(Roosendaal, 1956) is a poet and translator. Baeke’s collection Groter dan de feiten (Bigger than the Facts), was reviewed positively and nominated for the VSB Poetry Prize. In this book he takes the reader via often ambiguous cinematic poems on a journey to a sunbaked but oppressive mediterranean provincial town where nostalgia, uneasiness and love lie in wait. Baeke made his debut in 1997 with the poetry book Nooit zonder paarden (Never without Horses). Baeke' s work is influenced by filmmakers like Luis Buñuel and Andrej Tarkovksy and poets such as Ingeborg Bachmann and Jaap Kaplinski. His work has been translated into English and French. Since 2009 Baeke works for Poetry International in Rotterdam.
Jan Baeke receives the Jan Campert Prize 2016 for his collection Seizoensroddel (Seasonal gossip). The jury states: "As obvious as the poems of Jan Baeke sound, as little flexible is the world he describes in his masterful collection. These uncomfortable poems offer little protection but do console with the awareness that we have all lost our way."

(Rinsumageest, 1974) made his debut in 2000 with Frisian volume of poetry De wizers yn it read (The Needles in the Red). In 2008 a bilingual anthology appeared of his Frisian poetry, De Berte fan it swarte hynder (The Birth of the Black Horse). Bruinja translated the poems himself, and in many instances revised them. In this volume he evokes his youth in the Frisian countryside, whereby the illness and death of his mother plays a prominent role. Bruinja edited various anthologies, among others Droom in blauwe regenjas (Dream in a Blue Raincoat; 2004), a compilation of Frisian poems, Klotengedichten (Bollocks Poems; 2005, poetry about the scrotum) and Kutgedichten (Cunt Poems; 2005, on the female genitals). In 2007 the volume Bang voor de bal (Fear of the Ball) appeared. Tsead Bruinja wrote poetry reviews for newspapers, magazines, and radio. He combines his poetry readings with live music, such as flamenco, trance and hiphop and frequently interviews other poets before an audience.

(The Netherlands, 1946) grew up in a family with a past in the Dutch East Indies. He draws on these experiences in several of his works such as My Father's War (1995), Repatriated (2002) and in Naar zachtheid en een warm omhelzen (2023). Van Dis became well known via his literary television programme Here is... Adriaan van Dis (1983-1992). In addition to novels he has written novellas, travelogues, essays and plays. He presented TV documentary series and his podcast Van Dis Ongefilterd. He has received the Constantijn Huygens Award for his entire body of work. Recent publications are the collection Vijf vrolijke verhalen (2021), the novel KliFi, woede in de republiek Nederland (2022) and the essay De kolonie mept terug: over witte arrogantie en voortschrijdend inzicht: een denkoefening en leesreis (2024). During the Writers Unlimited Festival 2026, Van Dis will be the main interview guest on Saturday afternoon, 24 January, following the publication of his new book Alles voor de reis (Everything for the Journey), and on Sunday morning, 25 January, he and interviewer Simon Dikker Hupkes will record a new episode of his podcast series Van Dis Ongefilterd (Van Dis Unfiltered) live with an audience.

Go to website of Adriaan van Dis

(Utrecht, 1955) is a translator of South African literature. He translated the works of Etienne van Heerden, Breyten Breytenbach and Antjie Krog. With Adriaan van Dis he compiled O wye en droewe land (Oh, wide and sad country), a collection of 101 poems in Afrikaans.

(Iraq, 1971) fled his country in 1998 after completing architecture studies, was given asylum in the Netherlands and settled there legally in 2007. Since then he has published poetry, novels and collections of his columns. He received the 2000 El Hizjra literature award and the 2011 Literature Prize of the European Union. In 2013 he published Liever niet, antwoordt de liefde (Maybe Not, Was Love's Reply), an anthology of refreshing love poetry. His novel Hoe ik talent voor het leven kreeg (Two Blankets, Three Sheets) tells of his experiences as an asylum seeker in the Netherlands. Al Galidi published the short story collection Duizend-en-een-nachtmerries (A Thousand and One Nightmares) in 2017 and a poem collection Neem de titel serieus (Take the title seriously) in 2018.

was born in Germany in 1957 and moved to Groningen to study jazz saxophone at the conservatory. Soon he was invited to perform as guest musician in various bands. After finishing his study he has performed in more than sixteen different countries. Since 1995 he has been involved with the poetry and musical group 'Dichters uit Epibreren' (Poets from Epibreren). Not only does he play saxophone, but also flute, theremin and the self-invented pataphone. He transforms his music into 'soundscapes' by means of electronic effects and computer generated music. Next to being a musician
and composer, Klug is also a media artist.
WIN2004

(Harderwijk, NL, 1946) debuted in 1982 as a poet with Tussen gebaren en woorden (Between Gestures and Words). After that, she published another dozen volumes of poetry. Major themes in her work are transience and the loss of a child. Through the voices of mythical figures, or by allowing a garden, river, or dune to speak, she combines permanence and transience and gives meaning to the human struggle with fear and shame. Her latest volume Archaïsche dieren (Archaic Animals) wonderfully links reflection with everyday worries and needs; it is nominated for the 2015 VSB Poetry Prize. Her work has won awards including the Herman Gorter Prize, the Anna Blaman Prize, and the A. Roland Holst medal. From 2008 to 2010 she was president of the Dutch branch of PEN. Her poems have been translated into English, French, German, Spanish, Turkish, and Hebrew. Knibbe has been published in literary journals such as Raster, De Gids, and Maatstaf, and has participated in various poetry festivals at home and abroad.

