(1947) is a daughter of Hella S. Haasse and Jan van Lelyveld. She studied piano and composition at the Sweelinck Conservatorium. She also studied psychology for some years at the University of Amsterdam and graphic design at the Rietveld Academy. In the years that followed she studied hypnotherapy, psychosynthesis and effective intuition, specialising in the mental side of music making. This resulted in the emergence of the integrated studying method. From 1996-1999 she was project coordinator of Personal Instrument, a project on attitude, movement and mental training at the Zwolle conservatory. Within that framework she designed a Mental Training for students of music. She has her own practice, counselling students of music in many fields. www.ellenvanlelyveld.com

(The Netherlands, 1944) is a writer and poet. His novel De Keizer en de astroloog (The Emperor and the Astrologer, 2008) sees apprentice psychiatrist Simon employed as an astrologer at the court of Emperor William II in Doorn, ending up in absurd situations. In 2000 he wins the Multatuli Prize for his novel The Revue (1999). In Teatro Olimpico (2014) Dutch theatre professionals try to stage their show in Italy. Wederzijds (Mutual, 2017) is a satire about neighbourhood help and in the historical and humorous De ziekte van Weimar (The Disease of Weimar, 2019), a man from Franeker travels to Weimar to meet Goethe. VICTORIEN, ik hou van je (2021) is a collection of 'stories and outpourings'; 2023 will see the publication of his third collection of poems, Vogelkerkhof.

(Groningen, 1981) studied autonomous art at the art academies of Arnhem and Enschede and image and language at the art academy of Amsterdam. She writes and draws and publishes and exhibits regularly. Her stories appeared in, among others, Hollands Maandblad, which granted her a scholarship. Nina Roos has been praised for the way in which she succeeds in faultlessly exposing the subdued discomforts of her characters. She made her debut in October 2011 with the collection of short stories Neem op (Pick up, De Harmonie, Amsterdam). www.ninaroos.nl

(South Africa, 1985) is the rising star of South African literature. Her first novel Coconut deals with the quest of black South Africans for their new identity in a post-apartheid society and was the recipient of the European Union Literary Award in 2007. It is also a set work and used as a teaching tool at many schools within South Africa, and universities in South Africa and abroad. Three years later she received the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature. Her second book, Spilt Milk, appeared in the Netherlands in 2011 entitled Gedane zaken. In this novel school principal Mohumagandi and father Bill meet up, years after their secret love affair. The enthusiastic black principal and the stiff, awkward father clash when the latter has to deal with the indecent behaviour of four pupils and solve it. Matlwa sees Toni Morrison as her great example. She is also a medical doctor and a Rhodes Scholar currently pursuing a masters in public health at Oxford University.

(Lebanon, 1970) is a poet, journalist, translator, editor and consultant. In her work she focuses on eroticism and the liberation of Arab women from their paternalistic yoke. Hoe ik Sheherazade heb vermoord, bekentenissen van een boze Arabische vrouw (How I killed Scheherazade, confessions of an angry Arab woman) in 2010 attracted a great deal of international attention. In this autobiographical essay she stood up for the sexual liberation of Arab women - at the same time condemning western clichés. Haddad speaks seven languages and has translated various works of prose and poetry into and from Arabic. As head of the cultural pages of the Lebanese daily An Nahar she interviewed well-known writers such as Umberto Eco, Wole Soyinka and Paul Auster. By the end of 2008 she launched Jasad (Arabic for body), the first Arab erotic cultural magazine. The flamboyant writer now works on a Ph.D. at the Sorbonne on the translation of the Marquis de Sade in Arabic. A selection of her poetry can be read in English translation on www.joumanahaddad.com. Her work has been translated into many languages, including French, German, Spanish, Polish, English and Italian, and she has won numerous international literary prizes.

(Curacao, 1946), born to Surinamese parents, was an editor/newsreader on Dutch TV (1985-2009) and the Dutch World Service (1983-2008). She had roles in theatre productions such as Ajax, Hemel boven Berlijn (Sky Above Berlin), Medea, The Vagina Monologues and De Afscheidsmonologen (The Farewell Monologues) as well as writing plays herself. In addition, she regularly hosts debates and writes columns. In 2009 she received the Cosmic Award for her advocacy for more diversity in Dutch media. A memoir of her youth in Curaçao, De Antillen en ik (The Antilles and Me), was chronicled by John Leerdam. In 2018 she played the role of storyteller in The Passion.

(Paramaribo, 1958 - Loenen aan de Vecht, 2012) made his debut in 2011 as a novelist with a book describing the life of Badal, a migrant who, like Ramdas himself, is an inspired, committed writer and columnist. Popular among white Dutchmen, but unread by his own people. The multicultural society and the position of the journalist are recurring subjects is his work. A writer, journalist, film, radio and television maker, Ramdas grew up in the Hindustani community in Suriname. At the end of the 1970s he came to the Netherlands to study social geography. He worked among others for De Groene Amsterdammer and as a columnist, essayist and correspondent in India for NRC Handelsblad. Ramdas made various radio and tv programmes like In Mijn Vaders Huis (In my father's house), a series of interviews on the clash between cultures and the role of science and the media. The interviews were published in book form. From 2003-2005 he was director of the debating centre De Balie in Amsterdam. In 2007 he went to live in Suriname for a year and wrote Paramaribo: de vrolijkste stad in de jungle (Paramaribo, the merriest town in the jungle, 2009), in which he takes a critical look at his native country. Since September 2010 he hosted the VPRO opinion programme Z.O.Z.He died on 16 february 2012.

(Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia, 1968) is a Malaysian writer, poet, actor, photographer and filmmaker. She graduated with a B.Ed in English Literature and TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) from the University of Winnipeg, Canada, and has worked extensively in the arts for over 20 years. Of Chinese and Punjabi parentage, her work stems from the desire to tell stories, and she has worked with marginalised communities from sex workers and refugees to indigenous peoples, in mediums that incorporate film, photography and prose. She has published two collections of poetry, going there and coming back (1997), The Book of Sins (2008), a collection of short stories, Lost in KL (2008) and a critically-acclaimed memoir Growing Up With Ghosts (2011), an exploration of grief, personal and political history, and bloodlines. She works in both Bahasa Malaysia and English, and her work has been exhibited, screened, published locally and internationally. She is also the founder of Readings and CeritAku, two live literary platforms in Kuala Lumpur, now in its eighth year. She lives in Kuala Lumpur with her two daughters and she keeps a blog of her work at bernicechauly.wordpress.com.

(Ethiopia, 1978) is one of the most promising African-American writers of the moment. In his novels he scetches the problems of identity of African emigrants in the US. Mengestu, who fled his native Ethiopia with his parents in order to start a new life in the US, personally experiences how to have to go through life with an exotic name. His stories are populated with African emigrants trying to find their way in American society. Mengestu’s first novel, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears (2007), deals with an Ethiopian shopkeeper in a Washington slum who develops a close relationship with a white history teacher and her biracial daughter. His second book, How to Read the Air (2010), depicts a young man going in search of his African parents' roots. Mengestu also writes non-fiction for magazine like Rolling Stone, Harper’s and Granta. He was a Granta correspondent working from Congo, Uganda and Darfur. Mengestu has won various prizes, the Guardian First Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, among others. He lives in Paris with his wife and his child.

(Indonesia, 1962) is one of the most remarkable contemporary Indonesian writers. In her short stories she exposes taboos in her country and stands up for the right to the self-determination of women. Chudori studied political science in Canada. With her stories she gets a dialogue going between tradition and modernity, whereby the macho society and Indonesian chauvinism bears the brunt. Her latest book, 9 dari Nadira, begins with Nadira’s mother's suicide. Nadira dives into her mother's past, she studied in Amsterdam in the 1950s, got married and had children. Her collection of short stories Malam Terakhir of 1989 was translated into German. Leila Chudori has worked as a journalist since 1989, for among others the critical news magazine Tempo. She uses her experiences as a journalist in her short stories. In addition she writes tv and film scripts. Chudori is active on facebook (www.facebook.com/leila.s.chudori) and twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/leilaschudori).

(Nigeria, 1974), a writer and literary scholar, lived in Belgium for years and moved to the US in 2013 where she teaches Creative Writing at the University of Georgia. Besides novels she also writes poetry, children's books, educational books and short stories. In 2005 she debuted as a novelist with De feniks (The Phoenix), a portrait of a young Nigerian in Belgium who struggles with feelings of depression and uprooting after the death of her five-year-old son. This was followed by the novels On Black Sisters' Street (2011, the original version in Dutch was published as Fata Morgana in 2008) about four Nigerian women who end up as sex workers in Antwerp, Nachtdanser (Night Dancer, 2011) and De zwarte messias (The Black Messiah, 2013). In 2019, her collection of short stories Better Never than Late, about the unusual lives and relationships of a group of Nigerian immigrants making their way in Belgium, appeared. Her new novel The Middle Daughter will be published in April 2023.

was a sea-faring navigating officer. Sailing the world's seas didn't keep him from reading a lot. He made his poetic debut at a later age in the Flemish literary magazine Yang. In addition work of his appeared in among others Poëziekrant, Maatstaf, De Brakke Hond and – most recently - Extaze. Togehter with the artist Jeroen Hermkens he made the bibliophilic booklet De Laatste Stad (The Last City; De Weideblik, 2004).

taught a long time at a secondary school after her English language and literature studies in Leyden. Literature was part of her work as a teacher. She started writing when she was older. She became fascinated by people she didn't really know, brief encounters to which she herself gave a turn. Her characters lay bare their affairs as it were and that is a process that gives her a lot of satisfaction as she writes. Her stories appeared in Tirade and Hollands Maandblad. In 2007 a collection of short stories appeared entitled Vandaag misschien, misschien vannacht (Maybe today, maybe tonight). She is now working on a novel about four young people. She says: 'It is exciting to see what happens to them as the novel progresses.'

(Nijmegen, NL, 1960) writes essays, short stories and plays, and is a columnist with the daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad. He published the novels Laatste woorden (Last words) and Suez and received the Henriëtte Roland Holst Prize in 2005. In 2011's Moeten wij van elkaar houden, het populisme ontleed (Do We Have to Love One Another? Populism Dissected) Heijne shows how globalisation and individualism pave the way for populism. Angst en schoonheid (Fear and Beauty) was published in 2013, an essay about Dutch writer Louis Couperus, whom Heijne admires. In the same year his documentary about Couperus was broadcast. In 2015 he hosted the five-part documentary De volmaakte mens (The Perfect Human). In 2016 his essay Onbehagen – nieuw licht op de beschaafde mens (Discontent - new light on civilized man) was published. In 2017 Heijne received the P.C. Hooft Award for his essayistic works.

