The word – art and tools. This will be one of the unofficial slogans of our WORD programme again this year. Authors, poetry slammers and playwrights, as well as journalists, podcasters and other professionals are reflecting on the status quo of power, media and music - with unexpected results.

At the forefront is David Friedrich (photo), who has won many awards. No, not the guy from the jungle camp or the melancholic painter of early Romanticism. This refers to the poetry slammer from Munich, whose linguistic finesse has earned him titles such as Bavarian U-20 champion, Hamburg city champion or German-language champion in team poetry slam from 2006. But who needs prizes when he lives and breathes poetry? With his second solo programme "Aber schön war es doch" [“But it was beautiful after all”]he will bring just those to the stage with standup, music and a tombola. The programme is part of "Kein Poetry Slam" [“Not/No Poetry Slam”], an initiative of the Hamburg artist agency Kaderschmiede, which promotes fresh lyrics, modern poetry and new language talents without competition or competitive pressure. Obviously with great success.

In their podcast Machiavelli, journalists Vassili Golod and Jan Kawelke prove their knowledge of words and world politics in a unique manner. They explore the love-hate relationship between rap and politics, analyse the offensive as a reaction to social realities and examine the past, present and future of hip-hop culture from Advanced Chemistry to Kendrick Lamar, from N.W.A. to K.I.Z., with their expertise, humour and guest experts. They will record their podcast live before the festival audience.

As a fan of Take That, Anja Rützel had a hard time coping with the break-up of her favourite band in the mid 90s. Of course, the British songs were the soundtrack of an entire generation and also taught the Berlin-based journalist valuable lessons about loss and despair, happiness and reunification. But how has the band aged? How was the comeback received? A lecture about maturing with dignity amid pop and nostalgia.

For those who still need convincing:

Eure Heimat ist unser Albtraum | Nanna Johansson - Natürliche Schönheit | Quichotte – Die unerträgliche Leichtigkeit des Neins | Niko Backspin & Falk Schacht - Rap ist Kampfsport | Victoria Helene Bergemann – Innere Werte Kann Ich Auch Nicht | Daniel Schmidt – Elbschlosskeller | Stefanie Hempel´s Beatles Tour | Zeit Für Zorn  – Die Türsteherlesung | Artisttalk mit Gallerytalk.net | Jean-Philippe Kindler – Mensch ärgere Dich | Andy Strauß – The Dark Side Of The Strauß | Jens Balzer – Das Entfesselte Jahrzehnt