Coordinators and Moderators:

• You will work in a tandem with another person.
• Together, you will select the literature in consultation with the Goethe-Institut.
• You will moderate the book club sessions and lead discussions with guest speakers, including authors from the region.

Authors, Poets, and Literary Writers:

• Do you write and would like your work to be discussed in the book club? Then submit your proposal and bring your work into the conversation.

Literature Influencers:

• You will present selected works from the book club and help make them visible and known through your channels.

The Goethe-Institut Gulf Region, in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Jordan, is organizing a bilingual (Arabic/English) online book club that brings together authors, readers, moderators, and digital communities from across the MENA region as well as from the international context.
At the heart of the book club are literary works that engage with questions of identity, family, and social belonging, thus reflecting key themes of personal and cultural self-positioning.
The book club will launch in April and take place every two months, with a total of five sessions per year. Each session lasts approximately 1.5 to 2 hours and is conducted via Zoom or a comparable video conferencing platform.

Project Objectives

The project aims to

• increase the visibility of literary voices from the Arab world,
• provide authors with a digital platform to present their work,
• foster intercultural exchange, and
• connect digital communities across national and linguistic boundaries.

Each session consists of a book presentation, a moderated conversation with an author or influencer, and an open discussion with the audience. In addition, social media activities such as reels, posts, or stories will be implemented to increase the reach of the featured books.

The Book Club Offers:

• Bi-monthly online sessions
• Literature from the Arab world
• German-language titles available in English translation
• Conversations and short readings with authors and translators

The Onleihe, the Goethe-Institut’s free digital library, offers more than 20,000 e-books, audiobooks, films, magazines, language-learning materials, and more.

We are looking for coordinators and moderators who:

• are fluent in Arabic and English; knowledge of German is an asset
• have experience in moderation, online events, or community-based formats
• are confident, well-structured, and respectful in facilitating discussions
• have a strong interest in literature
• are based in the MENA region

Your Responsibilities:

• Moderating the 1.5–2-hour book club sessions
• Facilitating discussions with authors and other guests
• Preparing relevant questions and discussion topics
• Preparing and following up on each session
• Coordinating with the Goethe-Institut team and other moderators
• Contributing your own ideas and thematic focuses to the program

Fee:
Please indicate your proposed hourly rate (in USD) in your application.
(The sessions last approximately 2 hours, plus preparation time.)

We are looking for book influencers who:

• have an active community on Instagram, TikTok, or other platforms
• speak Arabic and/or English
• are interested in actively contributing to discussions within the book club
• create and share reels, posts, or stories about the featured books
• are passionate about making literature and authors more visible

We offer:

• collaborations with authors and the book club team
• access to new books and exclusive conversations
• visibility within a growing, international community

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact us at:
mena-bookclub@goethe.de