(Belgium, 1971) a.k.a. Inge Liesbeth Alfonsina Heremans (ILAH) studied applied graphics in Leuven. She had a child at a young age and went on to sudy philosophy after all. When she was 25 she had her first big success with the comic strip figure Cordelia. Since then her comic strip Cordelia has appeared in De Morgen. In it she especially ridicules the often laborious relationship between males and females. Meanwhile Uitgeverij Oogachtend has published ten collections of her Cordelia comic strips. Since 2007 she is also the spiritual mother of Mira in Flair, a somewhat younger version of Cordelia, with similar problems. Mira has been published in albums too. Cordelia has kept pace with her in terms of growth and has two children, just like Inge. As a fulltime strip cartoonist ILAH, as one of few women, belongs to the young Flemish strip cartoon guild. In 2001 and 2002 Cordelia appeared in the Algemeen Dagblad on a daily basis for a few months.

(Great Britain, 1974) grew up in Ghana. During his studies in Manchester he joined Commonword, a group of visible-minority writers who discuss one another's work. He writes prose, poetry, articles, and the occasional rap, and regularly performs at literary festivals. The Dutch translation of his first novel, Tail of the Blue Bird (De Blauwe Vogel), was published in 2010, a crime novel about a Ghanaian village where a hunk of flesh is found and the police must figure out what exactly it is. Gorgeous descriptions of Ghanaian nature alternate with sharp passages about Ghanaian police corruption. The book was nominated for the Commonwealth Prize. Recurring themes in Parkes' writing include power, cultural conflict, love, family, and the friction between capitalism and humanism. He performs at poetry festivals around the world and is a regular commentator on BBC radio. He has recorded two CDs of poems: Incredible Blues and Nocture of Phrase.  In 2011 he published The Parade, a children's book about the spider Anansi, under the pen name K.P. Kojo.

(Great Britain, 1970) came to The Netherlands at age nine with her Pakistani parents. She read law and worked for various government ministries, the UNHCR and the Council of Europe in Strassbourg. In 2006, however, she decided to settle in the Netherlands and focus on her writer's career. In the fall of 2008 her book of Muslim fairy tales Little Green Ridinghood And the Converted Wolf appeared, in which she jocularly deals with the clash of civilizations. In Lonely Present (2008) a migrant child tells about its feeling of being uprooted. Tahir made her debut with the nonfiction anthology A Muslima Unveiled, dealing with themes such as Muslims' self-criticism and women's liberation. Her fiction debut Precious Property (2006), a book with candid erotic stories, was a great success. Tahir is a regular contributor to the public debate. Her articles have been published by Volkskrant en NRC-Handelsblad among others. In 2008 she was one of the guests in the VPRO television programme Zomergasten (Summer Guests).

(Turkey, 1968) is of Kurdish descent. In 2011 Dağın Ardına Bakmak (Looking Behind the Mountain) appeared, for which she took to the mountains to interview PKK rebels, the first time a writer sketched the personal stories and traumas of the Kurdish fighters. In 2011 Doğunun Kapısı: Diyarbakır (The Gate of the East: Diyarbakir) also appeared, a portrait of the 3000 year old capital of Kurdistan. As a columnist for the English language newspaper Zaman Matur writes regularly about the Kurdish question. In addition she chairs the Diyarbakır Cultural Art Foundation. She also leads social projects for women, children and adolescents and makes a tv-programme on culture, art and politics. She read law at the University of Ankara. Since the publication of her first book of poetry in 1996, Rüzgâr Dolu Konaklar (Wind-Filled Countryhouses) she has created her own mythology - inspired by age-old Sufi traditions from the region of her birth. Meanwhile she has six books of poetry to her name and an anthology with poems she translated. Her work has been translated in seventeen languages.

(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.

(1973) in daily life is known by the name of Jaïr Tchong. Right now he works as a project leader world music with Muziek Centrum Nederland and is a member of the supervisory board of Global Dance Lab. In the past he was, among other things, world music programmer at the Melkweg and chair of the commission on internationalisation at the Fonds Podiumkunsten. In addition to being a dj Jairzinho is also a world music journalist. He has an Aruban-Chinese father and a Dutch mother. From the age of fifteen music has been his passion, sussessively punk, new wave, soul, jazz, funk, African, Brazilian and Salsa/Latin. In 2000 he started working in Amsterdam as a dj and freelance journalist with OYE Listen, Het Parool, De Groene Amsterdammer, Nieuwe Revu, Preludium, Ontdek Afrika and NIW. Jairzinho mainly plays afro-latin: all kinds of black dance music have his interest. In addition he increasingly uses East European and oriental music in his eclectic mix. Jairzinho performned among other venues at Oerol, in the Bloemendaalse Republiek, RASA in Utrecht and at the Bimhuis, Bitterzoet, Melkweg and Paradiso in Amsterdam.

(Hoorn, 1968) is a journalist who started his career at local radio station Amsterdam FM; after that he became editor of De Digitale Stad, hosted AT5's newshow and talkshows. Then he returned to making radio: first at BNR Nieuwsradio and afterwards at VPRO's programme De Avonden which he presented every Monday and Friday. Since 2015 Van Kan is radio news show host at national public broadcaster NOS; he also can be heard as voice over during TV news shows. Spring 2016, he hosted literary TV programme Boeken. Next to this, Van Kan is active as editor of literary magazines. Until 2007 he was part of the editorial board of De Tweede Ronde. Afterwards he moved to literary magazine Tirade. Together with Wim Brands he is co-editor of Nederland. Een objectief zelfportret in 51 voorwerpen (The Netherlands. An objective autoportrait in 51 objects), a collection of texts about typically Dutch objects by the same number of writers.

(The Netherlands, 1970) is a presenter, producer, actor and voice-over artist specializing in music, literature, arts and culture. After graduating as actor from the Toneelschool Amsterdam he was a member, among others, of the ensemble of the Nationale Toneel. He was a presenter at Amsterdam-based broadcaster AT5 and a radio producer with the KRO on national network NPO Radio 1. He narrates audio books, and was shortlisted for the Storytel Award 2019 for Best Audio Book with his reading of Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer's novel Grand Hotel Europa. Until last year, he presented on radio station Sublime the daily morning show Sublime Sunrise, the Instagram poetry programme Sublime Smooth and evening show The Sublime Experience. In 2025 he wrote and hosted the tv-series Kringlopen met Francis on regional Dutch broadcaster NH. Broekhuijsen works for Writers Unlimited as festival curator and presenter.

Go to the website of Francis Broekhuijsen
Instagram: @francisbroekhuijsen

(The Netherlands, 1990) was awarded the Constantijn Huygens Prize 2025 for her oeuvre. According to the jury, that oeuvre is ‘leading within contemporary Dutch literature. She dares to experiment with form and knows how to appeal to a large, often young audience’. Marsman made her debut in 2010 with the poetry collection Wat ik mijzelf graag voorhoud (What I like to tell myself), which won several awards. Her first novel, Het tegenovergestelde van een mens (The opposite of a human being), was published in 2017. In it, she interweaves prose with poetry and essays to highlight the theme of climate change. In De volgende scan duurt vijf minuten (The next scan will take five minutes, 2018), she explores how a sick body relates to a sick world. Mijn mand (My basket, 2021) tackles major themes: the value of life and the place of death in a human life. In 2025, Op een andere planeet kunnen ze me redden (On another planet they can save me) was published. Living with death changed Marsman's worldview. The book is a philosophical journey into the depths of the human mind, interspersed with diary excerpts describing how death is hot on her heels.

Instagram: @liekemarsman

(1981) is a writer and translator of children's books and a poet. Since August 2025, she will be Tilburg's City Poet for two years. Her career as a poet began in 2000 when she won the El Hizjra Literature Prize and the Kunstbendeprijs. In 2008, her first children's book, Nasim en Natalie, which she wrote together with Pieter Feller, was published, and she won the Dutch Poetry Slam Championship. She has written children's books including Mir en de muusjes (4+), Lachen! (6+) and Het sleutelbos (10+). Najiba regularly gives workshops to children and young people to help them tell their own stories and write poems.

Go to the website of Najiba Abdellaoui
Instagram: @najiba.writes

(Afghanistan, 1992) came from Afghanistan to Amsterdam-Noord in 1998. From the age of 19 he has been creating a distinct profile of himself as a journalist, rapper (as Kidson Jones) and producer. In 2011 he was the youngest writer ever to make his debut with Contact publishers. The stories in his anthology Toen God nog in ons geloofde (When God still believed in us) are interwoven and can therefore be seen as a novella. Like his rap texts his prose is about youngsters trying to determine their place in society. Hutak draws from his own life, but also brings along Dostojevksy and Nescio as sources of inspiration. In a maze of storylines and characters Hutak in his debut deals with a great number of issues, from biblical dilemmas to the situation in Afghanistan. Hutak's style is refreshing and surprising. Sometimes hardboiled, then again sensitive. As is clear from the title of his debut Hutak likes to play with reversed perspectives. Thus a boy in one of his stories kills children because he wants to guard them from the misery in the world. See also: http://mr--jones.hyves.nl/

(The Netherlands, 1974) is a poet, writer, actor and director. He made his poetry debut in 2000 with 27 gedichten & Geen lied (27 Poems & No Song). Nasr acts in films and TV series and is a member of the International Theatre Amsterdam ensemble. His stage and screen roles have been awarded multiple times. He also writes theatre pieces, columns, essays and opinon pieces. From 2009 to 2013 he was the Dutch Poet Laureate. In his essay collection De fundamenten (The Fundamentals, 2021), he assesses a corona pandemic-struck nation; Nasr compacter (2021) gathers the best of his poems from a two-decade career. In 2023 he created a series for Dutch TV about objects from his own collections, Dr Nasrs Wunderkammer (Dr. Nasr's Chamber of Wonders).

A trio with Peer de Graaf (vocals), Henk Koekkoek (ukelele, saxophone) and Piet Maas (contrabas). Peer de Graaf began as early as 1978 as ‘Meneertje Peertje’ in the theatre. Meneertje Peertje is still active but in the meantime Peer de Graaf has grown into a mature actor, cabaret artist, musician, presenter and improvisor. De Graaf not only performs in the theatre, but is also active in education and health care. With Thijs Borsten he makes up the duo Trapperdetrap, which specializes in adult songs for children. On every cd a special guest can be heard, such as Mathilde Santing, Wende Snijders and Denis Jannah. The duo aims at making fine music which is also popular with non-parents. De Graaf is an allround performer who sings, makes jokes and tells stories with the greatest ease. He has been doing that for years in various acts and small bands; in theatres, during De Parade but also at block parties. Last year the same trio, by the name of Trio Lang en Gelukkig (Happily Everafter), was a great success at the festival.

