(Indonesia, 1948) is considered one of the most important Indonesian writers of today. His novels A Shooting Star at Dawn and The Dancer appeared in Dutch, German, English, Japanese and Chinese translation. The novels are part of the trilogy Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk, about an 11-year old village girl who works as a dancer and prostitute and who, in the unruly days of the 1965 coup unwillingly became the mascot of the Communist Party. Tohari grew up in the Javanese village of Tinggarjaya. He developed his own vision on Indonesian Islam, thereby honouring and preserving local Indonesian traditions. Early 1970s he moved to Jakarta where he worked for the newspaper Harian Merdeka and the magazine Amanah. He was already writing short stories, poems and essays. After having lived in Jakarta for two decades he returned to his source of inspiration, the countryside. In 2009 Tohari founded the magazine Ancas (Vision) in his region of birth to promote the local language, Banyumasan. In addition, he runs an Islamic school, promotes Javan folk art and is an advisor for the Ministry of Culture.

(Lebanon, 1945) is one of the most acclaimed writers in the contemporary Arab World. She is the author of seven novels, including The Story of Zahra, Women of Sand & Myrrh, Beirut Blues, Only in London, a collection of stories: I Sweep the Sun off Rooftops, and her much praised memoir of her mother’s life The Locust and the Bird. She has written two plays, Dark Afternoon Tea and Paper Husband. Most recently she published One Thousand and One Nights, an adaptation and re-imagining of some of the stories from the legendary Alf Layla Wa Layla - the Arabian Nights, commissioned by the director Tim Supple for the theatre, and performed in Toronto and Edinburgh in 2011. Her work has been translated into twenty-eight languages. Hanan al-Shaykh lives in London.

(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) 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

(Turkey, 1973) is an award-winning Turkish writer, political thinker, and speaker. After leaving her home country in 2016, she wrote How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Fascism. In 2021, she published Together: A Manifesto Against the Heartless World, now translated into Dutch for the first time, and in 2025 Nation of Strangers was published, with the Dutch translation appearing in 2026. Her work is translated and published worldwide. She currently lives in Berlin and serves on the advisory boards of Progressive International and DemocracyNext.

(Pakistan, 1964) made his debut in 2008 with A Case of Exploding Mangoes, which won awards instantly (the Commonwealth Book Prize for best debut, among others). A dark satire about the plane Crash killing general Zia, Pakistan's former president. An NCO who wants to take revenge after his father's death, tells the story. Hanif himself was a pilot in the airforce before woking as a journalist. He worked for Newsline, The Washington Post and India Today. In 1996 he became head of the Urdu-department of the BBC Worldservice in London. In 2008 he returned to Pakistan to work there as a journalist. His second novel Our Lady of Alice Bhatti (2011), is largely set in a Christian hospital in Karachi, the place where small daily dramas take place. Hanif: 'It is not the life CNN, FOX and Al Jazeera report on… For me that life is as exciting as the things happening on a worldwide scale.'

(Argentina, 1948) is a writer of non-fiction, a journalist and a bibliophile. He obtained international renown with Diary of a Reader, A History of Reading and The Library at Night. Manguel spent his early childhood in Tel Aviv where his father was ambassador. He spoke German and English there and only learnt Spanish on his return to Argentina at the age of seven. Nine years later the blind writer Jorge Luis Borges asked him to read for him and so he developed his great love for literature. Meanwhile he has collected over 30,000 books. Right before the Dirty War he left for Europe where he started a major oeuvre on world literature. He exchanged Europe for Canada and in 2000 together with his books moved to Poitou-Charentes in France. He won numerous prizes for his work, the prestigious French Prix Médicis, among others. www.alberto.manguel.com

(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.

(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.

(The Netherlands, 1962) is a Dutch writer, screenwriter and visual artist. She made her debut in 1995 with the collection of short stories Begeerte (Desire), which was nominated for the AKO Literature Prize, the Anton Wachter Prize and the ECI Prize. The title story was awarded the Rabobank Spring Prize for Literature. Her first novel Gemis (1997) was nominated for the Libris Literature Prize. Her most recent book, Vallen is als vliegen (Falling is Like Flying, 2019), was shortlisted for both the 2019 Bookspot Literature Prize and the 2020 Libris Literature Prize. The novel was named the best Dutch-language novel of 2019 by NRC Handelsblad and Humo. Uphoff was editor of the literary magazine De Revisor and board member and president of PEN Netherlands. As a screenwriter, she wrote the feature film screenplay Een Groot Geweld (Topkapi Films).

(Ermelo, NL, 1963) is an historian and literary critic. During his work for the television history programme "Andere Tijden" (Different Times) he stumbled on a short film in which his grandfather, a colonel, is present at the departure of Dutch troops from Yogyakarta in 1949. It was the beginning of his quest into his grandfather's past, published in 2012 as the book De laatste man (The Last Man). Goedkoop has made a public appeal not the allow the Dutch East Indies colonists to fall into historic oblivion: people can add their stories on www.delaatsteman.nl. Goedkoop worked for the Dutch weekly magazine Haagse Post before moving on to the VPRO network in 1991. Since 1995 he has written about literature for the daily paper NRC Handelsblad. In 1996 he received his PhD with honours for a biography of Dutch playwright Herman Heijermans, Geluk (Happiness). Een verhaal dat het leven moet veranderen (A Story to Change One's Life) was published in 2004, featuring essays on the relationship between contemporary Dutch literature and reality. Goedkoop made a successful television documentary series, De Gouden Eeuw (The Golden Age), and is now writing a biography of Dutch writer Renate Rubinstein.

(Amsterdam, NL 1981) studied history at the Free University in Amsterdam. She worked as as researcher with the International Information Centre for the Women's Movement, charting Moroccan-Dutch women's history. On that subject she did her Master's: The migration of Moroccan women to the Netherlands, 1967-1980. For the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the treaty enabling the mass migration of Moroccans to the Netherlands she wrote the book Marokkanen in Nederland, pioniers vertellen, (Moroccans in the Netherlands, Pioneers Tell Their Stories) with Annemarie Cottaar en Fatiha Laouikili. In 2012 her Ph.D. thesis appeared: Het Land van Herkomst, Perspectieven op verbondenheid met Marokko, 1960-2010 (The Country of Origin, Perspectives on Alliance with Morocco, 1960-2010), a tryptich shedding light on Dutch and Moroccan government policy and the influence of Moroccan organisations as well as telling the stories of the migrants themselves. Her membership of an advisory organ of King Mohammed VI led to some controversy. Bouras was a guest in tv shows such as the popular late night talkshow Pauw & Witteman, Een Vandaag en the Dutch Muslim Channel.

