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In the GDR, literature and poetry played a prominent role. They were considered to have great potential to educate the people, but at the same time were feared to be dangerous for the well-being of the state. As of the 1960s, the state had established a comprehensive system to develop, support and instruct but also control the writing of aspirational young and amateur writers. In this, they were supported by mass organizations such as the Free Federation of German Trade Unions (FDGB) or the Free German Youth (FDJ). For this work ‚at the grassroots' the institutions at the district level of the GDR were eminently important. This paper takes the district of Gera as an example. It outlines the specific institutions and structures which were installed in this district. Considering political contexts and aesthetic manifestations of anthologies published in Gera, we will analyse cultural-political conflicts and aspects of literary and societal developments of the GDR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]