynamism of life at its heart. 

In the four sessions, anonymous cultural theorist and biologist MYB (Meltdown Your Books) reflects on an ontological reductionism oriented by value-based, gene-centric research tendencies prevalent in life sciences (20 August); marine biologist Flora Vincent outlines some of the most forefront scientific observations on microbial interactions in the ocean and their role in shaping an larger ecology (20 September); artist and researcher Alanna Lynch discusses the slimely, stinky, sticky matters produced by microbes, formulating a more bodily and affective dialogue with the microcosm (23 October); and speculative fiction writer Regina Kanyu Wang explores symbiotic consciousness by thinking and reading through the perspective of microbes in post-human narratives (26 November).

The reading group is open to up to 20 participants. Those interested can also apply for four ‘actant’ positions with a stipend of 700 euros each. These four selected participants are invited to give reflective responses at the end of the year in writing, drawing, sound-making, and/or other creative formats.

The reading group takes place in English.

Submission guidelines:

To participate, please send a short self-introduction in English (no more than 200 words) and which  reading sessions you would like to join to opencalls.discourse@hkw.de. 

The ‘actant’ positions are open to all Berlin-based applicants who can commit to attending all four gatherings in 2025 (20 August, 22 October, 20 September, 26 November). To apply, please submit a short motivational letter in English (no more than 500 words) to opencalls.discourse@hkw.de along with a portfolio of previous work.

Submission deadline: 1 August 2025
Selected participants will be notified by 12 August 2025