Werner was raised in the Palatinate. Members of his family had emigrated from this area to the U.S. in the 19th century. He studied at the University of Mannheim and holds a Master's degree in General Linguistics, Germans Studies and Sociology. His Ph.D. Thesis is dealing with Pennsylvania German literature. Werner is working as publishing director of a B2B publishing house in Mainz.
Activities
In 1993, he became a student of C. Richard Beam, director of the Center for Pennsylvania German Studies at Millersville University. In the same year, Werner started a private "Archive for Pennsylvania German Literature" in the Palatinate, Germany. In 1996, the newspaper Hiwwe wie Driwwe was founded by him in Ebertsheim, Palatinate. Actually, it is being published bi-annually. Since 1998, he has been a member of the jury of the oldest Palatine Dialect Writers Contest in Bockenheim an der Weinstraße, Palatinate. In 2003, Michael Werner was one of the co-founders of the German-Pennsylvanian Association and the first president of the association. Since 2008, Werner invites speakers of Pennsylvania German to give presentations about the language and culture in Germany. In 2013, "Hiwwe wie Driwwe" started a cooperation with the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University. The editorial office was moved to Pennsylvania in 2015. In 2017, Werner donated his private archive of Pennsylvania German literature and folk life to the Mennonite Research Center at Weierhof, where it will be presented to the public as "Deutsch-Pennsylvanisches Archiv".
Works
Werner, Michael : Hiwwe wie Driwwe. The Pennsylvania German Review. Ebertsheim/Ober-Olm/Kutztown 1997-.
Werner, Michael: "Ebbes aus em alte Land". Newspaper Column. In: The Pennsylvania German Review, 2001-2003.
Werner, Michael: "Ebbes in die Mudderschprooch". Newspaper Column. In: The Diary, 2003-2005.
Werner, Michael et al. : Mit Pennsylvanisch-Deitsch darich's Yaahr. A Pennsylvania German Reader for Grandparents and Grandchildren. Neckarsteinach 2006.
Werner, Michael : Es globbt beim Sammy in der Nacht. Neckarsteinach 2012.
Werner, Michael: "Der Uncle Saem findt uns gedrei" - A Multimedia Performance, presented by the "New Paltz Band". Ober-Olm/Frankenthal/Schifferstadt 2013-.
Werner, Michael : Kumm, mer gehne Baere yaage. Neckarsteinach/Morgantown 2014.
Werner, Michael: Pennsylvanisch-Deitsch im Yahr 2015. A Hiwwe wie Driwwe Documentary. Published on youtube.com.
Werner, Michael : DEITSCH. News und Geschichten aus dem Pennsylvania Dutch Country. A Hiwwe wie Driwwe Publication. Ober-Olm 2015-2017.
Werner, Michael / Louden, Mark / Sauer, Walter : Die Erschte Dausend Wadde in Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch. Neckarsteinach 2018.
Werner, Michael: En neier Sound im neie Land - 32 New Songs in Pennsylvania Dutch. Ober-Olm 2019.
Book series
Awards and acknowledgements
1998: Member of the jury of the Palatine Dialect Writers Contest in Bockenheim
2006: "Guest commentary" by the prime minister of Rhineland-Palatinate on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of "Hiwwe wie Driwwe"
2012: "Medienpreis Pfalz", Bezirksverband Pfalz - for "Hiwwe wie Driwwe"
2015: "Emichsburg-Preis", Förderkreis Mundart Bockenheim e.V. - together with Frank Kessler, Dr. Walter Sauer and Doris Schweitzer in place of the "German-Pennsylvanian Association"
2019: Participant of the "Deutschlandjahr USA 2018/19" together with his band "New Paltz", selected by the Goethe Institute Washington
2019: Participant of the "Pennsylvania German Writing Festival" at the 70th Kutztown Folk Festival
2020: "Hermann Sinsheimer Plakette", City of Freinsheim - for his services to the Palatine and Pennsylvania German literature
