Start for regional writer Charlotte Krafft: With pen and paper through Münsterland

Prologue:
Charlotte Krafft, 28, Berlin-based writer and regional writer for Münsterland from March to June. Selected in the second edition of the state-wide literature project "stadt.land.text NRW" to track down stories and put the region into literary words. A soft spot for science fiction, horror and fantasy.

Main section:
Here the story is not a drama, but the promising start of a literary journey through Münsterland. Charlotte Krafft arrived yesterday in the artists' village of Schöppingen, where she will live for four months during her scholarship from the stadt.land.text NRW project. "I have only rarely been to Münsterland before and have hardly dealt with the region and its special features. So what means familiarity and home for many is relatively new to me and holds opportunities for surprising experiences. I am particularly interested in the region's natural and cultural monuments, such as the many castles and palaces, places with historic town centres, but also landscapes like the Merfelder Bruch with its wild horses. The preservation and commemoration of the past is, after all, an important part of my theme: the future, or what will remain in the future and what will emerge anew."

Krafft's conceptual plan: to develop literary visions of the future under the title "Future Fresco". "Italian fresco painting was the inspiration and metaphorical template for this project," says Krafft. She wants to leave pessimistic outlooks and urban dystopias behind in order to "paint" the rural, undescribed space "al fresco", that is, into the fresh. Her texts are published at regular intervals as a blog on www.stadt-land-text.de.

Charlotte Krafft is supported by the Münsterland e.V. cultural office. "We're happy to help with tips and by providing contacts," says Andre Sebastian, head of the cultural office. "The project is very close to our hearts because we get to know new sides of our own region through Charlotte Krafft's literary view. On the other hand, it is a unique chance for the people of Münsterland to come into direct contact and exchange with a writer and to be able to read the results promptly online on the blog."

A very practical challenge for Charlotte Krafft will be the topic of mobility: "Since I don't have a driving licence, the question of how to get from A to B will probably arise more often. The artists' village of Schöppingen is kindly providing me with a bicycle so that I can move around flexibly in the immediate vicinity. And maybe I'll even learn to ride - for the very authentic Münsterland experience," says the regional writer.

Epilogue:
The project stadt.land.text NRW goes back to an idea of the cultural region Aachen, which tested the format and implemented it for the first time in 2017 for the ten cultural regions in North Rhine-Westphalia - Aachen, Bergisches Land, Hellweg, Münsterland, Niederrhein, Ostwestfalen-Lippe, Rheinschiene, Ruhrgebiet, Sauerland and Südwestfalen. The scholarship holders each receive a scholarship of 7200 euros. The project is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science.

www.stadt-land-text.de