Impressions
Festival für junge Sprachkunst und Poetry-Slam | 20. Feb. – 22. Feb. 2026
Poetry slam battle: Gen Z vs. Boomers – clash of the generations
22 February 2026, 6 p.m., location: Podewil (venue of the GRIPS Theatre)
Things are about to get heated – but in the most charming way possible on stage. In this grand battle of the generations, two worlds that otherwise only meet at the family dinner table or in comment columns face off: the Gen Z faction, with newcomers from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol – all born after 2000 – takes on a veritable boomer dream team consisting of seasoned poetry slam legends.
Kisten Fuchs, whose current book ‘muttermund tut Wahrheit kund’ (mother's mouth proclaims the truth) makes it clear in its title that subtext is not an option, will also be in the ring. Lars Ruppel brings his stage presence, his generosity with words and his unshakeable feel for live moments. And at their side are other old-school greats who were already doing slam when some of the Gen Z poets didn't even own a school notebook.
On the other side: the young generation that grew up with mobile phone thumbs, meme intelligence and a love of language. Young talents who see boundaries as an invitation rather than a line and whose texts sound as fresh as if they had exploded directly from a vibrant note-taking app.
Both teams bring their strengths to bear: experience versus experimentation, composure versus enthusiasm, stage presence versus linguistic volatility, humour versus humour – just in different ways. The
result is not a battle in the traditional sense, but rather a lovingly chaotic competition in which generations rub shoulders, tease each other, celebrate and try to outdo one another.
In short: a clash that shows how incredibly diverse poetry slam can be – and how good it feels when old and young compete not against each other, but with each other for the same fun. If you enjoy the energy of friction, live chemistry and literal generational theatre, this is the place for you.
