Joost Baars
(Leidschendam, NL, 1975) is a poet, essayist and bookseller. His very well received debut poetry collection Binnenplaats (Inner Space) was nominated for the 2017 C. Buddingh Prize and awarded the 2018 VSB Poetry Prize. According to the jury of the C. Buddingh Prize: "How must one love in the shadow of insecurity? Joost Baars gropes in the dark and find poems there that reveal unmistakable mastery and dizzying depth". Baars' poems are mystical but not religious. They attest to an enormous erudition and are simultaneously worldly, funny and romantic. The collection consists of four parts and includes translated sonnets of the English Jesuit Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889). Baars was a programmer with the Perdu Foundation and organizer of the poetry Festival Dichtersmarathon (Poets' Marathon), and is the publisher of Halverwege Chapbooks and the spiritual father of VersSpreken, a podcast about poetry.
Past events
Poems from the Berber Library
Poets recited works of the four greatest Rif poets on the occasion of the completion of the Berber Library.
Friday Night Wintercafé: Spot on Young Poets
High-school students from The Hague reading their own poetry, result of workshops from the Hague Poets' Guild. Poets Sanam Sheriff and Joost Baars as well as student-poet Paula Golunska accompany the up-and-comers.
Writing poetry in Dunglish and other languages
Which role does English play in the poetry of the Dutch language area? Seven young poets answer with new poems.
