Shelly Kupferberg

Shelly Kupferberg was born in 1974 in Tel-Aviv, and grew up in former West Berlin. She studied journalism, theatre studies and musicology at the Free University Berlin and began working as a journalist for public radio while still a student. For over 20 years now, she has contributed to ARD, moderated culture, society and book magazine programmes (Deutschlandradio, former radiomultikulti, Funkhaus Europa, rbb Kulturradio, rbb television) and works as a freelance editor for Deutschlandradio Kultur.

In her role as a moderator she has appeared on stage with countless international authors, including TC Boyle, Zeruyah Shalev, Donna Leon, Martin Suter, Jonathan Safran Foer, Amos Oz, Arnon Grünberg, Otto de Kat, Cornelia Funke, etc. Since 2000, she has been active as a moderator at Berlin’s international literature festival, has moderated the Harbour Front Literaturfestival Hamburg for many years now and has been a regular fixture at readings with international authors under the patronage of foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. One of her thematic focal points is contemporary literature from Israel, and she regularly moderates the Goethe-Institut und Heinrich Böll Foundation’s German-Israeli Literature Days, as well as readings with Israeli authors at the Leipzig Book Fair. She was also a moderator at the international Authors’ Conference in Berlin in 2014 and 2016.

In addition to culture and literature, her thematic focal points include civil society, democracy and participation, discrimination and migration. For many years now, she has moderated events/awards ceremonies for foundations, ministries, cultural institutions and festivals. As a moderator, she is also present at the Berlinale and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin’s Opera Lounge. In 2015, she was active as a moderator within the framework of Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Berlin. This spring, she moderated a “Symphonic Mob” for the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester under conductor Kent Nagano.

As of August 2016