Rode Rozen is made by Allerd van den Bremen (composition and piano), Renée van Marissing (text), David Lucieer (drums and acting) and Wessel van der Wal (bass and voice). Red Roses makes concise musical theatre in which sound and the spoken word occupy central stage. The company was founded by textwriter Renée van Marissing, composer Allerd van den Bremen and dramaturge Anneke Jansen. Together they made Dansen, Lopen, Rammen (Dancing, Running, Ramming) and - in cooperation with theatre company Els inc. - a radio play version of Ingmar Heytze's Ik ben er voor niemand (I'm there for no one). They devised the audio installation + live performance Het huis en de ruimte (The House and the space) for the exhibition Aura (Castrum Peregrini), followed by projects like Petites Misères, kleine ongemakken en het menselijk leven (Petites Misères, small inconveniences and the human factor), a musical radio play for the museum night at the Van Gogh Museum. In addition Rode Rozen makes a bi-monthly radio play for voor Hard Hoofd, the online daily for art and journalism.

(Amsterdam, 1989) is a writer, columnist and radio presenter. She was only 15 when asked to write for the adolescent website Spunk. The clear and candid way in which she sketches the world of adolescents caught the eye and NRC Handelsblad asked her to publish her columns in the paper too. A compilation of her best pieces appeared in book form under the penname Überpuber. Her columns often deal with sex, drugs, traumas, discrimination, boredom and other daily discomforts. It wasn't only praise she got. Her bravura and arrogant attitude earned her death threats too. Since 2008 she has been a regular columnist for the daily Metro. Hadjar Benmiloud has a Dutch mother and an Algerian father. She grew up in Paris, Amsterdam, Hollywood (where her father lives) and Zutphen. In 2008 she wrote the script of the theatre production Na mij de zondvloed (Tomorrow we die) together with director Janwillem Slort, played by the Poldertheater. Until August 2008 she presented the music programme Lijn5 on NPS. Since 2009 she has been doing a radio training with BNN. One of her reports was nominated for the RVU Radio Award 2009. www.hadjar.nl.

(Oud-Zuilen 1959) lives and works in Rotterdam. From 1979-1982 he studied at the Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten in de harbour town and worked consecutively as a painter in "Het Rotterdams Kunstenaarskollektief" and as a printer and designer with "Het Rotterdams Kunstgesticht" (bibliophilic editions). From 1986-2005 he was a musician and somposer in the bands Trespassers W and Dull Schicksal. He has been a visual artist since 1985. He opened Galerie Ron Krepel in Middelburg in 2009. In addition he has a job as a grater/ polisher of natural stone.

is a writer, actress and theatre artist. Her 2011 debut novel Zehra features a Turkish girl who is disowned because she is different. All her work poses one central question: how does one relate to those with different opinions without denying oneself? As an actress, Nazmiye Oral performed in Oesters van Nam Kee, Combat, Hertenkamp and Baantjer. She also toured the Netherlands, Belgium and US with Gesluierde Monologen (Veiled Monologues). She wrote one of these monologues, about a wife who loses contact with her husband. In 2010 Retour Hollands Spoor premiered, her second play for the Nationale Theatre, which she wrote with Gerardjan Rijnders. In 2020, she was a featured guest in prominent Dutch TV interview program Zomergasten (Summer Guests).

(Rotterdam 1963 - Haarlem 2016) in 2010 published Grote Verwachtingen. Opgroeien in de letteren in 25 schema’s (Great Expectations. Growing up in Literature in 25 Charts). He did the same in Luisteren & cetera, (Listening etc) about 25 1970s pop albums. Somewhat earlier Macbet heeft echt geleefd (Macbeth Really Existed) appeared, on places where literary heroes used to live. In Verleden in verf (Past in Paint, 2011), Steinz sketches Dutch history in forty paintings. Steinz became an art editor with NRC Handelsblad in 1989. From 2005-2011 he headed the bookpages of that paper. Steinz studied ancient history and English. Earlier he wrote, among other books, Klein ABC van de wereldliteratuur (Concise ABC of world literature; 2008), Het web van de wereldliteratuur (The World Literature Web; 2007) and Lezen op locatie (Reading on Location; 2003), sixty maps on which he identifies where masterpieces of literature are set. In 2010 he published De Duivelskunstenaar (The wizard), a journey through Europe in search of Faust. Since 2012 Steinz has been head of the Dutch Literary Fund. He died in august 2016.

(1974) was elected journalist of the year in 2008. Vermeulen is a correspondent in Istanbul for NRC Handelsblad, NOS News, VRT and Radio Nederland Wereldomroep. From 2002-2009 he was correspondent in southern Africa. About that time he wrote Help, ik ben blank geworden (Help, I've become white, 2009). In 2007 he was recipient of the Dick Scherpenzeel Award for his reports from Mugabe's bankrupt Zimbabwe. Early 2011 VPRO broadcast his In Turkey, a seven part documentary on the country where he now lives. At the end of 2011 it earned him the Erasmus Euro Media Award. In the programme Bram Vermeulen treks across Turkey in search of the fast changes taking place everywhere. He travels along the borders of a country with a regained self-confidence, from the Mediterranean to the snow-capped mountains of the far east, from the closed borders with Armenia to the open southern borders with neighbouring Arab states with which the Turks have strengthened lost ties.

(London) is the spiritual father of internationally successful surrealist comic books like Shade, The Changing Man, Hellblazer and Skin, but he also wrote Greek Street, a tribute to Greek mythology seen through the eyes of the violent present-day citydweller. Owing to the coarse language and the hard-boiled violence it was quite a job for Milligan to get a book like Skin published. The hero in this comic strip, which eventually came out in 1992, is a skinhead who was born without arms and legs because his mother used thalidomide. Milligan has also come up with new versions of Batman and since 2001 has invented the stories about the mutant superheroes of X-Statix. In spite of the brute force and explicit use of language in his books Milligan also deals with social issues such as homosexuality (one of his heroes is gay), war traumas (one of the main characters in Greek Street is a traumatised soldier who fought in Afghanistan). Milligan also wrote screenplays for two films, Pilgrims and An Angel for May.

(Apeldoorn, NL, 1968) entered the public eye as founder and editor-in-chief of Frontaal Naakt (Frontal Nude), which he calls a "fundamentalist-hedonistic webzine for the whole family that tries to tamper with taboos and certainties and truths set in stone." According to Breedveld, the project is meant to be completely ironic, although many people don't understand this. He launched the webzine seven years ago out of frustration with the politically correct climate surrounding multicultural society, which became unbearable to him after the murder of Dutch filmmaker Teo van Gogh. He spoke up against the new political correctness of Geert Wilders and his populist PVV party, and against the dictatorship of the influential Dutch right-wing populist newspaper De Telegraaf. Breedveld also works for the magazine Ad Valvas of the Amsterdam Free University, and is a freelance writer about comic books, including for Vrij Nederland magazine. Previously, Breedveld was editor-in-chief of Naturisme magazine and a staff member of Stripschrift, De Haagsche Courant and the Nederlandse Islamitische Omroep.

(Brazil, 1950) can be regarded as a Brazilian Adriaan van Dis. Coming from a poor family he left for Rio de Janeiro at age fourteen to study. He made a living out of doing translations from English and Spanish language books. He ended up in journalism and for years was a correspondent in New York. He was the first Brazilian journalist to make it to the scene of the 9/11 catastrophe. He also made a series of reports in Iraq. Since 2002 he has interviewed great writers like Mario Vargas Llosa, Nadine Gordimer en Orhan Pamuk for Globonews. Silvestre had written three non fiction books before making his debut in 2009 with the novel Se eu fechar os olhos agora (When I close my eyes), which won the prestigious Jabuti Prize for best novel, as well as the São Paulo Literary Award for Best Novel of the year. The novel appears in Dutch early 2012. In 2011 his second novel was published, A felicidade e fácil (Happiness is easy). Its launch was a happening in which writers, actresses and other fans were queueing in order to get hold of an autographed copy. In both novels Silvestre draws from his own experiences as a journalist. Recent Brazilian history plays an important role, sex and violence being recurring themes.

(1968) is a journalist, working for Volkskrant, Nieuwe Revu and HP/De Tijd. She received a great deal of media attention for her interviews with Alicia, one of the two half-sisters of queen Beatrix. In 2010 her book Slappe Zakken! (Drooping Pricks!)appeared about her quest for a man who was willing to father her children. Her conclusion was that men only want sex and don't want to bear any responsibility for a family. Meanwhile Theunissen is a proud single parent.

(Curaçao, 1956) For years was the face of the Antillean community in the Netherlands. He came to the country in 1989 to study and wanted to return afterwards. However, he stayed because of his young family and found a new mission: taking care of the interests of Arubans and Antilleans in the Netherlands. With the Splika foundation he dedicated himself to the promotion of Papiamentu, the language that he also teaches. Subsequently he chaired MAAPP (Movimentu Antiano i Arubano pa Partisipashon Politiko), the platform for the social participation of Antilleans and Arubans in the Netherlands. When he resigned on 1 March 2009 he received the MAAPP award Mi ta yuda, a new medal which will be awarded on Severina's birthday to people who have dedicated themselves to the Antillean and Aruban communities. For some time Severina served on the town council for the Dutch Labour Party in the town of Zoetermeer and now chairs HAAB (The Hague Antillean Aruban Board).

(Arnhem, 1954) has been the Dutch ambassador for Human Rights since 2010. He studied philosophy at the University of Amsterdam and worked as an assistant research fellow in the deparmtent of cultural philosophy and aesthetics. He has been working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1984. Veer has worked in the policy fields of European affairs, asylum and migration and international cultural policy. In recent years he has been ambassador in Zagreb and consul general in München. The job of human rights ambassador is intended to provide the theme of human rights in international relations with a recognisable, visible and idiosyncratic profile. The human rights ambassador is dedicated to making Dutch human rights policy more coherent.

is a writer and (clinical) psychologist. He also studied chemical engineering. He completed the learning therapy training of the Nederlandse Vereniging Groeps Psychotherapie as well as the SIOO-course (Management of changes in organisations) in Utrecht. He managed professional teams of both trainers and management consultants. In 2011 he published the novel De spinvlieg (The Spin Fly).
Information on www.spinvlieg.nl and www.hugowapperom.nl

(Suriname, 1976) debuted with Knipperleven (2004), followed by Wanneer wij samen zijn (When We Are Together, 2006), based on the history of her Javanese-Surinamese family. Her novel Het gym (The Gymnasium, 2011) describes Sandra, a Surinamese outsider, holding her own among preppy white girls. De man van veel (The Man of Much, 2013) is based on the life of the Surinamese national hero and writer Anton de Kom, and was followed by her memoir Tenzij de vader (Unless the Father, 2016), a painfully honest report of getting to know her father at age 22. Her PhD thesis on the late author Anil Ramdas (University of Utrecht) was published as the biography In welk land leef ik eigenlijk? (What Kind of Country Do I Actually Live in?, 2023). She regularly publishes stories, columns and opinion pieces.