(Amsterdam, 1966) is a graphic novelist and illustrator. In 1990 his Muizentheater (The Mice Theatre), appeared, about two brothers in a time of crisis and war. It won him the Stripschap-penning (a Dutch cartoonists' prize) for best album. In 1998 and 2004 he published Rampokan: Java and Rampokan: Celebes, a diptych set on the eve of the colonial war the Dutch fought in Indonesia. These books have meanwhile appeared in French, German and Indonesian translation. For Dutch daily NRC's Literary Supplement, Van Dongen drew fifty writers portraits. November 2017 he published Familieziek (Family Sickness), his graphic-novel adaptation of the novel Repatriated (2002) by Adriaan van Dis; it is a story about an Indonesian family, survivors of the Japanese camps, that tries to settle in the Netherlands during the fifties.

(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.

(Netherlands, 1961) is a writer, journalist and, since 2012, Editor-in-Chief of the literature section of NRC newspaper. He studied history and Russian at the University of Amsterdam. Krielaars has written novels, a short-story collection, and various books about Russian history. Het brilletje van Tsjechov (Through Chekov's Glasses) was published in 2014, a report of his travels through Russia in the footsteps of the famous author. His book Reizen door Rusland (Travels through Russia) earned high praise and won the 2015 Bob den Uyl Prize. Alles voor het moederland (Everything for the Mother Country, 2017) tells about Stalin's reign of terror in the times of Isaak Babel and Vasili Grossman.

(The Hague, NL 1987) is a talented tv host, chairman and columnist. His parents emigrated to the Netherlands from Pakistan. At the age of 18 Umar Mirza began as a columnist and editor of the multicultural platform Wijblijvenhier.nl and developed his outlook on the Netherlands in contributions on various weblogs, opinion sites, in magazines and collections of essays. In addition he regularly sits on panels, chairs meetings and leads debates. Since 2009 he is a guest lecturer at Fontys Hogeschool voor Journalistiek in Tilburg and since 2011 has hosted tv programmes for NTR (Mijn moskee is top). Umar did the minor People and Society at Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam and in 2012 completed his Master's at the Technische Universiteit Delft. He was elected one of the twelve Best Graduates of the Netherlands. He is working on a new television programme. www.umarmirza.nl.

(The Hague, NL 1952) is a jack-of-all-trades. Apart from writing prose and poetry for children and adults, she illustrates and performs. In 2008 and 2009 she was city poet of Antwerp, Belgium. Her illustrated novel Alles Nieuw (Everything New) made it to the shortlist of the 2009 Ako Literature Prize. Van Leeuwen's children's books have been awarded many times with the Zilveren Griffel (Silver Pencil), Gouden Uil (Golden Owl) and the Woutertje Pieterse Prize. Especially her children's book Deesje was translated in many languages and awarded abroad. The power in her work is that she enriches her texts with beautiful illustrations. Van Leeuwen's main characters often walk through life with a gaze of wonderment while at the same time they seem locked by everyday routine. Van Leeuwen’s career began in 1978 when she won the Camaretten (cabaret) festival and published her first children's book. Since then she hes been performing in smaller and bigger productions, combining cabaret, literature and image.

(Tunesia, 1967) is a prominent internet activist who set the Jasmine revolution in his country in motion from the Netherlands. He fled the country in the late 1990s, settling in the Netherlands. In the northern, mostly agrarian province of Friesland he became a ship's master and began his own weblog. With other dissidents he founded the Tunesian webportal Nawaat.org in 2004, which played an important role in the ousting of president Ben Ali. When WikiLeaks late 2010 began leaking cables of American Embassies, Ben Gharbia, who knew Julian Assange from the international hackers' world, asked for the Tunis cables. Via Nawaat.org the 'Tunileaks' were translated into French and Arabic and disseminated. Ben Gharbia and Nawaat.org were awarded prizes by among others the Reporters without Borders, The Electronic Frontier Foundation and Index On Censorship. In 2012 he was recipient of the Prince Claus Prize and the magazine Foreign Policy placed him in the Top 100 of Global Thinkers. Sami Ben Gharbia lives in Tunesia again, contributing to a new identity for his country.

(The Netherlands, 1982) is a poet, columnist, critic and presenter at literary events, including Writers Unlimited. For De steen vreest mij (2011), she was awarded the C. Buddingh’ Prize for the best poetry debut. Her collection Hogere natuurkunde (2019) is part travelogue, part myth and part testimony, and the outcome of conversations Deckwitz engaged in with individuals whose roots also trace back to the former Dutch East Indies. In 2022, Eerste hulp bij poëzie was published, an omnibus containing her collections Olijven moet je leren lezen (2020) and Dit gaat niet over grasmaaien (2021). Deckwitz writes columns for national daily newspaper NRC. In her NPO Luister podcast Poëzie vandaag, she presents a Dutch or translated poem every workday morning. She is one of three critics of podcast Boeken FM. Since Autumn 2025, she has been one of the presenters of Nooit meer Slapen, the VPRO's night-time cultural radio programme.

Instagram: @la_deck

(Brussels, 1971) made his debut as novelist in 2010 with Bonita Avenue which became a best seller. Buwalda describes the demise of a family against the backdrop of the fireworks disaster in Enschede in 2000. The novel was awarded with five prizes and was translated into eighteen languages. Since then, Buwalda works on his second novel that will be published Fall 2018. Additionally he writes columns for Dutch national newspaper de Volkskrant. In 2017 he published a collection of these columns titled De kleine voeten van Lowell George (The Small Feet of Lowell George).

Amos Oz (Israel, 1939-2018) is regarded worldwide as one of the greatest contemporary writers and considered a candidate for the Nobel Prize. He made his debut in 1965 aged 22 with the collection of short stories Where the Jackals Howl. It was followed by a massive oeuvre, translated into 37 languages. His novels include My Michael, A Perfect Peace, Black Box, To Know a Woman, Fima, Don't Call it Night and The Same Sea. In 2002 his autobiographical novel A Tale of Love and Darkness appeared, which became a worldwide bestseller. In 2007 the fairy tale Suddenly in the Depth of the Forest and the novel Rhyming Life and Death appeared. It was followed by the collection of short stories Scenes from Village Life. His most recent book is the kibbutz situated Between Friends. Amos Oz has received countless international awards, including the Prix Fémina, the Israel Prize, the Friedespreis des Deutschen Buchhandels, the Prix France Culture and the Goethe Prize. Mr Oz lived in Arad and taught literature at Ben Gurion University in Beersheva.
He died in december 2018.

