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03.05.2023
#bayernkreativPORTRAIT: The feminist book publisher &Töchter - one of the Bavarian Cultural and Creative Pilots 2022 - specializes in publishing popular non-fiction books on feminist and socio-political topics. The four publishers Laura Nerbel, Elena Straßl, Jessica Taso and Sarah Zechel are particularly keen to promote up-and-coming talent. But also making literature accessible again and meeting the zeitgeist. Getting people to read - whether in analog or digital form. After all, books teach important skills, create an understanding of other perspectives, inspire creativity and open the mind. This is how &Daughters contributes to a more diverse, sustainable and courageous society.
Congratulations on the award.
Thank you very much! We are also delighted to have been honored with the "Kultur- und Kreativpilot*innen 2022" award! We publish popular non-fiction books on feminist and socio-political topics, which are mainly read by young women between 20 and 50. But our parents' generation is also showing more and more interest in feminist topics, which we think is great, because social change has to happen on several levels and across generations.
You know those company names like "Müller & Söhne". It used to be common for sons to help run or continue to run their fathers' companies. But as we are four young women and completely independent, we came up with the name "&Daughters", which can simply stand on its own. Behind "and more" is above all our event series "rauschen&Töchter", with which we originally started the publishing house. With events in unusual locations, we make literature a talking point again and give young up-and-coming authors a platform to present their texts to an audience for the first time. We are also always available for workshops on all aspects of the publishing industry/writing/marketing and often cooperate with other companies to organize events.
With your publishing house, you offer a literary platform for feminist perspectives and the topic of sustainability. What potential is there in books that cannot be exploited in news channels or social media?
Reading books requires concentration. Unlike television or podcasts, you have to fully engage with the book in order to grasp what is written. The brain is stimulated and forced to think. We gain deep and comprehensive insights into a topic. Reading also allows a moment of retreat, which we often wish for in our fast-paced, crisis-ridden world.
Digitalization and, increasingly, digitality are becoming a bigger and bigger part of our lives. Do you see a difference between digital and analog books? Does it make a difference how you perceive the written word?
At the publishing house, we are all definitely print lovers. The feel, the design, the indentations in the book - these are all things that we appreciate and that are important to us personally. With all the digital media we consume, an analog book can be a welcome change to leave the digital world for a few hours and not have to look at a screen. Nevertheless, analog and digital books are equally important to us and all our titles are also available as e-books, because in the end it's all about the content and making it accessible to as many people as possible - including those who can't afford a book for 24 euros, for example.
Why do you think it is important that young people, and of course other generations, continue to read?
Books teach important skills, such as empathy and an understanding of other ways of life and perspectives. Knowledge is offered in a structured, informative and factual form and enables us to engage more intensively with topics that we would otherwise only touch on in our everyday lives. Reading trains our imagination, makes us creative and stimulates our minds. And if that's not enough, books take us into worlds beyond our imagination, relaxing and activating us in equal measure.
Do you have any other ideas on how to get young people reading?
We believe that we can arouse interest in literature and reading primarily through events. When young people realize that it doesn't always have to be highfalutin water glass readings, but that you can also spend an informal evening with friends in a cool location and still experience culture. Literature needs to become more accessible again! And we can also reach the younger generation through the topics. In view of the various crises we are currently facing and which affect us all directly, many young people want and need to engage with topics such as sustainability, racism and feminism. The political interest is there and with it the need for information and knowledge transfer on certain topics.
What visions do you have for your publishing house and what is particularly important to you for the future?
We would like to publish more books and create space for topics and perspectives that have not been heard enough so far, such as those of queer people or people with disabilities. As a feminist publishing house, we also bear responsibility for a fairer society in which all people, regardless of origin, gender, class and body, can live a good life. With our books, we try to make a small contribution to this and hope to continue to do so in the future.
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Would you also like to answer a few questions and be part of our "bayernkreativPORTRAIT" campaign? Then send us an email to kontakt(at)bayern-kreativ.de with the keyword "bayernkreativPORTRAIT".