(Haarlem, NL, 1980) studied philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. Aynan, the son of Moroccan immigrants, is an active advocate of Berber culture. His debut Veldslag en Andere Herinneringen (Battle and Other Memories) was published in 2007, about his youth or, as he calls it, his "Catholic-Islamic-Berber background". Aynan is the creator of the Berber Library, a series of classics from Berber countries translated into Dutch. He further wrote Ik, Driss  (I, Driss, together with Hassan Bahara), the short-story collection Gebed zonder eind (Endless Prayer, 2014) and Linoleumkoorts (Linoleum Fever, 2019). Aynan works as a teacher at Hogeschool van Amsterdam; his articles have appeared in the NRC, Het Parool, Folia and Trouw.

(Sudan, 1967) wants to hearten his fellow citizens in Sudan with his literary work. His fourth novel, Met Safa komt de herfst (With Safa comes autumn) was published in Dutch in 2010. In it he tries to disentangle the political events of the last 30 years. In his novels, which are often reminiscent of the great Latin American magical realists, Al Malik incorporates folklore and myths. He sees it his task to explain to his readers that tolerance and the ability to live together with other cultures are the real core of Islam. By the end of the 1990s he fled to the Netherlands. Before that he studied in Khartoum, where he published in various newspapers. After his studies he worked as a teacher. After the 1989 coup it became increasingly difficult for Al Malik to work in freedom. His first novella was seized owing to its critical stance vis-a-vis the regime. His three other novels were published in Egypt, Syria and Lebanon respectively. Currently Al Malik lives in Amsterdam.

(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

(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.

was born in Nigeria. He worked as a lecturer and journalist in Nigeria before he moved to England to become the African Writing Fellow at the University of East Anglia. In 2002 he published his first novel, Waiting for an Angel. His writing has won many prizes including the Caine Prize, 2001, and the Commonwealth Writers Prize, 2003. In 2005/2006 he became the Chinua Achebe Fellow at Bard College, New York.
In 2006 he co-edited the British Council's anthology, New Writing 14. His second novel, Measuring Time, was published in 2007, it won the Virginia Library Foundation Fiction Award, 2008. His third novel, Oil on Water, was published in the US in 2011. His anthology, The Granta Book of the African Short Story came out in September, 2011. Habila teaches Creative Writing at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where he lives with his wife and three children.

(1954, Iran) is the pen name of Hossein Sadjadi Ghaemmaghami Farahani. Since his debut De Adelaars (The Eagles) in 1993 he has navigated between two worlds, the Netherlands and the country of his birth. Abdolah grew up in a harsh, Islamic region. Since he was twelve he read western literature and caught the scent of freedom. While studying physics in Teheran, he joined a secret leftwing party. In 1980 he published two collections of short stories clandestinely under the name Kader Abdolah. In 1988 he fled Iran and ended up in the Netherlands where he has since published a large body of works consisting of novels, short story collections and collected columns, published under the pen name Mirza in de Volkskrant. In Papegaai vloog over de IJssel (Parrot flew over the IJssel, 2014) four migrant families build a new existence in typically Dutch villages along the river; in Salam Europa (2016) the Shah of Persia travels through Europe late in the 19th century, accompanied by a large following of bickering courtiers.

(The Netherlands, 1967) spent a great deal of his youth in the Antilles. He had his breakthrough in 2005 with his novel Joe Speedboat. According to the media, his 2009 novel Caesarion earnied him a place among "The Greatest Ten of Dutch Literature." Dit zijn de namen (These are the Names) appeared in 2013, about the rough journey of a group of refugees. Wieringa gave music and poetry performances and made television programs. His essays and columns appear in various newspapers and magazines. Recent publications are the short story collections Dit is mijn moeder (This is my mother, 2019), Totdat het voorbij is (Until it is over, 2019), the columns collection Gedachten over onze tijd (Thoughts on our times, 2020), the novel Nirwana (2023) and the war chronicle Konvooi (Convoy, 2024). For this last novel he travelled with a convoy to Ukraine, that he supports with his activities for the Protect Ukraine organisation.

(Suriname, 1968) is a journalist, writer, and economist. She writes books, essays and columns on politics and society. For eleven years, she wrote a widely read column in Dutch national daily newspaper de Volkskrant every other day, for which she was awarded the Heldring Prize for best columnist in the Netherlands. In 2024, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Humanistic Studies. She wrote the political biography Mark, portret van een premier (2017; Mark, portrait of a prime minister) and compiled her columns about the COVID pandemic year 2020 in Dagboek van een krankzinnig jaar (Diary of a Mad Year). In 2025, her book Waar ik me voor schaam (What I am ashamed of) was published, a non-fictional, perceptive account of a search for the workings of intergenerational shame and totalitarian temptation.

(The Netherlands, 1984), also known as Eus, is a writer, columnist, and presenter. His semi-autobiographical and critically acclaimed picaresque novel Eus (2012) is about a Turkish teenager from the east of the country who tries to escape his fate as a marginal figure in an unorthodox way. He also wrote the novels Turis (2016) and Afslag 23 (2023) and recently the short story collection Mijn moeder, de kleine reus (2025): bestsellers that appealed to both young and older audiences. Eus is also a columnist for various newspapers and magazines, and a television presenter with successful programmes such as De Neven van Eus, Sterren op het Doek, De Geknipte Gast, Home of Eus, and Eus’ Boekenclub. He will be performing his theater show De Klassenmigrant until mid-2026. In addition to being a personal retrospective, it is also a plea for equal opportunities and cultural development.

Go to the website of Özcan Akyol
Instagram: @ozcanakyol

(England, 1948) is a political scientist and a philosopher. In his work he is pessimistic about the future. Thus in Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia he slashes the 'neoconservative project' which, through invasions in Iraq and Afghanistan, tries to estasblish a new world order: a dangerous cocktail of apocalyptic religion and utopias, inspired by the Enlightenment. In Strawdogs, Thoughts on Humans and other Animals he argues that people are strawdogs, who will cause their own ruin by new technologies and by exhausting the earth. In Al Qaida and What it Means to be Modern Gray warns that wars can be more dangerous than ever by the lethal mix of ethnic and religious enmity, the growth of the world population, growing scarcity and continuing industrialisation in the non-Western world. Gray was a professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics. He publishes in The Guardian, New Statesman and The Times Literary Supplement.

(1937-2012) is the penname of Hendrik Jan Marsman. Since his debut in 1960 he has published novels, volumes of poetry, novellas and essays on an almost annual basis. In the obituary he recently wrote for In Memoriam for the Flemish House De Buren (The Neighbours) he admits he has a lot of respect for other writers, writing profound, bulky novels. “I myself am a composer of chamber music. Four part pieces is the best I can do", said Bernlef. In his latest novel De een zijn dood (One man's death) he explores a new genre: the thriller. In 2008 he wrote the book week's gift De Pianoman, a story resembling Hersenschimmen, (Out of Mind) his breakthrough of 1984. Both novels were written in a characteristic style: without ‘fuss and bother and hoo-ha’, but in a ‘clear and lucid style’. Out of Mind was adapted for the screen and the stage. In 1984 Bernlef was recipient of the Constantijn Huygens Award for his entrire oeuvre and in 1987 won the AKO Literature Prize for Publiek geheim (Public Secret). As a translator Bernlef introduced numerous American and Swedish poets in the Netherlands, among others the Swedish poet and Nobel Prize winner 2011 Tomas Tranströmer, whose complete works he translated. He died in October 2012.

(Netherlands, 1958) has produced and presented the VPRO radio programme OVT since 2002, a two-hour show about the historical roots of current events as well as newly released historical books, films, commemorations, and anything else related to history. The show features live interviews, reportage, columns and a weekly documentary during the last half hour. He was already linked to OVT since 1992 as a programmer and previously freelanced for other national Dutch broadcasters such as VARA and IKON.

(Uganda, 1982) is since 2024 one of the three resident hosts of Kunststof, Dutch national public network NTR's culture and media programme, which is broadcast Monday to Thursday between 7 and 8 pm on NPO Radio 1. Andrew is no stranger to the Dutch media landscape: at 17, he was discovered as a talented debater in national Dutch debating competition Op weg naar het Lagerhuis (On the way to the Congress). After that, he soon ended up in radio. His interests and network extend from hip-hop, jazz and reggae to various types of classical music, literature, politics, theatre and visual arts. For years, he has been a regular at North Sea Jazz and many other (music) festivals; for his NPO Soul & Jazz-podcast series Makkinga Moves, he conducted countless interviews with artists.

(Hulshorst, NL, 1951) received the Anne Vondeling Award for political journalism in 2008, owing to her sharp analyses of social problems. She is a journalist in the widest sense of the word. Besides being an editor and columnist with the NRC Handelsblad newspaper, she makes frequent appearances on radio and TV. In 2007 she debuted as a novelist with Maak jezelf maar klaar (Go Get Yourself Off), in which one of the characters from Harry Mulisch's The Discovery of Heaven figures as a main character. Etty obtained her Ph.D. with distinction from Utrecht University with a biography of Henriëtte Roland Holst, Liefde is heel het leven niet (Love Is Not All of Life, 1996). Her newspaper columns appeared in four different books. Her reviews were compiled in Dames gaan voor - Van Hella Haasse to Connie Palmen (Ladies First: From Hella Haasse to Connie Palmen, 1999). Etty is a special lecturer in Literary Criticism at the Free University in Amsterdam, and is now at work on a biography of the late Dutch poet and songwriter Willem Wilmink.

(The Netherlands, 1975) is a writer of novels, poems, stories, essays, and screenplays. His work is characterized by the compelling way in which he brings characters involved in historical injustices to life. His debut novel Armin (2008) is about children adrift after World War II. In Ik was Amerika (I Was America, 2010), a Dutch prisoner of war in World War II befriends a farm worker in a camp in the US. Decades later, he seeks him out again. Peek received the BNG Literature Prize and the F. Bordewijk Prize for this work. Godin, held (Goddess, Hero, 2014) is a candid novel about the mysterious and all-too-human nature of love. In his pamphlet Verzet! Pleidooi voor communisme (Resistance! A Plea for Communism, 2015), he undermines decades of capitalist indoctrination. His novel A.D. (2021) tells about the events and hardships aboard one of the first seaships in the 16th century to present-day Indonesia and the arrival there. In 2025, his poetry collection Orang/oetan was published.

