Artists Statement

Rina Schmeller

Scholarship Literature 1.10. – 31.12.2024

What made you apply for the otte1 scholarship?
The location by the sea. The proximity to Kiel, Lübeck, Hamburg and Flensburg. The prospect of three months of funding and time and space to write in your own flat at the Künstlerhaus.

What did you work on during your stay?
Everyday notes. A beginning that later led me to a new project. An important decision and cancellation in a completed manuscript.

What inspired you at the Künstlerhaus in Eckernförde?
The view of the garden, the access to the garden. Long walks. Bathing in the sea after the sauna. The readings and the audience at the Long Night of Literature.

What do you take away from Eckernförde for your further artistic development?
That every beginning needs time and space.

What would you like to add?
My thanks to the team at the Künstlerhaus: for the uncomplicated communication, the quick response to requests, the freedom, the flexibility. Thanks to Rainer for his commitment and support in preparing my two readings.