Unterwegs 2300 x 1000 © Ricardo Roa
© Ricardo Roa

Among Friends
 On the Road

Two authors from Germany – Sonali Beher and Iven Yorick Fenker, both students at the German Institute for Literature in Leipzig – will travel along the East Coast of the United States, from New York to Texas.


 About the project ON THE ROAD

The goal of this extraordinary journey, taking place from September 7 to October 7, 2025, is to make the transatlantic partnership tangible for a new generation and to foster literary exchange between Germany and the United States. ON THE ROAD is realized in cooperation with the German Institute for Literature Leipzig and under the patronage of Prof. Dr. Ulrike Draesner.

The route
New York (New York) - Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) - Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) - West Chester (Pennsylvania) - Washington (District of Columbia) - Front Royal (Virginia) - Charlotte (North Carolina) - Atlanta (Georgia) - Athens (Georgia) - Orlando (Florida) - Miami (Florida) - Houston (Texas) 

Throughout their journey, Sonali Beher and Iven Yorick Fenker share regular updates in the form of notes, longer texts, and visual impressions. Follow the voices of a young generation: their experiences traveling through the U.S. (without a driver’s license), their reflections on American and German society, and their personal insights and philosophical musings beyond the mainstream.

Travel Notes

Portrait of Sonali Beher on a blue background with a hand holding a pen © Ricardo Roa

Houston, October 3, 2025 Is Texas the Bavaria of America?

Or is Bavaria the Texas of Germany?

Sonali Beher

Portrait of Sonali Beher on an orange background with a hand holding a pen © Ricardo Roa

Miami, September 29, 2025 Florida Woman Lives Beyond Her Means

Miami is sunshine and palm trees, Miami is Cuban cuisine, Miami is Miami Beach. But above all, Miami is one thing: unaffordable.

Sonali Beher

On the Road - Route © Ricardo Roa

ARD radio interview with Sonali Beher and Iven Yorick Fenker
 Traveling for Writing – Two Young German Authors on the Road in the USA

Listen to the ARD German Radio interview that Sonali Beher and Iven Yorick Fenker gave about their ON THE ROAD journey. Please note that this interview is only available in German. 
Portrait of Sonali Beher on a blue background with a hand holding a pen © Ricardo Roa

Orlando, September 25, 2025
 Florida Woman Has Heatstroke and Great Hair

Suddenly, there are palm trees, the singers on the radio sing in Spanish. The humidity is close to 100 percent.

Sonali Beher

Portrait of Sonali Beher on an orange background with a hand holding a pen © Ricardo Roa

Athens, September 23, 2025
 And now the weather

in Athens, Georgia. A poem. 

Sonali Beher

Portrait of Sonali Beher on a light blue background with a hand holding a pen © Ricardo Roa

West Chester, September 14, 2025
 Welcome to this country

Across the street, two men are standing, one wearing a Trump shirt, the other not. One says to the other: "You know, you're supporting a pedophile". The other starts shouting.

Sonali Beher

Portrait of Iven Yorick Fenker on an orange background with a hand holding a pen © Ricardo Roa

Pittsburgh, September 11, 2025
 At the High School on September 11

It’s September 11th, and the American flag outside Mount Lebanon High School flies at half-staff. In a classroom in the school’s language wing, the truly important questions are being asked – as they so often are by young people.

Iven Yorick Fenker

Portrait of Iven Yorick Fenker on an orange background with a hand holding a pen © Ricardo Roa

Philadelphia - Pittsburgh, September 10, 2025
 Back in the Cheese-Steak Mood

Everything’s happening at once. At the airport stand in Philadelphia, grease drips from the meat and cheese before they’re tucked into the bread. Meanwhile, the news is spiraling.

Iven Yorick Fenker

Portrait of Iven Yorick Fenker on an orange background with a hand holding a pen © Ricardo Roa

Philadelphia, September 9, 2025
 Moving the Berlin Wall

The wall that once divided East and West Germany may no longer be as present in the minds of Germans as it once was. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, however, a piece of the Berlin Wall has been preserved for posterity.

Iven Yorick Fenker

Portrait of Sonali Beher on an orange background with a hand holding a pen © Ricardo Roa

Philadelphia, September 9, 2025
 german, adjective

german, adjective

Sonali Beher

Portrait of Iven Yorick Fenker on an orange background with a hand holding a pen © Ricardo Roa

New York City - Philadelphia, September 9, 2025
 Rusty Comfy

You don’t choose your family, people say, you just have one. But people also claim that New York City and Leipzig are related, and that’s not true: You can choose your family. But could it be that Philadelphia and Berlin are related?

Iven Yorick Fenker

Portrait of Sonali Beher on an orange background with a hand holding a pen © Ricardo Roa

New York City, September 9, 2025
When is New York, New York?

America is everywhere: How can one truly experience this country? Day two, and America feels like a video game, every American a mythical creature.

Sonali Beher

Portrait of Iven Yorick Fenker on a light blue background with a hand holding a pen © Ricardo Roa

New York City, September 6, 2025 Berlin to New York City, September 6, 2025

Iven Yorick Fenker

Portrait of Sonali Beher on a light blue background with a hand holding a pen © Ricardo Roa

Leipzig, September 4, 2025 I'm going to America and Mom is worried

Sonali Beher

More Information

Unterwegs Teaser © Goethe-Institut, Ricardo Roa

ON THE ROAD

ON THE ROAD celebrates transatlantic exchange through real-time reflections, creative encounters, and the power of literature. Learn more about this project, developed as part of AMONG FRIENDS, in cooperation with the German Literature Institute Leipzig and under the patronage of Prof. Dr. Ulrike Draesner.
A street sign with the Instagram logo and two red arrows © Ricardo Roa

Follow their travels on Instagram

From roadside cafés to quiet encounters, follow @gegenuber as the writers travel across US states, subcultures, and conversations. 
Among Friends - Unter Freunden GI colors Logo © Goethe-Institut / Ricardo Roa

Among Friends

Under the motto “Among Friends" (Unter Freunden), the Goethe-Institut USA's campaign from fall 2025 to summer 2026 aims to strengthen the transatlantic partnership.