(Rozenburg, NL, 1976) is a journalist and documentary filmmaker. She interviewed her own parents for her series Veerboot naar Holland (Ferry to Holland), about five Turkish families emigrating to the Netherlands. She followed this up in 2012 with Ik zie een verre reis (I See a Long Journey Ahead), about her sister and two friends who want to return to Turkey. Born and raised in the Netherlands, the girls used to sing along with Dutch crooner Marco Borsato as kids. However, embittered by the aftermath of 9/11, they now read Turkish newspapers, watch Turkish television, and support Turkish football teams. After her journalism studies, Ekiz first worked for the Rotterdams Dagblad daily newspaper. In 2003 she went to Iraq as a reporter, and later became a correspondent in Istanbul for RTL Nieuws, BNR Nieuwsradio, the NMO (a Muslim radio and TV station), and the news agency GPD, among others. Back in the Netherlands she worked as an editor for "Pauw & Witteman," a popular late-night TV talk show, and was a panellist for the women's talk show "Vrouw & Paard". IN 2016, Dutch public television network VARA broadcast her six-part documentairy series De Pen en Het Zwaard, in which she visits journalists in countries where rulers try to silence them.

(Poland, 1967) is a journalist and columnist. He worked for the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza and now writes for the leading weekly review Polityka. In his work the focus is on Latin America, the antiglobalist movement, social conflicts and religious issues. The biography he wrote about his master Ryszard Kapuściński (Kapuściński Non–Fiction, Biography of a Legendary Journalist) is a portrait of how a journalist and writer was able to transform the experience of living under an authoritarian regime into great literature. The question which Domoslawski raised is whether one is allowed to have complete control over reality in order to sketch it even better. In addition to the biography he wrote four other books, among those Latin American Fever, 2004, and Rebellious America, 2007, an account of his conversations with prominent American intellectuals such as Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn and Philip Zimbardo, the social-psychologist who is known for his ‘Stanford prison experiment’. Domoslawski won various literary and journalistic prizes, and grants from the Universities of Stanford and New York.

(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.

(Beverwijk, NL 1966) made his debut in 1997 with the collection of poems 's Zomers stinken alle steden (In the Summer all Cities Smell). The tone which this 'dandy of disillusion' set in his debut was worked out in his later work. Poems going back to historical heroes and literary giants, in contrast to everyday banalities like department stores and hamburger joints. In the poems the influence of music on the work of this former punk rocker becomes visible: metric structure, strong rhythm and ample rhyme. His debut was followed by Zwart als kaviaar: (Black like Caviar), recipient of the Jan Campert Award, and Dit is mijn dag (This is My Day) and De wereld bij avond, (The world at Night). In 2009 he published a selection of his poetry in De droefenis van copyrettes (The Sadness of Copy Marts). In 2010 his book of essays appeared: Red ons van de dichters (Deliver Us from the Poets). In January 2012, the month in which Wigman became Amsterdam's 'city poet' Mijn naam is Legioen, (My Name Is Legion) appeared, which was nominated for the prestigious VSB Poetry Award.

(Syria, 1970), journalist and writer of novels, short stories, scripts and non-fiction, is a great champion of human and above all women's rights in Syria. Yazbek fled her country after openly resisting the regime and lives in exile in Paris. She has won many awards, including the Oxfam Novib PEN Award during 2013's Winternachten Festival. The Crossing (2015), about her secret return during the war in Syria, was awarded Best Foreign Book in France. Her personal stories uniquely illustrate the situation in that country. In 19 Women: Tales of resilience from Syria (2018), Yazbek focuses on the role of women during the revolution. Her upcoming De Blauwe Pen (The Blue Pen) is a lively, poetic novel about a Syrian girl who cannot stop running through the middle of the insanity of the war.

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

(Rotterdam, NL 1976) is a writer, poet and journalist. His book Het zusje van de bruid (The Bride's Sister, 2011) deals with his relationship with an addicted borderline girl. In his characteristic mixture of reportage, autobiography and historical writing Van Casteren tells the story of an amour fou. In 2008 he wrote the autobiographical Lelystad. He was accused of grave insult because of the book, which was nominated for the 2009 AKO Literature Prize. Van Casteren studied journalism and philosophy. At the age of 21 he became an editor with the Amsterdam based weekly De Groene Amsterdammer, where he made a name for himself with extensive reports. Four stories which he made in Nigeria were collected in Redactie Binnenland (Home Desk) and awarded the Dick Scherpenzeel Prize. Van Casteren also worked for the daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad and the weekly Vrij Nederland and now works for the Amsterdam daily newspaper Het Parool. He published poetry in Maatstaf and Passionate Magazine. He also wrote portraits of forgotten poets and writers, published a collection of his reports in Een vreselijk land (A Terrible Country) and the collection of poems Grote atomen (Large Atoms). In January 2013 he published his novel Been in de IJssel (Bone in the IJssel).

(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

(Montevideo, 1970) in her novels deals with the big issues of South America, the continent where she was born. Trujillo came to the Netherlands at age six. After the end of military rule she returned to her fatherland at age fifteen. There her first novella in Spanish was published and awarded a prize. She returned to the Netherlands to study at the Amsterdam film school. In 2002 her Dutch debut followed, De Bastaard van Mal Abrigo (The Bastard of Mal Abrigo), about two little boys from a poverty-stricken cocaine village, who eventually become president and minister of defence. This time she won the Marten Toonder/Geertjan Lubberhuizen prize. De terugkeer van Lupe García (The Return of Lupe García, 2009) is about a woman returning to her native country in South America to make a documentary about the guerrilla struggle there. This novel was nominated for the AKO Literature Prize and won the BNG Literature Prize. In 2014 she published De zangbreker, and her latest book Vrije radicalen (Free radicals) will appear January 2017.

(Zaandam, NL, 1972) is a professor of Korean Studies at the University of Leiden. He studied Japanese and Korean, and lived for a time in Seoul while earning a second Master's degree. Breuker collaborated on the first Korean-Dutch dictionary(2002). In 2006, he obtained his doctorate (with distinction) with When Truth is Everywhere: The formation of plural identities in medieval Korea, 918-1170. In 2008, Breuker worked as a researcher at Australia's National University (ANU). Then he worked on the research project Conceptualizing Northeast Asia: World history through the lens of Koryǒ and Liao. Breuker is the acting director of the project History as Social Practice: Unconventional historiographies of Korea. He is editor-in-chief of the e-magazine Korean Histories and an editor with the magazine East Asian History. In 2010 he received the KNAW Heineken Young Scientists Award for Historical Learning for research into Korean identity. Together with Imke van Gardingen he translates contemporary Korean literature. 

