Henning has seen Fredrik once, Henning has met Lajla here and there, Michael in Kristiansand three years in a row, and no one else. Gregor has met Michael several times, he knows Wolfram, and he has seen no one else. Martina has seen Michael once, on a concert in Frankfurt, and she has met no one else. Ian has met no one yet. Jochen has met no one yet. Markus and Jan have met no one yet. Lajla has met Michael and no one else. Fredrik has seen Michael and Henning at Punkt, and no one else. Uwe met Michael a few times and no one else. That’s normal, Michael has been the „headhunter“ here, and Jochen is the webmaster in the background. Jochen has seen no one yet. Though Michael and Jochen are talking on the phone on a regular basis. We’re strangers, we’re friends. Is it not wonderful to make Manafonistas such a living organism where you’re not limited to a certain kind of writing, where you’re free to write anything you want and find appropriate (risk-taking is appropriate, too)!? The autobiographical and the purely invented – generator of ideas, deep music writing and thriller reviews, travel notes and memories, fantasies and one-picture stories by special guests. Though there are controversial thoughts, there is a kind of soulmateship, too. You know what I mean even if soulmateship might not be a correct English word. And we’re all anti-fundamentalists! Einer für alle, alle für einen! That may be the only „fundamental rule“ here. The idea of Manafonistas is a strange mix of Alexandre Dumas and Italo Calvino, idea-wise. The adventurous and the fragmented. And Julio Cortazar would have been the archetypal Manafonista! There will never be more than twelve, that’s the rule. I think (more and more) we shouldn’t turn this into a final game a la Beckett or „Last (Wo)Man Standing“ meaning that in the end the last survivor will be writing last stories, last notes, last words. It might be better to stay a „dirty dozen“. One quits, another one comes. Well, this last open question will be decided on the first meeting of the Manafonistas on Sylt, next year!