(South Africa, 1952) is a poet, writer, academic and a cherished reciter. Her book Country of My Skull (2000, adapted for film in 2004) is a personal account of the proceedings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She published her autobiographical memoirs as A Change of Tongue (2003). Krog has won many prizes, including the Hertzog prize in South Africa and the 2018 Gouden Ganzenveer in the Netherlands. An anthology of her poetry was published in Dutch in 2010, titled Hoe zeg je dat (How Do You Say That), and Begging to be Black, the sequel to Country of My Skull and A Change of Tongue.

(Belgium, 1958) writes novels, poetry, scenarios, columns and plays. The twelve-hour stage marathon Ten Oorlog (1997), his adaptation in verse of eight plays by Shakespeare, won him international acclaim. He lives and works in Cape Town and Antwerp, where he was the city's poet from 2003-2005. In 1985 he made his debut with Een slagerszoon met een brilletje, which was his instant breakthrough in a Sonja Barend tv show. In 2009 Sprakeloos appeared, about the death of his mother, who lost her capacity to speak owing to a stroke. With his theatre adaptation of this book he performed in Carre in 2012 during the National Book Week. In that year he wrote the national book week present: Heldere Hemel. His latest novel Gelukkige slaven is again typically Lanoye: an ink black tragicomedy with unforgettable characters and dialogues, an ingenious plot and a virtuoso style. At the festival in 2014 Tom Lanoye is recipient of the Constantijn Huygens Prize for his entire oeuvre.

(Suriname, 1962) published his first volume of poetry, Bapauti/Erfenis (Bapauti/Heritage) in 2008, an elaboration of the songs on his album Kantráki/Contract Labourer. The collection Tihá/Troost (Tihá/Comfort) followed in 2011 with lyrics from his pop album Daayra. The singer, poet and composer -- with parental roots in India, born in Suriname, and living in The Netherlands -- deals with societal themes and with subjects that are taboo within Hindustani and Indian circles. Mohan writes in Sarnámi, the mother tongue of the Hindustani in Suriname and the Netherlands. He is founder and artistic director of musical groups like the Raj Mohan Ensemble, Vistar and Shai'rana, with which he tours at home and abroad. He plays and sings compositions based on his own lyrics and on poems by contemporary Urdu poets in the (lightly) classical tradition of Northern India.

(Deventer, NL, 1961) is a writer, performer and theatre producer. Her 2004 breakthrough came with De laatste dichters (The Last Poets), nominated for the Libris Literature Prize. This novel about the lives of four black Americans who became famous as "The Last Poets" was adapted for theatre. We hadden liefde, we hadden wapens (We Had Love, We Had Weapons), Otten's swirling 2016 novel, is about the life of the black citizen's rights activist Robert F. Williams in America, and about taking a stand for the right to be who you are, regardless of the consequences. Een van ons (One of Us, 2020), her novel about lifelong prisoner Luc was performed as a theatre monologue. In her novel Als ik je eenmaal mijn verhaal heb verteld (Once I told you my story, 2024), Anir tries to build a new life ‘outside’ after 12 years of detention. The Blocknotes Foundation, co-founded by Otten in 2020, uses creative writing for empowerment and talent development of people in prison.

(Delfzijl, NL, 1958) studied at the Akademie voor Expressie in Utrecht. With illustrator Geerten ten Bosch she created the children's book De dame en de neushoorn (The Lady and the Rhino, 1989), followed by her second children's book Verse Bekken! (Fresh Snouts) and poetic debut Het veerde (Something Bounced). She has also written prose, such as Ongekuiste versies (Unclear Versions) and Harrie's hoofdingang (Harrie's Main Entrance), and plays such as Struisvogels op de Coolsingel (Ostriches on the Coolsingel, 2005). She received the Anna Blaman Prize for her oeuvre. Vegter also published poetry: Aandelen en obligaties (Shares and Bonds, 2002) and Spamfighter (2007). From 2013 to 2017 she was the Dutch Poet Laureate; the work she created during that time is collected in Wat helpt is een wonder (What Helps is a Miracle, 2017). In spring of the same year, she published the joint poetry collection Ik hier jij daar (Me Here You There) with the Palestinian-Syrian poet Ghayath Almadhoun.