Maud Vanhauwaert
(Belgium, 1984) calls herself a poetic cabaret artist. She makes short films, writes columns, and tours Flanders for her own prime-time programme Het is de moeite (It's Worth the Trouble), which brings poetry to the people. In her poetic cabaret, she pokes fun at traditional poetry readings that make both poets and the public feel uncomfortable. Vanhauwaert studied Language Arts at the Antwerp Conservatory, where she now teaches. She wrote columns for De Morgen and contributed to the cultural programme Bar du Matin on Radio 1. She won the 2011 Female Debut Award for her first volume of poetry, Ik ben mogelijk (I Am Possible). Her second collection from 2014, Wij zijn evenwijdig (We Are Parallel), won the Herman de Coninck Audience Award as well as the 2015 Hugues C. Pernath Prize, and the collection is nominated for the VSB Poetry Award. She was a finalist in both the 2012 World Poetry Slam competition and at the 2014 Leids Cabaret Festival. For Flemish TV she took to the streets in 2014 to acquaint people with poetry in unexpected places.
Past events
Debate: Is Man Behind all the World's Evil?
Hemmerechts and Benali use their humour and incisiveness to defend opposite views on the question "Is man behind all the world's evil? (and behind him, woman?)". In other words: Is testosterone the source of all evil?
Hello, Poetry and Music
Let yourself be seduced by poetry from home and abroad. Listen to the recitals of the poets, amongst whom three nominees of the VSB Poetry Prize. As a special commission by the festival, Dick van der Harst sets one of Adonis' poems to music.
