"It was probably no coincidence that May Sarton’s book Plant Dreaming Deep found its way into my hands during my stay at Avelan: “I first close myself away, and then, and only then, open to that other tide, the inner life, the life of solitude, which rises very slowly until […] I am open to receive whatever it may bring. […] Solitude itself is a way of waiting for the inaudible and the invisible to make itself felt. And that is why solitude is never static and never hopeless.” I am deeply grateful for the generosity I was able to experience in this place — the house, the nature, and its sounds — a magical time full of connection. Connection with myself, and with the other fellows, who gave solitude a beauty entirely of its own."

Paulina Czienskowski is a freelance writer based in Berlin, where she was born and raised. In 2018 she published the story collection „Manifest gegen die emotionale Verkümmerung“ (Korbinian Verlag), followed by her debut novel „Taubenleben“ in 2020 (Blumenbar), which was shortlisted for the EU Prize for Literature. Alongside her prose work, she also writes radio plays and essays for Deutschlandfunk Kultur. Her second novel, „Dem Mond geht es gut“, was published in 2025. During her residency, she will be working on a long poem.

Photo credit: Valentin Hansen