(Roermond, NL 1954) is De Volkskrant and NOS Journaal (Dutch 8 o' clock news) correspondent in southeast Asia. He studied philosophy and worked as a journalist for De Volkskrant from 1986. As a literary reporter he talked to A.F.Th. van der Heijden, W.F. Hermans, Hugo Claus among others and Nobel Prize winners Derek Walcott and Seamus Heaney. In 1994 his first novel was published, De Vleugels van Lieu Hanh (Lieu Hanh's Wings), on a journey through Vietnam in which history plays a prominent role. It won him the Geertjan Lubberhuizen Prize. In 1996 he settled as eastern Europe correspondent in Budapest and covered the war in Kosovo. His reports were collected in Kosovo: Verslag van een oorlog (Kosovo: Report of a War). It was awarded the NDP Prize for daily newspaper journalism. In 2001 he exchanged eastern Europe for southeast Asia and started working for NOS (a public network). In 2010 he himself was in the news when during a live radio broadcast of the eviction of a protest camp in Bangkok he was shot at.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(Belgium, 1955) writes widely on wide-ranging topics, from poetry about her late husband Herman de Coninck in Taal zonder mij (Language without Me, 1998) to the struggle of an anorexia patient in her book Ann (2008). The human condition is always central to her extensive oeuvre. Her work also pays a noticeable amount of attention to the female sexual experience. In her novel De waar gebeurde geschiedenis van Victor en Clara Rooze (The True History of Victor and Clara Rooze), Hemmerechts plays with fact and fiction: a writer with writer's block tackles a story of incest to give free reign to her thoughts about writing and literature. Haar Bloed (Her Blood) appeared in 2012, for which she spent time in a hematology ward. In 2014 she caused an uproar with De vrouw die de honden eten gaf (The Woman Who Fed the Dogs), a novel inspired by the Dutroux case. Her latest novel Alles verandert (Everything Changes) closely follows the plot of J.M. Coetzee's In Ongenade (Disgrace), but with a female protagonist. How much does the gender of literary characters determine our view of their actions?

(Somalia, 1967) fled her native country and settled in the Netherlands in 1987. First she wanted to become an actress, but now she has made a name for herself as a writer. In her novel Een nagelaten verhaal (A Bequeathed Story (2009), she describes a young woman who, invited by a documentary film maker, returns to her motherland for the first time after 23 years. It turns out to be an emotional journey, as she discovers that the country has been ruined, and little is left of her past. Yasmine Allas has been involved in the public debate in the Netherlands. Her book Ontheemd en toch thuis (Homeless Yet Home, 2006) is a collection of essays on life in the multicultural Netherlands, published in the Volkskrant. She calls a spade a spade and often touches sour spots. To her, religious fanaticism is a divisive element in society and must be battled. Social wrongs have played a role in her work from her debut, Idil, een meisje (Idil, a Girl, 1998), in which she describes the troubled life of a Somali girl and exposes the circumcision of women.

(Kenya, 1983) as a child took singing and acting lessons. Now she combines poetry, music and the theatre. In 2011 she recorded the album Introducing Ngwatilo. In Kenya she is called the high priestess of the poetry performance because of her appearance, her performance and the themes she brings up. She performed at various festivals in Africa and Europe. In her Puesic Project she mixes music with poetry, dance and film. Her first collection of poetry Blue Mothertongue (2010) deals with the life in her native city of Nairobi and the African diaspora. For her latest project she wants to turn the stories of twenty rural families into poetry. The result will find its audience through radio, the international media and the digital highway.

(1983) is the author of a critically acclaimed body of novels and essays, deputy editor of weekly news magazine De Groene Amsterdammer and one of the regular creators of the podcast Boeken FM. He made his debut in 2010 with Clausewitz. De Vries has been on the editorial staff of De Groene Amsterdammer since 2007, first as art editor, then as book editor and, since 2019, as deputy editor-in-chief. His publications include the novel De republiek (The Republic), the essay collection Vechtmemoires (Fight Memoires), the novel Oude meesters (Old Masters, winner Gouden Boekenuil) and the virtuoso Hogere machten (Higher Powers), a novel in which a love affair from the 1930s burns through turbulent decades while the world changes fast. In 2023, De Vries received the Frans Kellendonk Prize for his entire oeuvre.

(Syria, 1973) was a sports and dance teacher in Syria when she came to the Netherlands in 1999. As a child she published stories and poems in Arabic, illustrating them herself with charcoal. In Holland she fell in love with the Dutch language and made her debut with the novel The seducer of Damascus. The main character is the ud player Balsam, who is constantly looking for sexual contentment. In Holland this farmer's son meets his compatriot, the cosmopolitan Barna, who also struggles with her sexuality. The Dutch culture, being much more open than the Syrian, provides her with the freedom she has always been looking for. Daad Kajo regularly performs in the Dutch media to talk about the political situation in her country. She grew up in Hassake, a village in Syria, as a member of the Christian Assyrian minority. In Nijmegen she worked as an educational assistant in second language acquisition.

(Afghanistan, 1983) escaped her fatherland at the age of twelve and came to live in the Netherlands with her parents. She studied journalism and worked for ANP, the Dutch news agency, Omroep West, a regional channel, and NOS Journaal, the news section of Dutch public television. In 2009 Akefi returned to Kabul for the first time. There she wrote several short stories and eventually a novel, which appeared in 2011: Geen van ons keek om (None of Us Looked Back), the story of two girls living next-door to each other is partly autobiographical. The bosom friends are literally torn apart when the mujahedin bomb Kabul. Like Khaled Hosseini Akefi describes gruesome details about war crimes and abuse of women. Tahmina Akefi is working on a second novel, which will appear in 2013.

(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

began his career as vice chair of the Dutch Young Liberals of the Dutch Liberal (Conservative) Party, then changed course and joined Niet Nix (Not Nothing), a movement linked to the Dutch Labour Party. In the meantime he has become a much-in-demand chairman and moderator of debates, symposia, and conferences, combining his journalistic intuition with a fine sense of atmosphere. Maes also gives media training and teaches others to become moderators. He studied political science and subsequently joined a research agency focussed on strategic campaign advice. In addition he freelanced for BNR Nieuwsradio and PM Den Haag. Maes founded his own agency, &MAES, in 2003.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(Heemskerk, NL 1964) studied Spanish language and literature and English translation studies. Since 1991 she has had her own firm, Foreign Affairs Communication and Language Training. Language, culture and communication are personal passions which she employs increasingly in creative projects. Thus as a member of the board she is involved in the community art projects of the Zid Theatre in Amsterdam West, she plays in Toneelgroep Dagwerk and together with theatre maker Elsbeth Vernout and video artist Martijn Grootendorst works on projects to increase an East Indies awareness. This trio collects stories of people with an East Indies and Moluccan background. Stories which serve as the basis for e.g. a multimedia theatre production and talent development projects for the young. During the Writers Unlimited Festival 2013 in their programme Het Indisch Zwijgen? Me Hoela! they invite people with Dutch East Indies ties to tell their stories.

(Iran, 1978) got his first lesson on the tombak, the traditional Persian vase drum at age six. At age nine he had excelled his teacher and at age ten won the annual tombak competition in his country. From the age of 20 he is regarded the best tombak player in the world. He developed more than 30 new beating techniques. Mohammad Reza Mortazavi recorded several CDs and gave concerts and media performances across Europe. He lives in Germany where he won the 2003 Newcomer-Weltmusikpreis RUTH. He gives solo concerts, but also works together with musicians and theatre makers. So in 2011 hcollaborated in ballet productions by choreographer Jochen Ulrich (†2012) at the Linzer Landestheater. In November 2012 his most recent CD Geradeaus was released, at the label flowfish.music, founded by Mortazawi himself.

