Ties between Wisconsin and Germany reach back more than 150 years, when Germans began emigrating to Wisconsin in large numbers in the 19th century. Now, in the Badger State, vestiges of German heritage, like bratwurst, are so common it's impossible to think of them as "ethnic." A large number of residents—58% according to one 1996 study—claim some amount of German ancestry. Since 1976, Wisconsin and Hessen, in the heart of Germany, have had a sister-state relationship.

Thanks to a new initiative that is just getting off the ground in the summer of 2004, Wisconsinites have one more way to explore their German connections. A German group, the Hessian chapter of the German Writers' Union, is looking to foster collaborations with writers in Wisconsin. To launch this partnership, Dirk Huelstrunk, a poet from Frankfurt, visited Wisconsin in June and met with a group of more than twenty interested writers at the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters in Madison. A friend and colleague of Huelstrunk's, author Wigand Lange, will visit Wisconsin in August.

At the initial discussion in Madison, writers represented various genres, although poets were especially prevalent. Some writers are interested in visiting Germany to read their work, while others expressed enthusiasm for one-to-one interaction between writers in Hessen and Wisconsin who work in similar genres. The Internet arose as a good way to give the loose collaboration some structure and help facilitate connections. A Web site for the group, Hessen-Wisconsin Writers, is now online, though still under construction.

Future projects pursued by the group may include an exchange program, publication of group members' work in literary magazines both in Germany and the U.S., creation of a bilingual anthology, workshops and lectures. While the collaboration is still in its infancy, it offers a unique and promising chance to cultivate international ties around a topic that people on both sides of the Atlantic feel passionate about.

Those interested in getting involved and sharing ideas for this new initiative may contact any of the following:

Gerhard Fischer
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Education Program Coordinator
Hessen State Liaison
125 S. Webster St.
Madison, WI 53707-7841
Phone: 608-267-7462
E-mail: Gerhard.Fischer@dpi.state.wi.us

Dirk Huelstrunk
An den Pflanzlaendern 28
60488 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
E-mail: d_huelstrunk@yahoo.de

Wigand Lange
Postfach 14/Lindenstrasse 19
64405 Fischbachtal
Germany
Wigand.Lange@t-online.de