-critical tours > Partners & Reviews

Selected Reviews:
It was a happy coincidence that during a visit to Berlin some of our visiting party met Mal and Upsi and discovered that they led several tours in the area. Our party of 5 (4 of us family) was especially interested in their Queer tour as an alternative to the very commercialized and expensive options available online. Mal and Upsi (we were told Upsi helps facilitate every tour) were great! Both were friendly, open to questions and excited to discuss our ideas and impressions as they led us on a three hour guided tour that ended with a meal, drinks and lively talk in a Queer Biergarten. They customized the tour to accommodate mobility concerns and food allergies, and checked in frequently to make sure we were comfortable and able to continue. 

With their guidance, we walked around Kreuzberg learning about the people who had lived there and their struggles for social justice, including activist poets Audrey Lorde and May Ayim. We got the low down on the dance clubs in the city, and how the queer history of Berlin’s night clubs is inextricably tied to political perspectives and activism.Tour highlights included the still active punk club SO 36, Bethanien Kunstraum Kreuzberg, the women’s* center Schokofabrik, a stroll down Audre-Lorde-Straße after listening to her poem “A Litany of Survival No. 42", and the river view from Oberbaumbrucke which highlighted the contrast between East and West Berlin since the fall of the wall.  

Mal’s deep knowledge of the events, the political players, the artists, the punks, the anarchists, the music and the social climate that has shaped a queer history of resistance in Germany was bottomless. If you want to know where to go dancing and why, good, take this tour, but if you want to know how every step you take in Berlin is tied in with its wild past and the lives of its people, especially take this tour!
~ Kim and family, editor/ writer, Chicago, USA

Mal’s commitment to contextualizing social justice, liberation and the history of oppression (and to clearly articulating how connected those movements in history are to the current political reality in Berlin) makes this a powerful and informative tour that was as fascinating as it was inspiring. They even provided resources and a playlist for those of us who wanted to dig deeper and continue to research. This tour was the highlight of our journey and we will talk about it for years to come, hopefully returning some day to learn more about Berlin an another tour.

As tourists several years ago, we joined one of Mal’s fascinating tours of Queer Berlin, and we were so captivated by the depth and breadth of what we learned that we have continued to come back. The private tours of specific neighborhoods that Mal arranged for us over the years – custom-tailored based on our discussions – never failed to intrigue us. Mal’s knowledgeable insights and wealth of information, along with a heartfelt love of this amazing city, revealed layer upon layer of the life of Berlin. Sociology and architecture, history and art, politics and nightlife – all woven together with intelligence and enthusiasm. Mal is generous with both their time and their knowledge; their tours are packed with an insider’s deep connection to the very bones of a great city.
~ Art & Jim, civil rights and wellness advocates, NYC and DC, USA

Mal Pool has given LGBTQ history and culture tours to students enrolled in my study abroad course, “Hidden Spaces, Hidden Narratives: Intersectionality Studies in Berlin,” annually since 2017. Mal goes above and beyond to show intersectional linkages between and within various communities in Berlin. They also help us network with other organizations to help further the aims of the course. Mal shows an ability to organize and structure relevant information to communicate strategically and effectively the values of equity, inclusivity, compassion, and contextual awareness. Because of this and so much more, I plan to continue to work with them as long as they are available to offer tours.
~ Prof. Heidi Lewis, Gender and Feminist Studies, Colorado College, USA

These city tours are always well researched and of excellent quality (in EN and DE). We really enjoy working with Mal Pool long-term. The MILES mentoring program is a volunteer program in which volunteers can be mentors for queer / LGBTI refugees and people with migration experiences.
~ Lucina Akintaya, LSVD MILES, Berlin

I recommend Mal Pool based on work they have done with me on multiple occasions for my undergraduate students. Mal has been an integral part of study abroad trips and has enhanced the classroom experience for my Business students. Student and leader feedback on our experiences with Mal have been exceedingly positive. Mal has worked closely with me to design historic and contemporary critical tours in Berlin for students with diverse interests and backgrounds. They have taken time to understand the goals of the experience and put together custom tour packages at a level of service not received elsewhere. The tours have been very successful with students. Mal is an energetic and engaging educator/guide with vast knowledge and experience. Students have walked away from these tours with nuanced perspectives on, among other things, the interplay between business, nonprofit and governmental sectors and impacts on society, including understanding of historical roots and contemporary events. Students’ eyes are opened to myriad possibilities for understanding, addressing, and working with contemporary societal issues. Additionally, the tours are well-organized with care taken for individual needs of group members. Mal has also been a guest lecturer in my Nonprofits and Civil Society course. Mal was able to bring real-world experience in nonprofit and collective work to the students. As usual, their presentation was well-organized, relevant, and engaging. There was a good mix of talk, Q&A, and experiential activities. Mal’s experience and knowledge is beneficial in various training and educational contexts.
~ Prof. Rebecca Jestice, Business dept., Earlham College, Indiana, USA

Mal is an absolutely phenomenal tour guide—though calling them just a "tour guide" hardly does them justice. They are a walking encyclopedia of Berlin’s history, socioeconomic background, music, and graffiti art. Their knowledge is so profound and engaging that it is an absolute pleasure to listen to them.
This was my third tour with Mal, and they never disappoint. As a German teacher in the UK, I love bringing my older pupils to Berlin to experience firsthand what we study in books and films. My students were deeply impressed by the depth of Mal’s insights. This time, we did a graffiti art tour, but it was so much more. It began with a fascinating historical journey on the other side of the river, opposite what was once the Berlin Wall and the DDR. Mal’s introduction provided essential context before leading us through Kreuzberg, weaving together history, politics, and art with the story of the first graffiti artists. The three-hour walk was nothing short of incredible.
Even my husband, who wasn’t on this trip, is now eager to visit Berlin and explore the city with Mal, whether by foot or bike. If you want a guide who brings Berlin to life in the most engaging and insightful way, look no further. 110% recommended!
~ A.D. Sara Trentini, Language Dept., Asheville College, UK

Before 2020, Mal conducted high-quality city tours for us in the Berlin-Kreuzberg district several times a year. Unfortunately, this program funding came to an end with Covid.
~ Prof. Rolf Backmann, Wentworth Institute, Berlin

...more reviews selected soon...

Selected Long-Term Public Tour Partners:

Art and Language Students of Asheville College, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK

Bartow Highschool, Bartow, Florida, USA (I am not out to this school-system, contact me for a reference)

Christian Confirmation Trips from Diakon, Spånga-Kista, Sweden

Business Department of Earlham College, Indiana, USA

Feminist & Gender Studies of Colorado College, Colorado, USA

Kunst Stoffe e.V., Berlin, Germany

Refugee Services of the Lesben- und Schwulenverband in Deutschland (LSVD; MILES), Berlin, Germany

Foresters of Das Lehrkabinett Teufelssee, Berlin (Köpenick), Germany