Beyond the Lecture

Colson Whitehead, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and the Academy’s spring 2026 Dirk Ippen writer-in-residence, reflects on what first inspired him to begin writing, the scope of his work, and what lies ahead in conversation with Wieland Freund, editor of German daily Die Welt’s culture section. The event took place in cooperation with Kultur Büro Elisabeth.

For more information about Colson Whitehead, visit https://www.americanacademy.de/person/colson-whitehead/.

Host: Carolin Frederking

Producer: Tony Andrews

Music: "Valium," by nothanks

Photo: Annette Hornischer

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Percival Everett reflects on the interplay between his literary work and visual art with Naomi Beckwith, Deputy Director and Jennifer and David Stockman Chief Curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation; and Artistic Director, documenta 16. This event took place collaboration with the American Academy in Berlin, Hamburger Bahnhof, and Literaturhaus Berlin, as part of the Crossroads# Literature Meets Art series.

For more information on Percival Everett and Naomi Beckwith, visit https://www.americanacademy.de/person/percival-everett/ and https://www.americanacademy.de/person/naomi-beckwith/.

Host: Carolin Frederking

Producer: Tony Andrews

Music: "Valium," by nothanks

Photo: Annette Hornischer

Two powerhouse authors from each side of the Atlantic: American Jeffrey Eugenides -- a former Academy fellow -- and German-Austrian Daniel Kehlmann discuss the craft, challenges, and joys of novel writing at a literary salon in Aspen, Colorado, hosted by Academy trustee Leah Zell. On July 1, 2025, Zell hosted this fifth annual summer salon, bringing the work of the American Academy in Berlin to the Rocky Mountains.

Host: Kristen Allen

Producer: Tony Andrews

Music: "Valium," by nothanks

Photo: Hal Williams

Today’s German-based Jewish writers navigate complex identities that encompass Holocaust migration history and diverse diasporic narratives. In this episode of “Beyond the Lecture,” literary scholar and spring 2025 Carol Kahn Strauss Fellow in Jewish Studies Agnes Mueller speaks to three prominent authors who are bringing such stories to life: Olga Grjasnowa, Julia Franck, and Dana Vowinckel. It’s a rare chance to hear them speak about their work in English.

Visit https://www.americanacademy.de/person/agnes-mueller/ for more information about Agnes Mueller and her work at the American Academy in Berlin.

For more information about the authors:

Olga Grjasnowa: https://www.hanser-literaturverlage.de/personen/olga-grjasnowa-p-802

Julia Franck: https://juliafranck.de/ and https://www.mothbooks.co.uk/julia-franck

Dana Vowinckel: https://danavowinckel.com/

Host: Kristen Allen

Producer: Tony Andrews

Music: “Valium,” by nothanks

Photo: Annette Hornischer

Taiwan is frequently in the news, but context is scarce. In this episode of "Beyond the Lecture," journalist and spring 2024 Holtzbrinck Fellow Michael Meyer talks about his research and writing on the colonial history of the island, the immense changes it has seen in recent decades, and what’s at stake for residents when their now thriving democracy is treated like a geopolitical pawn between superpowers.

Visit https://www.americanacademy.de/person/michael-meyer-2/ for more information about Michael Meyer and his work at the American Academy in Berlin.

Host: Kristen Allen

Producer: Tony Andrews

Music: “Valium,” by nothanks

Photo: Annette Hornischer

Our “Beyond the Lecture” podcast is back! In this episode, spring 2024 Nina Maria Gorrissen fellow and expert in comparative political behavior Noam Lupu talks about his research into how intergenerational trauma shapes political identity. Touching on his own family's experience and those of his research subjects, he opens new ways of understanding this transfer.

Visit https://www.americanacademy.de/person/noam-lupu/ for more information about Lupu and his work at the American Academy in Berlin.

Host: Kristen Allen

Producer: Tony Andrews

Music: “Valium,” by nothanks

Photo: Annette Hornischer

With the Russian attack on Ukraine, the Academy's spring 2022 Daimler fellow Lawrence Douglas's project on aggressive war, atrocity and the "Verbrecherstaat" suddenly became very current.

On this episode of "Beyond the Lecture," Douglas talks about the origin of the term "Verbrecherstaat," considers Russia's actions in light of the categories of aggressive war and atrocity, and explains the options and limitations of international law.

Host: Denise Gamon

Producer: Juliane Schallau

Music: Valium by nothanks

Photo: Annette Hornischer

In fall 2021, New Orleans-based writer Ladee Hubbard spent her time as Mary Ellen von der Heyden Fellow in Fiction working on her new novel, "The Descendants."

On this episode of "Beyond the Lecture," Hubbard talks about her novel-in-progress, the 1980s war on drugs, and, as a special treat, reads a story from her forthcoming collection "The Last Suspicious Holdout" (Amistad, March 8).

Host: Denise Gamon

Producer: Juliane Schallau

Music: Valium by nothanks

Photo: Ralph K. Penno

During her stay at the American Academy as the Mary Ellen von der Heyden Fellow in Fiction in fall 2021, Lan Samantha Chang gave the finishing touch to her much-anticipated new novel "The Family Chao," to be published by W.W. Norton & Company in February 2022.

On today's episode, you can find out how rediscovering Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" has shaped Chang's own writing, what it means to be an immigrant, or the child of immigrants, in the Midwest, and why two Chinese-American brothers have to visit an American diner to find some privacy.

Host: Denise Gamon

Producer: Juliane Schallau

Music: Valium by nothanks

Photo: Juliane Schallau

In this episode of "Beyond the Lecture," we take a behind-the-scenes look at a debate currently roiling classical scholarship and pedagogy. It’s a debate about how the field should be approached now and in the future, about privilege and access and the very aura of classics. To get into this story, we talk with spring 2021 American Academy fellow Nandini Pandey, who teaches classics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research is bringing to light a more detailed picture of the heterogenous makeup of the ancient Roman world. And as an Indian American, she represents the changes that are occurring in classical scholarship itself.

Host: R. Jay Magill

Producer: Tony Andrews

Production Assistance: Denise Gamon

Music: Machinery by Kai Engel

Image: Triumph of Dionysus by Sophie Hay