(soprano) was born in Sierra Leone. In 2003 she started studying classical voice performance with Eugenie Ditewig at the Utrecht Conservatory. She studies with Charlotte Margiono (voice) and Lieve Geuens (jazz), and has done masterclasses with, among others, Kurt Equiluz and Peter Kooij. She sang solo parts with various choirs in Sierra Leone, the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK. A highlight was her performance in “Let’s have peace please” by Henk Alkema, which he composed on the occasion of a visit by queen Beatrix to the Utrecht Dom. Pearlmira likes to work a lot in contemporary music too. she sang solo parts in the opera "Smeltwater" by Tom Dicke, "Huile Vierge" by Jelte Heringa, "The Jetsetter" by Anne Ku, "Quattro Stagioni d'Amore" by Robert Loeber, conducted by Henk Alkema and "De Onwankelbare" by Caroline Ansink with conductor Marcel Sijm, conducted by Jussi Jaatinen. In 2011 she could be heard in "Les Spectateurs" by theatre company OMSK in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria. In addition Pearlmira Vincent is a dedicated and skilful singing master.

(Amsterdam, 1970) is a Dutch journalist and writer. His debut, the novel Alleen maar nette mensen (Only Decent People, 2008) was a big success with some 200,000 copies sold. This twice awarded comedy of manners about a Jewish boy in search of an intellectual black girlfriend, is being adapted for the screen and will be released in the Netherlands in 2012. In the years that followed his debut Vuijsje travelled the world, from Paramaribo and Recife to Memphis and Frankfurt. He reported about his travels weekly in the newspaper Het Parool. Those columns were compiled in In het Wild, and complemented with other work, such as reports of his encounters with Desi Bouterse, Carice van Houten, Jesse Jackson, Bret Easton Ellis, Job Cohen and the cast of a Hungarian pornfilm. Vuijsje studied Sociology and American Studies at the University of Amsterdam. from 1997 to 2007 he worked as a journalist for Nieuwe Revu. In 2007 he started writing for the daily paper De Pers. Robert Vuijsje is the son of journalist Bert Vuijsje.

(Borgerhout, 1988) was hailed by Humo as ‘the most remarkable debutant in years’. In flamboyant prose poems he deals with social inconveniences of the modern age. At age 20 he made his debut with Tumult, part in a series edited by Gerrit Komrij. In his second collection of poetry Waakzaam (Watchful, March 2011) he poses critical questions about the current revolutions, crises of identity and superficiality. Inghels is initiator of Lonely Burial, a project whereby poets write a personal poem for people who died in solitude. On the website www.eenzameuitvaart.be Inghels and other poets describe their inquests into the deceased and publish their poems. In addition to poetry Inghels writes columns and short stories. Since 2010 he is a curator of the Felix Poetry Festival in Antwerp. Furthermore he is an esteemed guest at literary festivals. Meanwhile his prose has been published in various anthologies and his poems have been translated into English. He is presently working on his first novel. www.maarteninghels.be

is a part of Circus Treurdier, which was founded in 2008 by Thomas Spijkerman – from the idea that talented theatre makers have to unite, both businesswise and artistically. Seeing the need that together people have to find new, interesting forms of musical theatre. That those new forms must emanate from an autonomous artistic organisation, from the need to keep developing the Treurdierian style. Trio Koenijn consists of the by now famous cult figure “Koenijn” (philosopher in rabbit outfit) and his two musical cronies, Frank van Kasteren and Wilko Sterke.
 
Koenijn you may know from his own tv series Koenijn is een wijsneus (Koenijn is a smart aleck), his medium-sized role in the feature film Hondenhel (Dog's Hell) or his recently appeared book of poetry entitled Blanco (Blank).
 Also he is portrayed on fly-overs or white walls regularly. Although the latter is of course forbidden. Het Koenijn sings songs from antiquity and the near future. The work of obscure and less obscure writers.
 With his own characteristic (falsetto) voice. Accompanied on guitar, saxophone and the piano.

takes the audience to the markets of Marrakech where merchants, their business having been finished, get their drums out and improvise songs and raps about love and life. This traditional music, called Dekka el Marrakchia (literally: percussion from Marrakech) arose in towns like Taroudant and Ouarzate and was taken by traders to the economic heart of South Morocco, Marrakech. Manar's six members heard this music during their childhood in Morocco and introduced it in the Netherlands. In addition, Manar plays gnawa: sweeping ritual sufi music of the offspring of former slaves from West Africa, who had ended up in Morocco.

(1976, Nijmegen) is a journalist and presenter. She has worked for television and radio programmes of NTR, VPRO, the Dutch World Service and Radio West. In addition to her work in broadcasting Nicole hosts and leads varying meetings: from debates and congresses to literary festivals and other cultural events. She completed three studies: Journalism at the Hogeschool van Utrecht, Religion and the Philosophy of Life at the Free University in Amsterdam and a Master's Degree in Journalism in a Crossmedial News Surroundings at the Media Academie.

(Haarlem, 1956) won the NS Publieksprijs in 2008 with his novel Overgave (Surrender, 2007), about the struggle between pioneers and Comanche Indians in 18th century Texas. His novel Vaslav (2010) is also inspired by a true story: the dramatic decision by the legendary ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinski to quit dancing. In 2008 Japins diaries 2000-2007 appeared in book form entitled Zoals dat gaat met wonderen (As it goes with miracles) and his short stories were reprinted as Singel Pocket. In 1997 Japin made his international breakthrough with The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi, a novel about two 19th century Ghanaian princes who were brought up as Dutchmen. It has been translated in over ten languages and adapted for opera, dance and the theatre. For Een schitterend gebrek (translated as In Lucia's Eyes, 2003) he recieved the Libris literature award. Japin studied at the Kleinkunstacademie and was an actor and singer before he started writing. Various of Japin's short stories have been adapted for the screen. Since April 2011 he is one of the makers of a satirical tv programme.

(Leeuwarden, 1962) in 2010 published Bernhard, a reconstruction of the hitherto unknown German background of Prince Bernhard. With this book she obtained her doctorate in history at the University of Amsterdam. The four books which Van der Zijl published have been best-sellers and three of them were adapted for the screen. In 1998 she made her debut with Jagtlust, about a villa in Het Gooi, the meeting-place of artists and poets. Four years later it was followed by Anna, her much-praised biography of Annie M.G. Schmidt. In 2004 Sonny Boy appeared, about the love affair of a Surinamese student and a married Dutch woman, against the backdrop of WWII. The film attracted an audience of 400,000 and was selected the Dutch entry for the Oscars. Van der Zijl grew up in Friesland, studied art history and mass communication in Amsterdam and journalism in London. She worked for HP/De Tijd before deciding in 1999 to become a fulltime writer. Right now Van der Zijl is working on a story set in the US between 1875 and 1950.

(Netherlands, 1952) became well-known with her novels Geen gewoon Indisch meisje (No Ordinary Indonesian Girl, 1983) and Vaders van betekenis (Fathers of Significance, 1989), as well as the documentary Het land van mijn ouders (The Land of My Parents, 1983), in which the principal characters seek out their roots. Bloem is the daughter of Indonesian parents who, after Indonesian independence, migrated to the Netherlands. In 1993 she received the E. du Perron Award. Besides writing a large number of novels, short-story and poetry collections, and non-fiction,YA - a.o. Matabia (1981) about an Indonesian girl, published in Japanese and German, and many times awarded -  and children's books, she made film and TV productions such as the feature film Ver van familie (Far from Family, 2008) and the YA film De tovenaarsleerling (The Sorcerer's Apprentice, 1986) that won her a Cinekid Award. Her novel Een meisje van honderd (Girl of a Hundred Years, 2012) is a family story offering a brilliant overview of a century of Indonesian-Dutch history. Recent works include Haar goede hand (Her Good Hand, 2016) on her relationship with her mother, Een teken van leven (A Sign of Life, 2018) about mourning, and Indo (2020) on Indonesian history and Indonesian perceptions of identity. Her novel Meisjes uit het dorp (Village Girls) will be published January 2023. Bloem, who is also a clinical psychologist and visual artist besides being an author, received the 2022 Constantijn Huygens Prize for her entire oeuvre.

(Curaçao, 1936) studied Dutch Language and Literature at Leyden University. He lectured at Amsterdam University and from 1975 to 1981 taught at a teacher training college in Surinam. After that he returned to Curaçao to be appointed head of the Instituto Lingkwistiko Antiano. He founded a Papiamento secondary school based on humanistic principles: the Kolegio Erasmo. He writes stories, essays, poetry and novels. His successful debut novel Dubbelspel (Double Play, 1973) is presently being adapted for the screen. Following Dubbelspel the novels Nobele wilden (Noble savages, 1979) and De laatste vrijheid (The last freedom 1995) appeared, which won him the Cola Debrot Prize in 2001. In November 2001 the collection of stories De eeuwige hond (The eternal dog) appeared. His latest novel De deserteurs (The deserters) was published in 2006.

(Morocco, 1976) moved to the Netherlands age six as part of a family reunification scheme and grew up in Berkel-Rodenrijs. When he studied Dutch language and literature he began work on his debut De dagen van Sjaitan (The days of Sjaitan, 2000). The critics were very enthusiastic about this novel in which El Haji puts paid to the hypocrisy of Islam, embodied in the authoritarian father figure. Pieter Steinz (NRC Handelsblad) called the novel ‘the first Islamic novel in Dutch breaking down traditional religious and socio-political barriers’ and likened him to Maarten ’t Hart. In 2006 Goddelijke Duivel (Godly Devil) appeared, in which a writer of Berber descent goes in search of his god. His third novel, De aankondiging (The announcement, 2011) is set in the century before the birth of Islam. The main character is Mutalieb, the prophet Mohammed's grandfather. Mecca in those days was a tolerant town in the periphery of the Byzantine and Persian empires. El Haji's work distinghuishes itself on account of his original points of view, the provoking dilemmas which he raises, good rthythmicity and remarkable composition.

(Roermond, NL, 1965) studied Arabic and Middle East studies. Her second book was published in 2012: Het andere Arabische geluid (The Other Arab Voice), about voices of humanity and hope during the hectic transition period in the new Middle East. Her first book Dromen van een Arabische lente (Dreaming of an Arab Spring, 2008) was about the life and work of a human-rights diplomat in the Arab world. In both books she goes in search of the kind of stories that get little attention in Western media. Currently, Stienen is a publicist and independent consutant. She writes for NRC Handelsblad and De Volkskrant newspapers, has a column in the women's monthly magazine Opzij, and reguarly appears as a commentator on radio and television programmes and in debates at home and abroad.

