Patrick Salmen

Patrick Salmen is a German satirist, slam poet and writer born in 1985 in Wuppertal. He studied history and German literature and has worked as a freelance writer, speaker and performing artist since winning the German-language Poetry Slam Championships in 2010. Now based in Dortmund, where he lives with his wife and two children, he has become one of the most prolific voices of the Ruhr area slam and live-literature scene, with books published by Knaur and Lektora and a steady touring schedule across the German-speaking world. His work blurs the line between slam poetry, cabaret and stand-up storytelling.

Salmen reached the national spotlight in 2010 when he won the German-language Poetry Slam Championships at the Bochum Jahrhunderthalle, then took second place a year later at what was then Europe's largest slam event at the O2 World Hamburg. His book debut, the short story collection 'Distanzen', appeared in 2011, followed by satirical books with Droemer Knaur and Lektora including 'Tabakblaetter und Fallschirmspringer' (2012), 'Ich habe eine Axt' (2014), the poetry collection 'Zwei weitere Winter' (2017) and 'Und draussen die Welt' (2020). On stage he tours full-length solo programs that draw on his slam roots: tightly written texts, melancholic-absurd imagery and a delivery that sits between literary reading and stand-up. Since spring 2022 he has been touring his current solo show 'Im Regenbogen der guten Laune bin ich das Beige', which plays cabaret stages and theaters across Germany, Austria and Switzerland and runs through 2025 and 2026. He also continues to appear in 'Best of Poetry Slam' shows at Schauspielhaus Bochum and similar large-scale slam events.

Patrick Salmen is on tour through 2025 and 2026 with 'Im Regenbogen der guten Laune bin ich das Beige', playing mid-size cabaret venues and theaters in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Tickets are sold through Reservix, AD Ticket and Eventim, and a full schedule is maintained on his official website patricksalmen.de. He is also a regular at 'Best of Poetry Slam' nights and similar large-scale slam events in the Ruhr area, including Schauspielhaus Bochum. Selected videos are available on his YouTube channel.