Berlin Writers in Conversation
As part of the Writing the Self, Writing Berlin series led by our CHASE intern Divya Ghelani, three writers based in Berlin – Rajeev Balasubramanyam, Vijay Khurana, and Deniz Utlu – sat down together for a conversation chaired by Ghelani this summer.
The filmed dialogue took place on a sunny day in August 2025, in the beautiful community garden behind the Chapel of Reconciliation, located by the Berlin Wall in Mitte. As the sun cast light and shadows across the garden, on one of the year's last sweltering days, their discussion moved through daily writing routines, Berlin's identity as a creative capital, the responsibilities of writers when governments fail us, questions of masculinity, social media's influence, translation politics, and beyond.
This conversation does not claim to represent the entirety of Berlin's writing scene — neither the local nor international community, both far too diverse to capture. Instead, it weaves together strands of Ghelani's literary networks in the city, creating a gathering rooted in friendship and shared creative practice to consider what it means to write in Berlin as both Germans and non-Germans today.
Watch the full interview here.
Full video filmed by Aaron Luster and Grace Baggott. Edited by Aaron Luster
