"Transatlantic Writing: From East Frisia to Athens, via Berlin, Los Angeles, New York and Kansas City" is the first reading event at UGA by Jan Brandt, the Department of Germanic & Slavic Studies 2026 Max Cade Writer in Residence. It is presented with support from the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts as part of the 2026 UGA Humanities Festival.

Born in a small town called Leer, Brandt is an award-winning author known for exploring themes of place, identity, and change. Normally based in Berlin and East Frisia, he is best known for his 2016 debut novel Gegen die Welt (Against the World), which was a finalist for the German Book Prize. Much of his work is shaped by both his rural roots and his family's long history of migration to the United States. Through attentive storytelling and thoughtful reflection, his stories invite readers to consider how personal histories intersect with global change.