Language stems from a desire to tell, to re-tell, and in a way get closer to that which I seek to know or comprehend.
—Tsering Wangmo Dhompa[1]

This year’s edition of Middle Ground turns its focus to the literatures of the Himalayas, exploring the region’s rich literary traditions, oral cultures, and multilingual landscapes. The Open Mic extends this conversation to reflect on the ways language carries place, memory, and belonging.

Middle Ground’s Open Mic event is a vibrant platform that celebrates the diversity of literary expression. Contributors explore how orality and migration shape identity, creating a space where words come alive, emotions collide, and connections are forged. All poets and storytellers are welcome to share their work that relates to the theme ‘Voice, Echo, and Location’.

Are you captivated by the possibilities of language, its rhythms, silences, textures, and sounds? Does your work explore the echoes of memory, or transport us to specific locations? Whether you’re a seasoned performer or a first-time participant, you’re invited to take the stage and share your talent in your preferred language.

Submissions in the form of poetry, spoken word, and other formats that resonate with the recurrent theme of ‘Voice, Echo, and Location’ are welcomed. This could be poetry that captures the cadence of a specific dialect, prose that explores the lingering echoes of historical events, or storytelling that vividly brings to life a particular place.

You are warmly invited to join Middle Ground’s literary journey. Together contributors create a tapestry of voices that reflects a rich, diverse, and interconnected literary landscape.

[1] Tsering Wangmo Dhompa, interview with Shelly Bhoil, ‘Of Exile and Writing: An Interview with the Tibetan Poet Tsering Wangmo Dhompa’, Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 47/2 (2011),
https://rupkatha.com/rules-of-language-in-rules-of-the-house-study-of-tsering-wangmo-dhompas-tibetan-english-poetry/?

Submission Guidelines

To participate, please submit a sample of your work to openmicnight@hkw.de as a text file (.doc or .pdf). Maximum length for submissions: 1,000 words (short text or excerpt). Texts are accepted in any language provided an English translation is included. In the case of texts submitted in German, no English translation is required. 

Submission deadline: 22 August 2026

Selected authors will be notified by 1 September 2026

The Open Mic Night takes place on 3 October, 2026

Please note that performances will be limited to six minutes. Remember to bring your energy, passion, and a receptive ear for fellow performers.