On October 27, 2026, Georgetown students and German-language enthusiasts joined Swiss author Sandy Braun for an interactive reading and writing workshop at Georgetown University. Hosted in collaboration with the university’s Department of German and the Embassy of Switzerland, the session invited participants to discover how a simple language constraint can spark unexpected creativity.
Braun began by introducing her work and creative process, including her books “Fünf Frauen fahren Ferrari: Kurzgeschichten von A–Z” (Five Women Drive Ferrari: Short Stories from A to Z) and “Müde Männer motzen meistens” (Tired Men Tend to Grumble). “Fünf Frauen fahren Ferrari” features 26 short stories, one for each letter of the alphabet. In each story, every word begins with the same letter, a playful approach that turns writing into a game of sound, rhythm and imagination.
The students soon put the idea into practice. Together, they built a list of words beginning with S, with each person contributing one, then used the words to create a poem. They also invented personas using words that began with the same letter. To close the workshop, participants split into two groups and wrote poems inspired by the fairy tales Dornröschen (Sleeping Beauty) and Rotkäppchen (Little Red Riding Hood).
Here are short excerpts from the two group poems:
From the group poem inspired by Dornröschen
Das Drama Dornröschens. Die Dame Dornröschen dreht Däumchen, damit die Drähte das Drehkreuz durchlaufen. Durchbohrender Daumen, dann daumenlutschend, dauerschlafend, dann durchschlafendes Dasein. Drei Dekaden, dann durchlauchter Dummkopf dahinkommend, daraufkletterend, dareinsteigend. Dramatisch drüberschauend: Dornröschens Dauerschlaf. Der dahinschmelzende Dummkopf denkt: Dilemma! Diagnostiziert: Dauerschlaf! Designierte Dosis dauerschlafdurchbrechender Drogen. Das Dornröschen durchbricht Dauerschlaf. Dornröschen dankt dem Dummkopf, denn der Drogenrausch deaktivierte den Dauerschlaf.
From the group poem inspired by Rotkäppchen
Rotkäppchen rennt Richtung Raststätte, rüstige Rentnerin requiriert Riesling, Rhabarberkuchen, Rosé, Rosinen, reichhaltigen Rastkorb. Raubtier raschelt, Raubtier reinkommt, riecht reichhaltigen Rentnerbraten. Rotkäppchen ruft: «Riesige Retina! Riesige Reisszähne! Raubender Rachen!» Runtergeschluckt, Raubtier ruht, Retter reitet rein. «Runter, Raubtier! Rechtsregelverstoss!» Rentnerin reanimiert, Rotkäppchen rausgeholt. Riesenfreude! Ratschlag: Renne regelgetreu!
Born in Saigon, Braun studied at the University of Zurich and now lives and works in Washington, D.C. Her writing continues to explore the creative possibilities of the alphabet.
The workshop brought literature off the page and into the classroom, giving participants the chance to experiment with German, imagination, and collaboration. Thank you to Sandy Braun and Georgetown’s Department of German for an afternoon of lively reading and creative exchange.