(Brussels, 1968) is rightly called a multitalent. She sings, acts, writes, dances and is a visual artist. Ghalia Benali grew up in Tunisia. At age 21 she came to Brussels to study graphic arts. She took with her the music from her youth and childhood days: from French chansons, Persian and Egyptian music to sung readings from the Koran. With her present theatrical tour she pays homage to the great Oum Kalthoum, assisted by Moufadhel Adhoum (üd), Vincent Noiret (double bass) and Azzedine Jazouli (Arabic percussion). The Egyption singer, who died in 1975 is still known today as the voice of the Arab world. ‘Oum Kalthoum was my first musical school’, says Ghalia. At age four she listened tirelessly to an LP record of ‘Al Atlal’, probably partly fascinated by the hypnotic spinning of the record. With her tour Ghalia Benali aims at bringing to life again the overwhelming emotion of the profound and authentic songs of the great Egyptian diva.

was founded in the Netherlands in 2010. The band plays a rich mixture of modern Ethiopian music, mixed with traditional elements. In doing so, the musicians add a fresh and catchy sound to contemporary Ethiopian music, while at the same time honouring the legendary musical tradition of the country. Their most recent cd appeared on the label Ethiosonic, a French sublabel of Ethiopiques. All the music is written by singer and masenqo (lute) player Afework Nigussie and bass player Jasper de Beer. Besides these the Batiband consists of Natalio Sued (tenor sax), Mark Tuinstra (guitar) and Mark de Jong (drums, percussion).

Zoumana Diarra (Mali, 1960) hails from a family of "griots", African minstrels, who are held in high regard at the court. He plays the guitar, kora (African harp), ngoni (four-string African guitar), balaphone (wooden xylophone) and djembé. In the 1980s he added elements from jazz, salsa and R&B to his music. Zoumana has lived in Groningen since 1990 and has played, among others, with Stef Bos, Female Factory, Trijntje Oosterhuis, Leoni Jansen and the Five Great Guitars (Harry Sacksioni is one of them). He also gives workshops and builds instruments. www.zoudiarra.com

Basile Maneke (Congo) is a singer, guitarist, percussionist and composer. He grew up in Kinshasa and studied traditional music at the National Conservatory. In 1976 he settled in Angola where he founded his own successful group and played the trumpet in the National Orchestra. In 1993 Basile came to Friesland, working with poet Tsjebbe Hettinga, troubadour Hendrik van der Meer, Sieb van der Ploeg (De Kast), Sido Martens and the pop band Reboelje, among others. In addition he is active with his own bands (supporting act of De Dijk, among others), as a teacher and workshop leader.

Jungle by Night is a young Dutch band. In contrast to most bands inspired by British and American pop music, Jungle by Night looks outside the mainstream. Their music is a mix of Afrobeat from Nigeria and Jazz from Ethiopia - played with a western rock attitude. The band consists of Bo Floor (trumpet), Pieter van Exter (tenor sax), Ko Zandvliet (trombone), Jac van Exter (guitaar), Pyke Pasman (keyboard), Younes Tool (bass), Gino Groeneveld (congas, percussion), Tienson Smeets (djembe, percussion) and Sonny Groeneveld (drums).

(Antwerp, 1966) studied history of music, violin and chamber music at the conservatories of Brussels and Antwerp. He works as a musician as well as teaches music. He was also the editor of the anthology Turkooizen scheepje van verschil: twaalf jonge Vlaamse dichters (Turquoise little ship of difference: twelve young Flemish poets, 1997), for which he wrote the introduction. As a poet Ghyssaert made his debut with Honingtuin (Honey garden, 1991). This was followed by Cameo (1993), for which he received the poetry award of the Vlaamse Gids and the Lucy B. and C.W. van der Hoogtprijs. After the volumes Sneeuwboekhouding (Snow bookkeeping, 1995), Jubileum en andere gedichten (Jubilee and other poems, 1997) and De zuigeling van Sint-Petersburg (The infant of St. Petersburg, 2001) Ghyssaert attracted the attention of a somewhat larger audience when Kleine lichamen (Small bodies, 2005) was nominated for both the Herman de Coninck Award and the VSB Poetry Award. With his seventh volume Ezelskaakbeen (Donkey's jawbone, 2011) he is again an aspirant laureate fot the latter prize, according to the jury: ‘Ghyssaert dares to stir the emotions, and where it is not intentional, he succeeds in doing so.’

(Antwerp, 1969) taught neuropsychology at institutes in the United States and New Zealand. Right now he teaches at the Graduate School of Systems Life Sciences in Fukuoka, Japan. He is editor of the literary magazine DWB. He made his debut witht Nagelaten sonnetten (Posthumous sonnets, Manteau, 1999), which was nominated for the C. Buddingh' Prize. It was followed by Blanke verzen (Blank verse), Buigzaamheden (Pliabilities), which was awarded the Hugues C. Pernath Prize, Tegenvoetig, tweebenig (Anti-podal, Two-legged), Anophelia! De mug leeft (Anophelia! The ant's alive) and Vloeistof en welvaart (Liquid and Welfare). With respectively Leo Vroman and Arnoud van Adrichem Lauwereyns made the collections of poetry Zwelgen wij denkend rond (Revelling while thinking) and Stemvork (Tuning fork). In addition he wrote the novel Monkey business. Splash, nominated for the Flemish Culture Prize (Splash. Lyric suite on biology, ritual and poetry), and the Poems' Day essay De smaak van het geluid van het hart (The taste of the sound of the heart). Lauwereyns' collection Hemelsblauw (Heavenly blue, Bezige Bij, 2011) deserves a VSB nomination due to the ‘passion and commitment with the world and its peculiarities’.

(Amsterdam, 1951) writes poems, prose, plays, reviews and essays. The Constantijn Huygens Prize for his entire oeuvre is only one of many awards for his work, which, in translation, has reached readers in Italy, France, Germany and Sweden. Otten knows how to touch upon socially sensitive issues, like pornography in his essay Denken is een lust (Thinking is a lust, 1985), euthanasia in the novel Ons mankeert niets, (We're all right, 1994) and catholicism in his pamphlet Het wonder van de losse olifanten (The miracle of the loose elephants, 1999). He made his poetic debut with Een zwaluw vol zaagsel (A swallow stuffed with sawdust, 1973), which won him the Reina Prinsen Geerligs Prize. For the collection Ik zoek het hier (I seek it here, 1980) he received the Herman Gorter Award, for Paviljoenen (Pavillions, 1992) the Jan Campert Award, while the collection Eindaugustuswind (End of August wind, 1998) earned him a nomination for the VSB Poetry Award. He was again nominated for that prize with his eleventh anthology, Gerichte gedichten (Targeted Poems) as it raises issues such as 'loss, emptiness and inescapable existential questions'.

(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.

(Sint-Niklaas, 1960) is professor of modern Dutch literature at the University of Liège. He obtained his doctorate in Louvain with a thesis on the work of Paul van Ostaijen, gathered a following being an editor with the literary magazine Yang and was at the inception of Freespace Nieuwzuid. Discursive machine for cultural critique and amusement. After the double anthology Golden Boys with Dirk van Bastelaere, Spinoy published De jagers in de sneeuw (The hunters in the snow) which won him the Flemish Prize for Best Literary Debut. This was followed by Susette, for which he received the Hugues C. Pernath Award and Fratsen (Caprices). After a ten-year silence Spinoy started publishing books of poetry in Boze wolven (Angry wolves),which led to the Prize for Literature of the Flemish Provinces, L, which resulted in the Literary Award of the Province of West-Flanders and Ik, en andere gedichten (I and other poems). Spinoy's seventh book of poetry, Dode kamer (Dead room, Bezige Bij Antwerpen, 2011), was nominated for the VSB poetry award, owing to its uniform high quality’.

was founed in Amsterdam in 2010. Musical leader is Amo (Daniel Opoku Amo). The basis for the choir was laid in the music school he set up in Amsterdam-Zuidoost. In addition to being a musician Amo is a teacher giving gospel and African music workshops throughout Europe. The repertoire of the Ghana Community Choir is a combination of African indigenous rhythms, authentic gospel, jazz and funk. A fine way to share the rich West African culture and a guaranteed method to get every listener to swing! The choir performed at the Afrika Museum, at the Gospel Festival Amsterdam and the Nelson Mandela Festival, among others.

(Amsterdam, 1981) - writer, poet, and journalist – gained attention in 2009 with her first poetry collection Als Mozes had doorgevraagd. In 2012, her debut novel De laatste Aedema was published. In her work, she explores how we can think differently about ourselves and the world. Since 2019, she has written about how space can help us see the Earth from a new perspective, in a.o. her essay Wat is ruimte waard. The theatre play based on this book, Maankoorts, premiered in June 2024. Since 2019, Van Heemstra has been a space correspondent at De Correspondent. She creates podcasts (including Sør, Stadsastronaut en Als geschiedenis in je opstaat) and recently conducted research on the value of the night. In 2025 she performs her stage play Observaties van een theaterrat.

(Netherlands, 1965) started her career in youth journalism and became the Middle East correspondent for Dutch NOS News from 2006 to 2011, reporting on 22 countries from her base in Amman, Jordan. Through her work she developed great admiration for the people in the areas she covered, above all praising their helpfulness and hospitality. “When you ask for directions, whole groups walk along with you, and people are truly relieved when you reach your destination.” Since her return to the Netherlands, Le Fever has worked for the NOS newsdesk.

(Morocco, 1973) is a journalist, columnist, translator, researcher and producer. She publishes in various media (including Dutch national daily newspaper NRC and women's magazine Linda); runs her own online magazine for culture lovers, Aicha Qandisha. She compiled a story collection about Arab women, Achter de sluier (Behind the Veil, 1999); 2013 saw the publication of her book Arabieren kijken (Looking at Arabs), about "ordinary" people in the Arab world. She made TV programs for various broadcasters, including the documentary series Seks en de Zonde (Sex and Sin). Together with Michelin-starred chef Soenil Bahadoer, she wrote the culinary books Spicy Chef (2020) and Streetfood (2022). She published two further books in 2022: Een koffer vol citroenen (A Suitcase Full of Lemons), a requiem for and portrait of her mother, and Arbeidsmigranten in Nederland (Migrant Labourers in the Netherlands).

