Tyrolean wins poetry slam

The 16th Austrian Poetry Championship was held in Vienna from 21 to 23 September. Emil Kashka finished third in the competition five years ago. This year he competed in the preliminary round with a script that poked fun at the world of fitness influencers and also put in a lot of athletic effort through squats, push-ups and sit-ups on stage.

Ultimately, Kashka submitted a script about a guy who wakes up one day wearing a Bayern Munich uniform – a club he absolutely hates. During the show, it was revealed that Bayern’s shirt was a metaphor for the transgender issue – as a representation of what it feels like to live in the wrong skin.

Everything is happy with success

In a poetry competition, as a literary competition, the audience must ultimately be persuaded, because it decides who will win. You have to present your own script, where theatrical elements, action and original self-dramatization play an important role in the success. At the Austrian Slam, a randomly selected jury from the audience had to be convinced, and Emil Kaschka clearly did it best. He was emotional after his success: “I will never forget this day. Thank you to everyone who organized this over the past few months. “Thank you to all the poets, you recite a poem largely because of the people you stand with on stage,” the artist said.

The writer, born in 1996, published his first novel, “Grünholz,” two years ago. Two plays followed, among other projects. Kashka is currently studying screenwriting and directing at the Vienna Film Academy. This year he also received a drama grant from the Ministry of Culture for a new theater project.