The aim of the Hessian Literature Council is to make the rich literary tradition of this state known to a wider public and thus contribute to the cultural identity of Hesse: both within the state itself and in its presentation to the outside world. The work therefore has two focal points: the search for literary traces in Hessen and the development of partnerships with other regions. The Hessian Literature Scholarship, participation in book fairs in Germany and abroad, cooperation at conferences and events, collaboration with the Hessian Broadcasting Corporation on the "Literaturland Hessen" project and the creation of a database of Hessian authors are instruments for achieving these goals.

In the spring of 2003, an initiative by literary institutions and political representatives led to the foundation of an initially loose working group, which already had 60 members within just one year. In August 2004, the working group was transformed into a registered association at a meeting in the Villa Clementine. Since 2008, the Literature Council has been institutionally supported by the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art; it now has around 100 members.

The Hessian Literature Scholarship was established in 2005 to intensify intercultural contacts with the Hessian partner regions. It arranges a scholarship stay for literary workers; the state capital provides guest apartments in the attic of the Villa Clementine for this purpose. In the same way, the partners of the program offer residency opportunities for Hesse. Depending on the local circumstances and the interests of the scholarship holders, the stays are combined with readings and contacts. The Hessian Literature Scholarship is publicly advertised; the Hessian Literature Council makes the selection for the scholarship holders who go abroad, just as the foreign partners decide who from their regions comes to Hesse as a scholarship holder.

Of the Hessian partner regions, Aquitaine (Bordeaux), Emilia Romagna (Ferrara) and the American state of Wisconsin (Madison) are involved in the exchange. Hesse has had a cultural agreement with the Republic of Lithuania since 1994, for which the Hessian Literature Council has also assumed sponsorship for other projects. In addition to the partner regions, literary partnerships have now also been established with the Prague House of Literature of German-speaking Authors and the Romanian Poetry Foundation of Mircea Dinescu in Cetate. The exchange of writers is also the basis for further joint projects.

At the Hessentag in Heppenheim in 2004, Hessischer Rundfunk with its cultural program hr2, the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art and the Hessian Literature Council launched the Literaturland Hessen project. The aim of the joint project is to highlight and present the literary treasures of the state. In addition to the initiators, numerous other cooperation partners, such as the ADAC Hessen-Thüringen, the Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thüringen and many committed literary enthusiasts who cultivate and keep the literary tradition of the state alive, are involved in the literary search for traces. The first "Day for Literature" took place in 2007 and was so well received that it has been repeated every two years ever since; a literary calendar has already been published for the third time, building on these decentralized initiatives - in 2012, the year of Grimm, with fairy tale motifs, for 2014 under the sign of Romanticism.

The expertise of the Literature Council is now also in demand beyond the previous framework. For example, it has contributed to the Frankfurt film festival "Lichter" and cooperates with academies on writing workshops and events. He was commissioned to carry out a feasibility study in preparation for the Büchner commemorative years 2012/2013. He considers it a special recognition of his work that the state government has entrusted him with the coordination and public relations work for these commemorative years.

A database of Hessian authors has been online since 2014. This is linked to a project that began in 1993 at the Frankfurt Romanfabrik and is being continued by the Literature Council: the Lithuanian photographer Ramune Pigagaite, who lives in Frankfurt, is building up a collection of extraordinary portraits of authors. Since the beginning of the scholarship program, she has also been taking pictures of our guests. These pictures have been shown in Wiesbaden at the Ministry of Science and Art, in Frankfurt at the Haus am Dom, and also in Lithuania at galleries in Vilnius and Kaunas. The Hessian State Center for Political Education has made it possible to publish a volume entitled "Hessian Literature in Portrait", which presents Hessian authors with selected pictures and texts.