(Leyden, 1949) is one of the most prominent figures in Dutch literary non-fiction. He has also gained international recognition with works such as Baltische zielen (Baltic Souls) en De rechtvaardigen (The Righteous). His writings have been translated into 23 languages, among which English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Swedish, Chinese and Russian. His two most recent books are set in former Dutch East Indies, where both of his parents lived and were held captive in Japanese internment camps during the war: De tuinen van Buitenzorg (The Gardens of Buitenzorg, 2021) and De Kampschilders (The Camp Painters, 2022). In September 2023, Brokken was honored with the Golden Quill Award for his entire body of work. Brokken studied journalism in Utrecht and political science in Bordeaux. After a career in journalism (including roles at Trouw and HP/De Tijd), Brokken decided to dedicate himself fully to his writing in 1986. His debut, the adapted novel De provincie (The province, 1984), had already been published by that time. He has since produced over thirty-five titles - a mix of fiction and non-fiction - in which he unveils the histories of countries he has visited, from Africa and the Caribbean to Indonesia.

(Gombong, Java, 1934) has played in numerous plays, films, tv series and musicals. The public at large knows him from the Sonneveld show, De stille kracht, Oebele, Foxtrot and Miss Saigon. The theatre lover knows him because of his great, more serious roles, such as in Amadeus, De verbroken code, Shakespeare's The Tempest and Children of a Lesser God. In 2011 he was appointed a Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion, a distinction given to people with exceptional achievements for society on the basis of very special talents. In his career of fifty years Willem Nijholt has always regarded language as the basis of acting. In addition to being an avid reader he is first and foremost a passionate writer. That great love of language can be read in Met bonzend hart. Brieven aan Hella Haasse (With a throbbing heart, Letters to Hella Haasse).

(Amsterdam, NL, 1963) studied Dutch language and literature in Amsterdam. He writes reviews, interviews, columns and obituaries, and heads the books section of De Volkskrant newspaper. In 2011 he published Eindelijk Sneeuw (Snow at Last: twelve wintry stories about artists, writers, and books, from Willem Witsen's cityscapes to the tears of Mrs. Dickens). Exerpts from his reviews and interviews were published in the books Langzaam lopen is al verdacht (Walking Slowly is Suspicious, 1999), De ongeneeslijke lezer – een werkboek (The Incurable Reader: a workbook, 2002), Het woord is aan de schrijver (The Writer Has the Floor, 2005), and De Broodschrijver (The Hack, 2006), about Bart Chabot's biography of Herman Brood. In 2012 he published Kreten uit een urn (Cries from an Urn), a lecture on the role of the critic in our time. His text "Naar boven mit Brakman" ("Up With Brakman") accompanied the 2015 unveiling of the Brakman monument in Enschede.

(Coevorden, NL, 1963) was born as Marjolijn Drenth. Besides being a writer, he is an ethicist, an art historian, and a lawyer. Februari understands the art of turning moral dilemmas and legal issues into elegant prose. "It's got to be exciting and entertaining. If you write a pamphlet, no one will read it," he commented. His novel De literaire kring (The Book Club, 2007), on the morals of the Dutch cultural elite, got a very positive reception. From 2001 to 2010 Februari wrote columns for the Volkskrant newspaper. Some of these columns were published in Park Welgelegen - Notities over Morele Verwarring (Welgelegen Park: Notes on Moral Confusion, 2004). In his PhD thesis Een Pruik van Paardenhaar & Over het Lezen van een Boek (A Wig of Horse's Hair & On Reading a Book, 2000), nominated for the Golden Owl Award, he examines the relationship between economics and ethics. Currently he writes a weekly column for opinion page of NRC Handelsblad. Some of these, together with some Volkskrant columns, have been anthologised in Ons soort mensen (Our Kind of People, 2011). De maakbare man (The Makeable Man), notes on transsexuality, was published in 2013.

(Netherlands, 1945) writes novels, stories, essays, lectures and columns with a strong historical bent. She debuted with 1987's Tine of de dalen waar het leven woont (Tine, or the Valleys Where Life Lives), a fictitious biography of 19th-century Dutch writer Multatuli's first wife. Her book De naam van de vader (The Name of the Father) won the 1994 Multatuli Prize. In 2002 she wrote Pelican Bay, about slavery in the Caribbean and the Netherlands. Her essay collection Schatplicht (Tribute) appeared in 2013, and her 2016 novel Aan het eind van de dag (At the End of the Day) is simultaneously a portrait of a career woman and a snapshot of the second half of the 20th century. De val van Thomas G. (The fall of Thomas G.) tells about the publisher of a controversial book. Noordervliet's body of work was awarded the 2018 Constantijn Huygens Prize.

(Leeuwarden, 1943) until 2009 headed the Institut Néerlandais in Paris. Previously she headed the Dutch Literary Production and Translation Fund. In that capacity she has given Dutch literature abroad a face. Wester studied French at the Amsterdam Free University. For a long time she reviewed French literature for the weekly magazine Vrij Nederland. Annually she anthologizes the best Dutch and Flemish travel stories. In 2000 the French government made her Officier des Arts et des Lettres; in 2001 she was made a Knight in the Order of Orange Nassau.

(Tegelen, 1964) is a writer and a literary editor. In 1993 she graduated in Dutch language and literature at the University of Amsterdam. During and after her studies she organised literary evenings with Stichting Perdu. Since 1997 Patricia de Groot has worked as a editor with Uitgeverij Querido. In 2002 she made her debut as a prose writer with De achteroverval (The fall backwards), and in 2003 she and photographer Emmy Scheele made the text and phfoto book Op de kop (On the head). Her third book is entitled: Derde. Een sprookje over het hier en het namaals (Derde. A fairy-tale on the here and the hereafter). De Groot also publishes in literary magazines like Raster, De Gids and Tirade.

(1951) is a daughter of Hella S. Haasse and Jan van Lelyveld. She studied Dutch in Amsterdam. From 1975-2006 she was a teacher of Dutch, a tutor, coordinator and student counsellor at the Vossius Gymnasium in Amsterdam. She taught Dutch to Arnon Grunberg, the later writer, whose compositions, she remembers, were brilliant. From 1994 she was deputy principal for the lower grades of the Vossius gymnasium. From 2007 Marijn van Lelyveld has had her own business: Marijn van Lelyveld, training and coaching. www.marijnvanlelyveld.nl

(Sassenheim, NL, 1942) initially wanted to be an actor but left theatre school after only one year. He then dedicated himself to studying Dutch and founded the literary youth magazine Fase. At the same time, he published his poetry in various other literary magazines and translated drama. He eventually ended up in arts journalism via various odd jobs that paid the bills. He worked (among others) for the newspapers AD, De Haagsche Courant and Het Binnenhof. He also created radio commentaries for Radio West. Although initially hired to cover film and theatre, another great passion became his specialty: jazz. Jansma retired in 2005 but remains active as a journalist for the websites jazzmasters, denhaagjazz and jazzpodium, among others.

(Brummen, NL, 1959 - Amsterdam, 2016) was a poet, journalist, and media presenter. At a young age he debuted as a poet in the Dutch literary magazine Hollands Maandblad. Since then he has published books of poetry quite regularly, such as Neem me mee zei de hond (Take Me With You Said the Dog, 2010). After the publication of his first collection Inslag (Impact, 1985), he began working as an interviewer for the VPRO broadcasting company. Later he became head producer of the Radio 6 programme "De Avonden." Since 2005  he talked to writers on VPRO's book programme "Boeken" on both TV and radio. He put together Briefgeheimen (Postcard Secrets, 2007), a colourful compilation of postcards linked to a website where people can divulge their deepest secrets. Overkomst dringend gewenst (Return Voyage Urgently Requested), his anthology of the work of poet Jan Emmens, was published in 2012, and his most recent poetry collection, 's Middags zwem ik in de Noordzee (In the Afternoons I Swim in the North Sea) in 2014. Brands was one of the "Lonely Departure" poets who compose and present a final poetic tribute to people who pass away without friends or family.

(1970) is a film maker and writer. For Zembla he made among others documentaries on Shell's dirty oil and the hunt for Mladic. His documentary about Shell in Nigeria led to a hearing in the Dutch Parliament early 2011 on the dubious practices of the oil giant. Blom, who had spoken to the local population, was heard as a witness. Sports is a cherished topic of Blom's. He wrote two books about football (among others on Marco van Basten) and made various sports documentaries. In 2004 Blom together with a colleague founded his own production company, Stanzafilm, which not only makes documentaries for tv and the Internet but also company films. Two years later he became documentary film maker with VARA/NPS. He made among others the documentaries Weg met de Centrumpartij (Away with the Centrumpartij), Hijacking in Almelo and The mystery of Foekje Dillema.

is a poet and translator. Together with Florimon van Putte she compiled the Complete Papiamento-Dutch Dictionary, published in September 2005, followed in 2006 by the Dutch-Papiamento volume.

was born in Kars, in the northeast of Turkey and has lived in the Netherlands for twenty years. He studied to be a primary school teacher and after that studied to become a Turkish teacher. Murat taught a number of years in secondary education in Turkey and worked as a journalist for various newspapers and magazines. He wrote collections of short stories, novels and children's books. Three of his works were awarded literary prizes in Turkey. His novel Maviydi Adalet Sarayı was published in 2003 in Dutch by 3C publishers in Arnhem under the title False Hope. His latest novel, Inanna is a great success in Turkey. In Extaze 1 Tuncel made his debut as a writer in Dutch. During Writers Unlimited Tuncel will read in Dutch. Also a debut therefore.

is a singer, who was born in Suriname and grew up in Curaçao. She studied private law at the Erasmus Universiteit in Rotterdam. Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder are her favourite artists. She is at the beginning of a singing career. Her father is the writer Frank Martinus Arion. She performs with guitarist Bryan van Putte.

(1953) studied drama at the Kunstacademie in Utrecht. She made her debut with the Amsterdam theatre company Orkater, acted in successful television programmes, played in various Dutch films, had her own band ‘Nénette et les Zézettes’, with which she performed a lot (e.g. on De Parade) and sang with various renowned orchestras. In 2002 Loes Luca hosted the public night of the Royal Wedding. In the same year she was elected Actress of the Year by the Dutch public and won the Rembrandt Award. In 2006 she was in the theatre with Moordwijven, her first one woman show. In 2007 she was nominated for the Theo d’Or and won the Gouden Notekraker. In 2011 she was successful with her roles in the plays The Hypochondriac and August, Oklahoma.

(Aruba) is a poet and writer of children's books. She wrote two fairytale-like (picture) books about the spider Anansi and is a storyteller in heart and soul and introduced the kamishibai, a portable story-theatre, originally from Japan.

(Morocco, 1972) came to Rotterdam at age three, the daughter of a metal worker. She studied in Antwerp (German and English) and in the Netherlands (international relations) and worked at De Balie and KIT among others. She was an editor with IKON and the Dutch Muslim Channel (NMO). In addition she wrote for the GroenLinks Magazine and was the author of two books. Het patatpantheon (The French fries pantheon: the group culture of a new generation) and Marokkanen, landgenoten: drie generaties Marokkanen in Nederland (Moroccans compatriots, three generations of Moroccans in the Netherlands). From 2002-2010 she was Member of Parliament for GroenLinks. In 2010 she left Parliament and worked as a freelance presenter and programme maker. Since then she has made a series of documentaries on elderly Moroccan women, among others.

