Bochum City Ensemble Reads Own Texts and Cihan Acar's "Hawaii"

When Language Comes Alive: An Evening for Your Own Texts and Cihan Acar’s "Hawaii"

On Friday, November 6, 2026, the Bochum City Library transforms into a concentrated resonance space for literature. Maximilian Strestik and Matthias Hecht from the Bochum City Ensemble will read self-written texts brought along from all literary genres and also make favorite passages from Cihan Acar's novel "Hawaii" audible.

The Voice as a Literary Instrument

A reading gains its unique power where written language transitions into sound, rhythm, and imagination. Strestik and Hecht engage with the texts not only as presenters but as actors and lovers of language. Their voices give shape to narratives, bring dialogues to life, and transform private manuscripts into a shared literary experience.

Your Own Texts in the Spotlight

The format opens the evening for everyone who writes or brings a special text. Short stories, poems, scenes, or personal miniatures: all genres of literature are welcome. This creates an open reading atmosphere where different perspectives coexist, making the diversity of writing in Bochum visible.

Cihan Acar’s "Hawaii": Home in Between

An additional focus belongs to Cihan Acar's novel "Hawaii," which was selected for the city-wide project "Bochum Reads a Book" in 2026. The debut novel, published in 2020, tells the story of Kemal Arslan, a young man who wanders through Heilbronn after the end of his football career, searching for orientation among memories, loneliness, family origins, and societal tensions.

Acar combines urban contemporary literature with a precise exploration of identity, homelessness, and tolerance. The title-giving place is not a distant holiday paradise but a socially shaped district. In this tension, the novel develops its literary quality: "Hawaii" describes a world between belonging and alienation, between illusion and disillusionment.

Bochum Acting Arts and Literary Proximity

Maximilian Strestik completed his acting training at the Westfälische Schauspielschule Bochum and has been engaged at the Bochum Schauspielhaus as well as at the Municipal Theaters of Münster, among others. Matthias Hecht works as a freelance actor, speaker, director, podcaster, and musician. Both are founding members of the Bochum City Ensemble and are firmly anchored in the independent theater scene of the Ruhr area.

The evening thus connects professional linguistic art, local cultural scene, and personal authorship. Those who close their eyes and simply listen experience literature as an immediate encounter: intimate, focused, and open to the surprising effect of the spoken word.

Conclusion: Experience Literature Live and Without Distance

"Simply Listen" invites you to not only read texts but to experience their sound, their pauses, and their inner movement. Visitors can look forward to a free literary evening with their own texts, acting art, and insights into Cihan Acar's socially aware novel "Hawaii." If you wish to experience literature in its lively, immediate form, the Bochum City Library offers a special place for encounter and linguistic art.

Official Channels of Maximilian Strestik and Matthias Hecht:

• Instagram: no official profile found
• Facebook: no official profile found
• Website: no official profile found
• Publisher: no official profile found

Sources:

• Bochum Reads a Book – City of Bochum
• Bochum Reads a Book – Project Information from the City of Bochum
• Literary Society Bochum