About the Project

The Goethe-Institut Washington is located in the midst of Chinatown, an area which was once a neighborhood of largely German-speaking residents, and earlier still was settled by migrants from rural regions up and down the East Coast.

Partnering with the Chinatown Community Cultural Center and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, the Goethe-Institut began exploring ways to make visitors and residents of today’s Washington more aware of their “neighbors in time”—the men and women who have lived and worked in this same space over the past two centuries and more. In 2008, the Time Shadows project was established, and showcased traditional German, Chinese and American poetry on posters throughout Chinatown.

For 2009, we transitioned to a focus on modern-day cities, with the theme City Life. Our goal was to find common elements of life in a modern metropolis that might bring a smile of recognition to city dwellers in Peking, Taipei, Berlin, Washington DC - or in any urban area. 

Hundreds of poets responded to our call for entries; from these, we selected six to represent each culture. Each poem is translated into the other two languages, and appears in changing monthly displays throughout Chinatown.

Public events will include walking tours to hear the poems and learn about the neighborhood past and present; readings of all poems; and a discussion of issues of urban life today. As before, this website will feature background information on the poems and poets plus suggestions for further reading.

We invite you to take part in our events, visit our website, and send your comments and suggestions to us:

Norma Broadwater, Goethe-Institut Washington
Public Relations, Tel. 202 289 1200 ext. 106
nbroadwater@washington.goethe.org

Lane Jennings, Project Consultant in Columbia, Maryland
Tel. 301 596 2943
lanejen@aol.com