(Algeria, 1948) is regarded one of the most prominent literary voices of the Maghreb. After the destruction of his house in an earthquake, Flemish PEN granted him housing. Then he founded a PEN section in Algiers. Since then Mohamed Magani within PEN operates as a link between Africa and the Middle East. He is dedicated to fighting illiteracy, has published novels and essays and is a university lecturer in the social sciences. In 1983 his novel La Faille du Ciel won the Grand Prix Littéraire de la Ville d'Alger. Later he published among other books Le refuge des ruines, Une guerre se meurt, Scène de pêche en Algérie, La fenêtre rouge and two collections of short stories in English: An Icelandic dream and Please pardon our appearance. His work has been translated into German, English and Italian.

(South Africa, 1965) in his first novels Zes beetwonden en een tetanusprik (Six Fang Marks and a Tetanus Shot) and Zacht als staal (The Big Stick) links the worlds he grew up in. He grew up in South Africa as the child of Dutch parents and returned to the Netherlands 25 years ago. Both novels are rampant with violence and are written in a slashing style. Characters overlap. In his latest novel Zendingsdrang (Missionary Zeal) violence also plays a prominent part. A war correspondent ends up in an institute where his responsibility is being examined. In Zendingsdrang there are a number of diatribes, one of which De Nooy turned into a songtext. De Nooy studied journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa and psychology at the University of Amsterdam. Before becoming a writer he worked as a translator and a cartoonist.
www.richarddenooy.com

(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.

(Emmen, NL, 1964) studied tropical agricultural engineering and was a correspondent for the Volkskrant and NRC Handelsblad newspapers in Belgrade and Moskow. He wrote about his time there in 1994's De Brug over de Tara (The Bridge over the River Tara). Together with journalist Bart Rijs he wrote 1997's  Srebrenica, Het zwartste scenario (Srebrenica, the Blackest Scenario). Ingenieurs van de ziel (Engineers of the Soul) was published in 2002, an inquiry into the foundations of the Soviet system and the role of writers. De Graanrepubliek (The Grain Republic), about the struggle between rich gentlemen farmers and communist workers in Groningen, was published earlier. Westerman's novel El Negro en ik (El Negro and Me), inspired by a preserved South African in a Spanish museum, was published in 2004 and won the Gouden Uil prize. His revised and augmented 2015 edition of De Slag om Srebrenica (The Battle for Srebrenica) won the Prinsjes Book Prize for best political book. Een woord een woord (One Word One Word) appeared in 2016, in which he tests the strength of free speech under the pressure of terrorist threats. As a child, he experienced the Molukkan train hijacking at close quarters; as a correspondent, he witnessed Chechen terror in Russia. Drawing on these gripping experiences, he describes a series of hostage dramas. In Zeven dieren bijten terug (Seven Animals Bite Back), Frank Westerman encounters seven magnificent creatures in the wake of Willem Barentsz. Along the way, the reader becomes captivated by the wondrous tale of seven polar animals and what they have to tell us at our latitude.

(Curaçao, 1960) is a writer, poet, playwright, actor and teacher. He made his debut in the 90s, and published, among others, books with poems and stories entitled Rueda di fe and Djis kant’i bo. After that he wrote various children’s books and gave presentations at book and theatre festivals in many different countries. He has succesfully presented his monologue Ninga bon on numerous occasions. Another one-man show by Colastica is Fo’i bo kuenta, a tragicomic mixture of stories, poems, sketches, music and songs. He has also participated in international literature festivals, like Een zee van verlangen (2001), Winternachten and Krusa Laman at The Hague, Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire. In 2006 he received the highest cultural award in Curaçao, namely the Premio Cola Debrot for his work in the field of dramaturgy and theatre. He wrote Vuurwerk in mijn hoofd (Fireworks in my Head), a youth novel in Dutch. He is currently — thanks to the support of the Dutch Foundation for Literature — a writer-in-residence in Amsterdam, where he is working on a novel for adults.

(Moscow, 1969) grew up in Amsterdam as the daughter of a Russian mother and a Cameroonian father. After her studies at art school she played in various theatrical productions and could be seen in tv series like Vrouwenvleugel, Oppassen, Mijn dochter en ik en Onderweg naar morgen. She also presented programmes such as Nieuw Amsterdam Praat, Beauty&Zo and Women Inc. She was a finalist in the Leids Cabaret Festival and toured the Netherlands with her own shows. Last year she was artistic leader and producer of the musical theatre show De koningin van Paramaribo, for which she wrote the lyrics. This year she can be seen in the theatre production Hormonologues. On Mondays and Fridays she hosts Dichtbij Nederland for NTR Radio 5. In addition she writes a monthly column together with Tanja Jess on modern parenthood in Kek Mama.

(1953, NL Woerden) is a composer, performer and poet. He studied mathematics and musicology but didn't finish his studies. Instead he played the saxophone and started composing. In recitals of poetry and later in improvisations and pieces of his own, he developed his genius as a voice performer. In 2000 he started working with electronics. First on the basis of samples of his own voice, later with pure sound synthesis. Some five years ago, from a renewed interest in mathematics, he started doing research into the possibilities of algorhythmic compositions for the creation of music, visual animation and poetry. As a vocalist Jaap Blonk is unique because of his presence on the stage and his frank improvisations, combined with a sharp sense of structure. He has performed worldwide and worked with many musicians in contemporary and improvised music. Recordings appeared on Staalplaat, Lopl.op, Basta, VICTO and Monotype. His own record label Kontrans has released 17 titles so far.

(Utrecht, NL 1980) during her training at a creative writing school Perquin worked as a warder in a Rotterdam prison. She made her debut in 2007 with the collection of poetry Servetten Halfstok Napkins Half-mast, which was nominated for the C. Buddingh’ Prize and ultimately awarded the debut prize of Het Liegend Konijn (the Lying Rabbit), among others. The jury praised the persistent mastery of metre and rhythm and stressed the scope of her subject-matter. Her next collection, Namens de ander On Behalf of the Other was awarded the Jo Peters Poetry Prize and the J.C. Bloem Award. She is a columnist for the weekly De Groene Amsterdammer and VPRO De Avonden radio programme and is on the board of editors of Tirade. She is the Rotterdam 'city poet' and actively involved as a poet, producer and interviewer at literary events in that city. In her third collection, Celinspecties (Cell Inspections), she goes back to her past as a prison warder. It appeared early 2012 and has been nominated for the VSB Poetry Award 2013.

