Lectures · Creative Writing Workshops · Artist & Writer Talks · Literary Programmes

Mati Shemoelof is a Berlin-based writer, poet, curator and literary editor whose work moves between Hebrew, German, English and Arabic cultural contexts.

Born and raised in Haifa and based in Berlin since 2013, Shemoelof has published poetry, fiction, essays and cultural writing in Israel and Germany. His work explores migration, memory, language, diaspora, identity and belonging, with a particular focus on Jewish-Arab and Mizrahi histories and their contemporary cultural expressions.

Alongside his literary work, Shemoelof develops and curates literary and cultural programmes connecting writers, artists and communities across languages and borders.

He is available for invited lectures, artist/writer talks, creative-writing workshops, masterclasses and short courses at universities, museums, festivals, cultural institutions and literary organisations, both in person and online.

Selected Lecture Topics

From Baghdad to Berlin: Jewish-Arab Memory, Migration and Belonging

A personal and literary journey through the histories of Jews from the Arab world, migration to Israel and Europe, and the ways family memory, literature and language shape contemporary identity.

Mizrahi Literature and Culture

An introduction to Mizrahi literary voices and the cultural histories of Jews whose families came from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Morocco and other parts of the Middle East. The lecture considers memory, identity, representation and the place of Mizrahi culture in contemporary Jewish and Israeli discourse.

Jews and Arabs Writing in Berlin

How can literature create a space in which Jewish and Arab experiences can meet without erasing their differences? Drawing on the Berlin literary collective ANU and related cultural projects, this talk explores migration, multilingualism, memory and cultural community-building.

Writing Between Languages

What happens when a writer moves between Hebrew, German and English? This lecture explores multilingual writing, translation, migration and the search for a literary voice between languages.

Literature, Migration and Memory

How do personal and collective memories become literature? A lecture combining literary examples with practical reflections on writing migration, family history, place and belonging.

Hebrew, Yiddish, Arabic and German: Writing Berlin

A discussion of language, Jewish and Arab migration, and contemporary Berlin through literature and cultural practice.

Poetry as a Political and Personal Practice

How can poetry respond to political conflict while remaining attentive to ambiguity, personal experience and artistic form?

Creative Writing Workshops

Writing Between Languages: Memory, Migration and Belonging

A workshop for writers working across languages, cultures or places. Participants explore memory, migration, identity and belonging through poetry, fiction and personal writing.

Writing Personal Stories

A practical workshop exploring memory, family history, place and identity. Participants develop new material through writing exercises, close reading, discussion and individual feedback.

Diasporic Poetry in the Jewish Context

A workshop exploring diaspora, transnational identity, cultural memory and artistic expression. Participants consider how personal and collective histories influence the stories we tell.

Writing Memory

How can memory become a story? Participants experiment with perspective, structure, voice and the transformation of personal experience into literary material.

Literature and Migration

A creative-writing workshop examining migration not only as a political or social experience, but as a literary question: home, exile, language, memory, borders and belonging.

Formats

Online lecture: 60–90 minutes
Artist / writer talk: 60–90 minutes
Creative-writing workshop: 2–3 hours
Short course: 4–8 sessions
Extended workshop / masterclass: 1–6 weeks

Formats can be adapted to undergraduate students, graduate students, writers, artists, educators or general audiences.

Workshops can be conducted in English, German or Hebrew, depending on the institution and group.

Selected Experience

Shemoelof has taught creative writing in Berlin and Israel and currently teaches a creative-writing masterclass at the Institut für Neue Soziale Plastik in Berlin.

His curatorial projects include the multilingual literary symposium Hebräisch? Jiddisch? Berlin?, the MIDDLE EAST UNION Festival, ANU: Jews and Arabs Writing in Berlin, and the Poetic Hafla performance series.

He is also the co-editor of Bridges / גשרים / Brücken, a multilingual literary magazine connecting Jewish, Arab, Palestinian and Israeli voices.

His website includes publications, cultural projects, writing, lectures and workshop information:

mati-s.com

Possible Collaborations

I welcome invitations from:

• Universities and colleges

• Creative Writing programmes

• Jewish Studies and Middle East Studies programmes

• Migration and Diaspora Studies programmes

• Museums and cultural institutions

• Literary festivals and organisations

• Writing centres

• Public humanities programmes

• Community and cultural organisations

I am particularly interested in developing programmes that connect literature with questions of migration, diaspora, memory, multilingualism, Jewish-Arab history and contemporary cultural identity.