(Bonaire, 1943) after passing his secondary school teaching certificate in bookkeeping worked at various accountants offices and banks, among others on Aruba, after which he finished a study in Business Economics at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. As an economics teacher he worked at various secondary schools in The Hague. He has always been interested in Papiamentu. From 1994 to 2004 he was involved in the SPLIKA foundation, founded at the time by Ruben Severina. SPLIKA stands for Stimulá (stimulating) Papiamentu Literatura Informashon (Information) riba Kultura (about the culture) di Antianan abou (of the Antillian Leeward Islands).

(Curaçao, 1937) from 1994-2007 served as the Antillean representative on the Dutch Council of State. A chemical engineer, he held various top positions with Shell, but became particularly known for his dedication towards Antillean interests in the Netherlands and as an advisor to the Antillean government. He occupied a host of additional offices, including that of chair of the National Bureau to Combat Racial Discrimination and membership of the recommending committee for a national monument to commemorate slavery.

(Hengelo, NL 1962) is a radio journalist and a writer. His most recently published book is De Wadden (The Frisian islands; 2013), a poetic history of the Frisian islands. His book of short stories Brutus heeft honger (Brutus is hungry, 2011) was nominated for the AKO Literature Prize. Eating being the leitmotiv, Deen jumps through world history. The forty-four historical stories are fine miniatures of scarcely one and a half page long. After having studied Dutch in Groningen Deen worked for Radio Noord for some years. His radio columns from those days were collected in two publications. Since 2001 Deen has been programme maker with VPRO radio, hosting the historical radio programme OVT. A number of historical documentaries which he made for VPRO radio has been published as an audiobook. The radio series De lange weg naar Darwin (Long road to Darwin) appeared on cd and as a podcast. Deen was programme coordinator of the Winternachten Festival between 2009 and 2011.

(The Hague, NL 1987) wrote her first compositions at age fifteen. First classical pieces for piano, which were soon followed by songs of her own with piano accompaniment. She received singing lessons from Astrid Seriese. In her first performances she accompanied herself on the piano. She also often played acoustic sets with guitar accompaniment. In 2009 she released her first single, 'Beautiful day'. With Astrid Seriese she conducts the Prachtmeidenkoor (Beautiful Girls' Choir) and sings in various other projects.

(1980) has been playing the guitar for almost 20 years and has been a teacher for 10. Most people know him from his time with the Dutch language nu metal band Van Katoen. In addition he busies himself among other things with dreamlike music by People You Know (formerly Sneakerfreak). He also produced an album with singer/lyricist Raj Mohan. In 2004 he graduated from the Utrecht Conservatory.

(1951, Geldrop) is regarded as one of the greatest postwar Dutch writers. He wrote two cycles of novels. In his second cycle Homo Duplex the novels Movo Tapes (2003), Drijfzand Koloniseren (2006) and Het Schervengericht (2007) appeared. In the last book A.F.Th. tells about the great director Roman Polanski, who ends up in a Californian prison, in the same unit as the murderer of his wife and unborn child. For the cycle he abridged his name to A.F.Th. In 2007 appeared Mim, a novella on the occasion of the 80th birthday of Harry Mulisch. Between 1983 and 1996 he published The Toothless Time, which is regarded as the core of his oeuvre and as the most famous cycle in Dutch literature. He has also published other work, for instance Engelenplaque (2003) a diary (1966 to 2003). His work has been awarded several times, with, among others, the F. Bordewijk-prize and the Multatuli-prize. A.F.Th. made his debut in 1978 using the pseudonym Patrizio Canaponi.

(Sittard, 1964) as a child liked to listen to the stories his grandmother told him. Stories about her youth, and fairy tales. When he grew older he went to the Theaterschool in Amsterdam. He played and danced in various (youth) theatre productions. Meanwhile he is a fulltime writer, and he teaches people who want to learn how to write. His first book Omhoogvaldag (Falling upward day) appeared in 1998. Followed by among others Schuilen in een jas (Taking shelter in a coat) and Negen Open Armen (Nine open arms). For the latter he received the Gouden Zoen (Golden Kiss) 2005 and the Thea Beckman Award 2004. In 2010 De hemel van Heivisj (Heyvish's heaven) appeared, the sequel to Negen Open Armen, for which he received the Woutertje Pieterse Prize, the Dioraphte Youth literature prize and the Nienke van Hichtum Prize. Benny Lindelauf loves the theatre and regularly writes texts for youth theatre companies.

is professor of film and television history at the University of Utrecht. He specialises in early film, particularly non-fiction, magical films and actors' bodies as a means of expression. Kessler was president of Domitor, an international club of fearly film fans. From 2004-2007 he directed the Institute for Media and Re/presentation and headed the department of Media and Cultural Science of the University of Utrecht. Kessler studied literature and film science and achieved his Ph.D. in film and performance science at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1987.

Salsaventura is the leading dance school for Salsa, Zouk and Bachata. There are many branches throughout the Netherlands. The school in The Hague teaches Salsa, Zouk, Zumba and Bachata dancing. In addition, there is a great number of dance courses like Styling, Mambo On2 and Cha Cha. Beside offering a good atmosphere Salsaventura has a unique and uniform curriculum based on more than 13 years' experience. It is being used by dozens of schools both at home and abroad. That's what distinguishes Salsaventura from other dancing schools. Salsaventura's programme is recognisable by the 6-Turn Pattern System. With this system the participant gets a structure of the 6 turns with which 80 per cent of all the different variations with the partner are done. Inspiring teacher and owner of Salsaventura is Morry Krispijn. www.salsaventura.nl

(The Netherlands, 1960) is a literary critic, writer, curator, interviewer, debate leader and "ambassador between France and the Netherlands in the field of literature", as a French ambassador once said. She has been writing about literature for some 30 years, mainly for the NRC daily. She published books on French and European literature, on Hella S. Haasse and Cees Nooteboom. Her In de voetsporen van mijn grootvader (2021) is an autobiographical search for her literary genes. Before that, she published Met Parijse pen. Literaire omzwervingen (in collaboration with photographer Bart Koetsier, 2020), which takes readers to Paris for walks in the footsteps of famous Dutch and French writers. She was joint artistic curator of the Netherlands' Guest of Honour role at the 2024 Leipzig Book Fair with German journalist Bettina Baltschev.

Go to the website of Margot Dijkgraaf
Instagram: @margotdijkgraaf

(1982) is a poet and a philosopher. He makes a podcast about and with poetry, VersSpreken. It was recipient of the 2010 European Podcast Award. In 2011 Ponte started the blog Politieke Taal (Political Language), in which he analyses how Geert Wilders and others try to gain influence through their use of langauge. Ponte graduated as a philosopher in 2007 from the Universiy of Amsterdam with a paper on the religious and metaphysical dimensions in the work van Gerard Reve. Right now he works as business coordinator of Stichting Perdu. He is also a co-worker in the working group Caribbean Literature. In addition he participates in the collective Schijnheilig. He has written pieces for among others deReactor.org and the literary magazine DWB as well as making programmes for Perdu and Schijnheilig.

(Liberia, 1973) is a novelist, essayist, journalist and film critic. His debut novel Land of the Fathers (1999) is partly based on his grandmother's stories and deals with the clash between slaves returning from the US and other Liberians. The novel The Black Napoleon (2015) portrays Samori Touré, who founded the Wasulu-empire in western Africa in the 19th century. His journalism, including film reviews, appears in publications such as The New York Times, Trouw and One World. Together with  Ebissé Rouw he compiled Zwart (Black, 2018), a collection of stories by Afro-European authors from the Low Countries. Ongekende liefde (Unprecedented Love), in which he tells his life story to his ten-year-old daughter Bendu, was published in 2021. Sherif's historical novel The Emperor’s Son (2023) follows Zaiwulo, a young prodigy who trains under sage Talata of the Haidarah family in Musadu. Entangled in the intrigues of Emperor Samori, the 'Black Napoleon,' Zaiwulo matures into a formidable soldier.

(Belgium, 1971) is an author, historian and archaeologist, known for his multifaceted contributions to literature and intellectual discourse. He is currently Philosopher Laureate of the Low Countries. Upon his appointment, he published De wereld en de aarde (The World and the Earth, 2025), in which he makes a groundbreaking proposal to radically broaden our thinking—and our politics. For the greatest security issue of our time is not the world with its mutual conflicts, but the earth, which is becoming increasingly disrupted. His oeuvre covers a range of genres, including historical non-fiction, poetry, and theater. Among his best-known works are Congo (2010), about the country's bewildering history, and Revolusi (2020), which places Indonesia's struggle for independence in a global perspective through eyewitness accounts. In addition to his literary work, Van Reybrouck is known as ‘one of Europe's leading intellectuals’ (Tagesspiegel), whose ideas relate to themes such as democracy, climate, and colonialism. He regularly publishes opinion pieces in international publications. 

Go to the website of David Van Reybrouck
Instagram: @david.vanreybrouck

as of December 2011 is director of De Bezige Bij publishing house. Before that he headed the Nederlandse Letteren Fonds (a merger of the Nederlands Literair Productie- en Vertalingenfonds and the Fonds voor de Letteren), the NLPVF and the Institut Néerlandais in Paris. As director of the Dutch Literary Fund in recent years Pröpper further enlarged a colossal network among writers and foreign publishers. He wrote numerous essays and articles on both Dutch and international literature. He also worked as a journalist, literary critic, editor and editor-in-chief of various cultural television programmes.

(Tunisia, 1960) is a writer, essayist, traveller and popular panel moderator. He has published fiction and non-fiction; was the director of the debating platform and venue De Balie; and was founder of the literary bookshop Perdu and the cultural centre De Tolhuistuin (all in Amsterdam). He performed with Enkidu Khaled in their jointly created documentary play Bagdad. Due to his curiosity about how artists recreate their cities after a crisis, he travelled to Sarajevo, Beirut, Tirana, Algiers, New York, Kiev, Jakarta and Qamishlo. At the invitation of PAX, he wrote Srebrenica & PAX 1995-2020, an overview of 25 years of support to the Association of Women of Srebrenica by the IKV and PAX in response to the genocide in Bosnia. In 2021 he published Gastvrijheid (Hospitality), in which he explores the art of hospitality through a mix of travel stories, observations, memories and imagery.

(1965) is manager campaigns of Oxfam Novib in The Hague. From 1993 to 2009 he was political coördinator of the Groen Links party in the Dutch House of Commons. He studied political science, and specialized in international relations.