(Belgium, 1973) with his oeuvre wants to share his knowledge of France and the French language. Van Loo studied Romance philology and taught French. In 2006 Parijs retour. Literaire reisgids voor Frankrijk (Paris and Back. Literary Travelguide of France) appeared in which he followed the tracks of French writers. In 2008 it was followed by Als kok in Frankrijk (Like a Cook in France. Literary Recipes Culinary Stories), stories on gastronomy and the culinary charms of literary masterpieces. In 2010 he published O vermiljoenen spleet! Seks, erotiek en literatuur (Oh Vermillion Slit, a History of French Erotic Literature). In 2011 these three books were collected in Eten! Lezen! Vrijen! De Frankrijktrilogie (Eating! Reading! Making Love! The France Trilogy). In 2010 Elsschot, Antwerpen en Coraline, appeared, a quest for Willem Elsschot's traces in Antwerp. In 2011 it was followed by Chanson. Een gezongen geschiedenis van Frankrijk (Chanson. A Sung History of France, which later was finished off with a double-cd. In 2009-2011 he toured the theatres with performer Vitalski with Oot Kwizien Literair. His latest book on France is Bleu Blanc Rouge. Reis door Frankrijk in 80 vragen (Bleu Blanc Rouge, a Journey Through France in 80 Questions, 2012).

(UK, 1980), like the philosopher, remains curious about new things. Always pushing boundaries and incorporating fresh music. He approaches each set as a unique road trip with a wide range of styles and countries passing by. His kaleidoscopic sound includes global reggae, trippy cumbia, UK bass, slow rave & African acid. With 20 years of experience under his belt, Socrates has matured like a good wine to celebrate life with. During Writers Unlimited Festival, he will provide a swinging Silent Disco in the foyer of Theater aan het Spui during Friday and Saturday Night Unlimited from 23:15 hours onwards.

DJ Bertú plays Global Beats 'sin fronteras' and gets his inspiration and grooves from deep jungles, remote deserts but also urban beats from cities and jams from around the corner. As early as the early 1980s he has been under the spell of African rhythms and funk, but that hasn't stopped him from listening to all the corners of the world with his ears wide open and editing his sets. DJ Bertú takes his audience from Bamako to Bombay, Barcelona, Bahia, Buenos Aires, Bucarest and beyond. In recent years he has played with Mystic Grooves, Simba Ngoma, is one of the residents of the GlobaLoca! clubnight in Utrecht and regularly plays in Rasa in Utrecht.

(The Netherlands, 1959) has been writing about the expectations men and women have of each other and of life since her debut novel Bloem (Flower). Her novel Atoomgeheimen (Nuclear Secrets is about intimacy and the loss of ideals. She has been called the chronicler of contemporary womanhood; she explores her themes further in her novels De vertrouweling (The Confidant) and Zachte riten (Soft Rites). Pruis works at De Groene Amsterdammer weekly as a literary editor and columnist, writing essays on topics as diverse as humour, shyness and greed. She received the Jan Hanlo Prize for her collection of essays Kus me, straf me, and the J. Greshoff Prize for essayism with Genoeg nu over mij. For her columns, collected in Oplossingen (Solutions), she received the J. Heldring Prize. In Boos Meisje. Over vrouwen en frictie (Angry Girl. About Women and Friction), she writes about the split in which girls and women find themselves, including portraits of writers she admires such as Renate Rubinstein and Vivian Gornick. Her recently published confrontational novel Huiswerk (Homework) is about white privilege and the tension between employer and employee.

(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).

(US, 1980) is an American Muslim with Pakistani forebears. He writes plays, essays, sketches and works as a solicitor, blogger and journalist. He acquired fame with the first comprehensive play about American Muslims after 9/11, the exceptionally funny tragicomedy The Domestic Crusaders, which premiered in 2005 and was published as a book in 2010. His essays appear in The Guardian and The Huffington Post, among others. Wajahat Ali was proclaimed influential 'Muslim American Artist’ and in 2008 and 2010 was invited to the annual White House Ramadan dinner. He is seen as ‘Muslim leader of the future’ owing to his journalistic work and took part in the ‘Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow’ conference in Qatar. He also researches Islamophobia in the US and was the first author of Fear Inc, the Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America, published by the Center for American Progress.

Since the autumn of 2011 the spectre of Fela Kuti, the great musical legend of Africa, haunts Leiden and remote surroundings. It was then that Liquid Sun Orchestra (LSO) was founded, the group which takes Fela Kuti's rebellious musical legacy as its starting-point. LSO is a varied bunch spanning various generations and cultures. Owing to the totally diverse musical backgrounds their music sounds like Nigerian Afrobeat, with a touch of reggae, a sniff of jazz, a dash of dub, a hearty funk sauce, a shred of soul and all kinds of exotic sounds which cannot be identified. LSO consists of Lode Busch (drums), Lykle de Jong (bass), Bie Muusze (guitar), Max Anglionin (keyboards), Arno Willekes (percussion), Ego Victor Emechete (percussion), Mr Johnson (percussion), Ruud Peper (trumpet), Paul Berk (baritone sax), Olivier van Gulik (tenor sax), Hans van Scharen (alto and baritone sax) and Augusto de Campos Neto (singing). www.liquidsunorchestra.nl

began some 20 years ago as a wind trio: Arno Bakker (sousaphone), Joop van der Linden (trombone) and Janfie van Strien (clarinet, tenor sax). They toured Russia, England, France and South Africa and worked with the Buena Vista Social Club, among others. The present quintet includes Michael Vatcher (drums) and Matt Darriau (alt sax, kaval, clarinet): 'The same timing in jokes, in complaining, in eating and in playing. The voices melted together and the tooters sounded better than ever.' Their music stems from a wide variety of inspirational sources: Balkan music, klezmer, second line, free jazz, salsa, African highlife, improvised music and punk rock make for a 'good-natured eclectic concert, in which five voices will besiege, absorb, resist and surprise you.' On Winternacht 1 Mark Tuinstra (guitar) will appear with them.

(Kenya, 1982) is a communications specialist, with expertise in both corporate and development communications. He is the program officer for the Hivos Foundation Expression and Engagement Program based at the Regional Office for East Africa in Nairobi. Gregg manages many different projects in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. His educational background is English language and Literature and Information Technology. In his formative years he was involved in creating multimedia campaigns for young people in Kenya. He has also participated in international cycling expeditions to support access to clean water, affordable HIV/AIDS healthcare and malaria eradication projects in Africa. He is currently the Creative Director for WiBO Culture, an experimental, self-evolving initiative that envisions an open and connected global community through food, fashion, music, games and stories.

(Netherlands, 1955) won much praise for his books about the njai, women in the Dutch East Indies who lived in concubinage and had children with Dutch men. He debuted in 2006 with the semi-autobiographical novel De ogen van Solo (Solo’s Eyes), dealing with the rootlessness of people from the Dutch East Indies. Gebleekte ziel (Bleached Soul, 2012) is a novel based on historical fact about the son of a Balinese nobleman sent to the Netherlands to be "bleached", to erase his indigenous identity. Daar werd wat gruwelijks verricht (Something Horrible Happened There) is a non-fiction book about the unknown history of slavery in the Dutch East Indies. In 2018 he published the documentary novel Het kind met Japanse ogen (The Child with Japanese Eyes), a personal quest and historical investigation into the life of his father.

(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.

(Suriname, 1956), a Dutch jazz singer and voice teacher of Surinemese origin, has performed around the world for Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton, among others. From 2013 to 2016 she toured the Netherlands with Ella!, a production that will be staged again in 2017, the centenary of Ella Fitzgerald's birth. Jannah won two Edisons and appeared seven times at the North Sea Jazz Festival. She was the first Dutch performer to land a record contract with the prestigious jazz label Blue Note. Jannah has performed with musicians such as Chick Corea, Frank Boeijen, the Rosenberg Trio and Willem Breuker. For this festival in 2002, she set poems to music from the Netherlands, Suriname, the Antilles, South Africa and Indonesia. She took the same program to literary festivals in Utrecht, Suriname, the Antilles, South Africa and Indonesia. In 2015 she toured Russia and appeared in Dutch theatres in a musical production about the battle for emancipation of two women in Suriname.

(Belgium, 1954) is a writer, poet and essayist. He made his debut at the age of twenty with the collection of poetry Stofzuigergedichten (Vacuumcleaner Poems). As one of the first Flemish poets of his generation, Gruwez has no difficulty with heavy feelings, big words. Love and death take central stage, as does the writing process. Sensuality, lyricism and emotions are sometimes accompanied with a large dose of irony. His poems are an attempt to steer chaotic reality, rigid classical forms and sound repetitions must create structure. In the course of time Gruwez' work has become more universal and less emphatically poetical. His views on the role of literature Luuk Gruwez shares in all his work: poetry, prose, essays and in magazines and daily newspapers such as Yang, Dietsche Warande & Belfort, and daily papers such as De Standaard and De Morgen. He writes fulltime, after having worked for a long time in art education as a teacher. In 2012 his anthology Wijvenheide, appeared, which was nominated for the VSB Poetry Award.

(Zeist, NL, 1973) was a comedian and worked in advertising before writing his 2003 debut De Duiker (The Diver), which recreates a striking portrait of an era through the distinctive speech of three students. The romantic tragedy Aphinar followed in 2007, in which Knol alternates between angry interior monologues and a sensual and tarnished love story. His major novel Alles kan kapot (Everything Kaputt) was published in 2011, about the fates of three generations of a family. The book owes a literary debt to Céline, Woolf, and David Foster Wallace (among others), but above all it shows off an authentic and innovative voice. Anything is possible in Knol's work. The dead can rise from their ashes and demand to regain their position in a book. Knol also likes to play with language and style. The Dutch Literary Fund chose Alles kan kapot as one of the best Dutch books of 2011. Besides novels, Knol writes short stories, essays, blogs, and criticism, and is an editor with the literary magazine Tirade. He's currently at work on a new novel.

(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.

(Dordrecht, NL 1965) is a novelist and columnist. His debut Ik ook van jou (Me You Too, 1992), was awarded the Gouden Ezelsoor and adapted for the screen. His second novel Giph (1993) was a big success too. In 2004 he was recipient of the Utrecht C.C.S. Crone Award for his entire oeuvre. Giphart studied Dutch and worked as a hospital nightporter before starting to write. His novels Phileine zegt sorry (Phileine Says Sorry, 1996) and Ik omhels je met duizend armen (I Embrace you with a Thousand Arms, 2000) were adapted for the screen as well. In 2003 he wrote the Dutch book week gift, the novella Gala. In November 2012 De wake (Vigil) appeared, three interwoven tales. Giphart toured the theatres with Dutch writers Bart Chabot and Martin Bril (2005-2006) and Nico Dijkshoorn (2012). He wrote for the Dutch Railways magazine Rails for years, a magazine whose editor-in-chief he was briefly. He writes columns for the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant and the children's science magazine KijK.

(Belgium, 1964) writes poetry, scripts, short stories, and audiobooks in addition to YA and children's novels. He was studying Dutch, German, and history in Brussels when he debuted with Duet met valse noten (Duet with False Notes). It won the prize of the Flemish YA and children's jury. For Flair magazine he wrote about his great role model, Astrid Lindgren. He later worked for Flemish daily newspaper De Standaard and wrote TV sripts and plays. In 2000 he toured a theatrical show of stories about his childhood from his book Broere (Brothers), which had won him the Woutertje Pieterse Prize, among others. Together with the Dutch Wind Ensemble he created De Schepping (Creation), a personal interpretation of Haydn's Die Schöpfung. In 2003 he debuted as a poet and three years later became poet laureate of Antwerp. His adaptation of L'Histoire du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale) was published in 2013, the text by Ramuz upon which Stravinsky based his composition. Moeyaert is the artistic director of guest countries Flanders and the Netherlands for the 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair.

(Heiloo, NL 1951) is a composer, pianist an harpsichordist. He studied at the Amsterdam Sweelinck Conservatory. Janssen attempts to find the relationship between classical music and jazz and has a predilection for improvisation. His compositions were performed by the ASKO Ensemble, the Mondriaankwartet, the Nieuw Ensemble, the Radio Kamerorkest, the Concertgebouw Orkest and the Ebony Band. As a pianist and harpsidorchist he performed in numerous formations, performing with John Zorn and Gidon Kremer, among others. Since the early 1980s he has conducted his own ensembles, ranging from (piano)trio to orchestra. In the 1980s he was recipient of the Boy Edgar Prize for his jazz and improvised music and the Matthijs Vermeulen Prize for his compositions. In 2008 his Verstelwerk, performed the Riverside Orchestra, received tumultuous applause in Carnegie Hall, New York. In that same year Janssen was composer in residence with the Brabants Orkest and released a solo piano cd: Out of frame. With Friso Haverkamp he wrote four operas.

(Amsterdam, NL 1955) is recipient of the Jan Campert Award 2012 for his book of poetry Hoe H.H. de wereld redde (How H.H. Saved the World). Godijn writes about being ill, dying, and about the power of poetry. Often heavy subjects, but Godijn can be irrepressibly funny. Sometimes it is pure slapstick, sometimes political parable. Wouter Godijn made his debut in 1997 with a novel Witte tongen (White Tongues), but discovered that his potential was first and foremost in poetry. In 2000 he published his first book of poetry, Alle kinderen zijn van glas (All Children Are Made of Glass). In his entire oeuvre what is striking is particularly the contrast between the banal and the exalted. Godijn received nationwide renown when popular Dutch poets Gerrit Komrij and Neeltje Maria Min chose his second anthology, Langzame Nederlaag (Slow Defeat), as their first ever choice of the Dutch Poetry Club. His third anthology De karpers en de krab (The Carps and the Crab)was nominated for the prestigious Dutch poetry award VSB Poëzieprijs. Meanwhile Godijn has published three novels and seven books of poetry.

(Rozendaal, NL 1973), penname of S.D.V.B. van Schaffelaer, made his debut in 1999 with the collection of short stories Winterhanden (Winter Hands). It was followed by Lichtjaren (Light Years, 2005) and Spel (Game, 2007). His breakthrough came in 2011 with Grip, winning him the F. Bordewijk Prize and the Gouden Boekenuil (Golden Book Owl). The Dutch daily paper Trouw wrote: 'Grip is rich in ideas, classical and profound, scarce qualities in Dutch prose of today.' The Reformatorisch Dagblad, a Christian newspaper, calls Enter 'an infallible stylist [...] who with well-chosen sentences lifts worlds, turns them round in front of your bewildered eyes, to make them disappear with playful ease. Not by all kinds of linguistic frills but simply by writing very well and very precisely, with balanced metaphor.' Late 2011 The Volkskrant elected Grip as one of the Three Best Books of 2011. Grip has been translated into German, Italian and Norwegian, among other languages. His fourth novel Compassie (Compassion) was published in 2015.

(Weert, NL 1960), penname of Lucas de Jong, made his debut in 1992 with Zeehond in wormgat (Seal in Worm Hole). Followed a year later by the collections of poetry Nevels orgel (Nebula's Organ; nomination C. Buddingh' Prize). The anthology Deze rouwmoedige schoonheid (This Mourncourageous Beauty, 2005) was nominated for the Ida Gerhardt Poetry Award.

 According to the jury the laboured language demands a lot from the reader, but his poems are 'so seductive and witty that we become detached from every callibrated mode of reasoning or poetic tradition.' His novel Plooierijen van geschik (2007) made it to the 2008 longlist of the Libris Literature Prize and the Gouden Uil. Hüsgen translates Korean poetry and his recent novel De Windbel (The Wind Bell) reads like a road movie through Korea and the virtual world. He also works for the literary magazines Yang and Parmentier and regularly writes for musical projects. For Nazi te Venlo (Nazi In Venlo, 2011), a quest for the alleged Nazi past of his great-grandfather, he was recipient of the J. Greshoff Prize.

(Amsterdam, NL 1960) studied Dutch and geography and worked as a librarian until his breakthrough in 1999 as an Internet columnist with his pieces on the tv programme Big Brother. His great talent struck immediately: the ironical, contrary and often moving descriptions of human behaviour. Nationwide renown came with a sports column in de Volkskrant. After that he collaborated in comedy tv programmes Café de Wereld, Draadstaal and Dit was het Nieuws. He also wrote for the football magazine Hard Gras and Muziekkrant OOR. Since 2008 he has been a regular poet on DWDD, the popular prime time tv talkshow. In 2007 his Grote GeenStijl Winterboek (Great NoStyle Winterbook) appeared and under the penname P. Kouwes he published the anthology of poems Daar schrik je toch van (It makes you start). Followed in 2009 by De tranen van Kuif den Dolder (The Tears of Kuif den Dolder), a novel about a fictitious football hero. In 2012 Dijkshoorn and Ronald Giphart toured the theatres with Matennaaiers (Screw Your Buddies). In 2012 he wrote the Dutch book week essay Verder alles goed (Everything All Right) while in that same year Appeleren (Appeal with the Ref), a collection of football columns, and Dijkshoorn kijkt kunst, a book on looking at art, also appeared.

(Soest, NL 1961) is a cultural historian and writer. For a number of years he worked as a researcher at various universities. Since 2002 he has been a freelance writer and political commentator. His often merciless columns, in which he frequently goes for the player, not seldom lead to controversy. In 2011 he was commissioned to do the Dutch Willem Arondéus lecture. When it appeared that he mercilessly attacked Dutch politician Geert Wilders' populist party, he was asked to leave out several passages. Von der Dunk refused and hence the lecture was called off. Von der Dunk decided to read it out anyway, with a turnout of 1,200 listeners. In his lecture he argued that there is a new taboo on comparisons with WWII, while these can be instructive and relevant in our times. Von der Dunk has published some fifteen books on as many cultural and historical subjects, varying from a German political portrayal of life and customs of ten centuries to a history of the Moses and Aron Church in Amsterdam.

(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.

(Indonesia, 1933) is a strip cartoonist and illustrator. After art school in Bandung he came to the Netherlands in 1956 and started working with Toonder Studios. He drew for a girl's magazine, Tina. In 1970 Miep Diekmann asked him to illustrate her book Total loss, weet je wel. (Total Loss, You Know?). Before long he was drawing on a fulltime basis, illustrating the children's books of Guus Kuijer, Els Pelgrom, Sylvia Vanden Heede and Dolf Verroen, which won him three Gouden Penselen (golden pencils). Thé Tjong-Khing is a film buff, countless times he won in a famous Dutch film quiz. In 2005 he was recipient of the Woutertje Pieterse Prize and the Zilveren Penseel (silver pencil) for his pictuere book Waar is de taart? (Where is the Cake?), which he devised and drew. Since 2006 his older work is republished, among others the strip cartoon Arman & Ilva. In 2010 he was recipient of the Max Velthuijs Prize for his entire oeuvre and in 2011 the Dutch Literary Museum organised a special exhibition about his work.

(Kampen, 1976) is a sociologist and a well-read essayist at NRC and Groene because of his often unorthodox views on politics and society. Schinkel works at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. In his De nieuwe democratie, naar andere vormen van politiek (The New Democracy, towards Other Forms of Politics, 2012) he argues that democracy is in fact not a democracy because it lacks fundamental differences of opinion about the organisation of society. His Politieke stenogrammen (Political Stenograms, 2019) provides ammunition for anyone who wants to combat right-wing views on themes such as climate, economy and racism; his notes are a call for a different way of thinking and a different way of dealing with each other and with our earth. In De hamsteraar (The Hoarder, 2020) he shows how dangerous the 'efficiency' of logistical capitalism is and how the empty shelves at the start of the COVID-19 crisis can initiate a different way of life.

(Eindhoven, NL 1955) after his study at the Rietveld Academie worked as an illustrator and graphic designer. In 1986 he published his first children's book, Raafs Reizend Theater (The Raven's Travelling Treatre), and a collection of poetry, Van Verdriet kun je grappige hoedjes vouwen (You Can Fold Funny Hats with Sorrow). His third book of poetry, Och, ik elleboog me er weer doorheen (Oh, I'll Elbow My Way Through It, 1989) came in second in the annual prize for author of best children's book, and Begin een torentje van niks (Start an Insignificant Little Tower, 1995) was awarded the annual first prize for best children's book. In 1996 this was followed by a Zilveren Zoen voor Gebr. (Bros.) which also won him the German Children's Literature Prize. In 2000 he published the songs he wrote for the popular children's tv programme Het klokhuis. