Hiwwe wie Driwwe


Hiwwe wie Driwwe, which means "Hither like thither", is the title of the only existing Pennsylvania German-language newspaper.

Publication

Since 1997, the publication is distributed twice a year. More than 100 Pennsylvania German authors—members of Lutheran and UCC churches as well as Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonites—have already contributed pieces of prose, poems and newspaper articles. The founder and publisher is Michael Werner, who also served as president of the German-Pennsylvanian Association between 2003 and 2010. On their websites, one can find poems, stories, videos and lessons in the dialect. In 2011, Hiwwe wie Driwwe has created a "Hiwwe wie Driwwe Award for Pennsylvania German Literature" in cooperation with the Palatine Writers Contest in Bockenheim and Kutztown University's Pennsylvania German Minor Program. Since 2013, Hiwwe wie Driwwe is printed in Pennsylvania, and in 2015, the editorial headquarter was moved to the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University.

Editors

The publication was founded in 1996. Since 2013, an editorial team is responsible for the whole publishing process.
YearPublisherEditorCo-EditorsPrinted in
1996–2013Michael WernerMichael Werner-Ebertsheim, Föhren
2013–2015Michael WernerMichael WernerPatrick Donmoyer, Amanda RichardsonEphrata
2015–2021Michael WernerPatrick Donmoyer, Michael Werner Douglas Madenford, Edward Quinter, Naomi EstherReading, Ephrata
2021–Michael Werner, Patrick DonmoyerPatrick DonmoyerDouglas Madenford, Edward QuinterReading, Ephrata

  • Donmoyer, Patrick : Folk culture specialist, site manager at the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, board member of Groundhog Lodge No. 1.
  • Esther, Naomi : Co-Worker at the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center
  • Madenford, Douglas : High school teacher, youtuber, blogger, author, musician.
  • Quinter, Edward : High school teacher, author, co-organizer of the "Pennsylvania German Writing Festival" at the Kutztown Folk Festival.
  • Richardson, Amanda : Co-Worker at the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center.
  • Werner, Michael : Publisher, journalist, author, translator, musician. Founder of the German-Pennsylvanian Archive, Hiwwe wie Driwwe, the German-Pennsylvanian Association and Grundsau Lodsch No. 19 im alte Land.

    Website

The website was started in January 2002 and features various Pennsylvania German programs.
#YearAuthorProgram
1.2002–Michael Werner: 'S Katz Deitsch SchtickBlog
2.2002–2003Paul Bittner: Pennsylvania German Web Radio Audio podcast
3.2002–2006C. Richard Beam: 'S Pennsylvanisch Deitsch Eck Texts
4.2007Alice Spayd: Pennsylvania German Web Class Audio podcast
5.2008–2021Michael Werner: Hiwwe wie Driwwe Web TVVideos
6.2009–2021Douglas Madenford: Nau loss mich yuscht ebbes saageBlog
7.2011–2013Virgil Schrock: Interviews with Pennsylvania GermansVideos
8.2013–2014Douglas Madenford: Pennsylvania Dutch 101 Videos
9.2014–2021Douglas Madenford & Chris LaRose: Ask a Pennsylvania DutchmanVideos
10.2015–2021Patrick Donmoyer: Die Pennsylvanisch-Deitsch Schtunn Videos
11.2016–2021Douglas Madenford: Your PA Dutch MinuteVideos
12.2017Peter Zacharias & Edwin Zacharias: Pennsylvania German DictionaryOnline dictionary
13.2017–2021Luella Reed Sebo: Easy Deitsch Videos
14.2018–2021Jeffrey Tapler: "Uncle Jeffrey" Videos

Winners of the Award

The award is given by the jury of the Palatine Dialect Poets Contest in Bockenheim..
#YearWinner
1.2011Richard Savidge : 'S iss Winder im Daal
2.2012Kevin Sterner : Middagesse in de Zwansicher
3.2013Don Breininger : Chocolate Cookies
4.2014Glynn Custred : En seltsame Schtori
5.2015Kevin Sterner : De Yahreszeide ihre Dod
6.2016Edward Quinter : Mei Bax
7.2017Edward Quinter : Die Welle
8.2018Patrick Donmoyer : Die Wandrer
9.2019Patrick Donmoyer : Gemahn mich wie
10.2020Douglas Madenford – En neie Zukunft?"
11.2022Patrick Donmoyer : Net zu hatt
12.2023Erich Mace : Wu bischt du gebliwwe?

Books

''Hiwwe wie Driwwe''s Featured Artist of the Year

Hiwwe wie Driwwe Palatinate Tour

Starting in 2008, in collaboration with the Emigration Museum in Oberalben, Hiwwe wie Driwwe organized an annual lecture, reading or concert in October under the title German-Pennsylvanian History. Starting in 2010, this developed in the Hiwwe wie Driwwe Palatinate Tour, in which the featured guest go on a four-day tour, performing in Ober-Olm, Oberalben, Bockenheim, and ending with German-Pennsylvanian Day, which changes location each year. To date, the guests from the USA and Germany have been:
#YearSpeaker/Musician
1.2008Michael Werner
2.2009Don Yoder
3.2010John Schmid
4.2011Don Breininger
5.2012Keith Brintzenhoff
6.2013Richard Miller
7.2014Bill Meck
8.2015Roland Paul, Walter Sauer, Michael Geib, Helmut Seebach
9.2015John Schmid, Mark Louden
10.2016Chris LaRose
11.2017Mike & Linda Hertzog
12.2018Patrick Donmoyer
13.2019Benjamin Rader
14.2020John Schmid – cancelled due to Coronavirus pandemic
15.2021Michael Werner
16.2022Erich Mace
17.2022Douglas Madenford
18.2023Keith Brintzenhoff
19.2023John Schmid
20.2024Scott Reagan – original & traditional PA Dutch folk music

Hiwwe wie Driwwe Pennsylvania Tour

Since 2019 there has also been a “Pennsylvania Tour”, which takes artists from Germany on a concert or reading tour to Pennsylvania – and to the Kutztown Folk Festival. To date, the featured guests have been:
#YearSpeaker/Musician & Program
1.2019Michael Werner & The New Paltz Band : „"Wunderbar Together: Pennsylvania Dutch Music“
2.2019Christian Schega & Benjamin Wagener : Hiwwe wie Driwwe – Pfälzisch in Amerika
3.2019Frank Kessler : Readings of the PA Dutch children's books published by Edition Tintenfaß
4.2020Oompah House Band : Palatine Brass Music – cancelled due to Coronavirus pandemic
5.2022Michael Werner : "Hiwwe wie Driwwe" - En neier Sound im neie Land"
6.2023Herbert Tiefel & Karin Tiefel : „Bilingual Signage Project of the German-Pennsylvanian Working Group
7.2025Pälzer Krischer with Scott Reagan : Palatine and Pennsylvania Dutch folk music

Scientific reception

David L Valuska & William Donner, Kutztown University : "This journal and an associated internet site are leading sources for information about the Pennsylvania German language."
Patrick Donmoyer, Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University : „Hiwwe wie Driwwe is the most widely-known dialect publication in the world for Pennsylvania German / Palatine German dialect, with a strong readership throughout the US, Canada and Europe."
C. Richard Beam, Center for Pennsylvania German Studies at Millersville University : "Hiwwe wie Driwwe has succeeded in establishing a bridge between the Old and the New World and it has succeeded in the preservation of the Pennsylvania German dialect and culture."
Sheily Rohrer, Penn State University : "Started as a newspaper by Michael Werner in Ebertsheim, Germany, Hiwwe wie Driwwe on the internet and in print has mediated a transnational conversation of dialect writers with one another."
Claire Noble, Colorado : "In 1890, there were more than 1,000 German-language newspapers in America. Today, only a handful remains, such as Hiwwe wie Driwwe, the last remaining German newspaper in Pennsylvania."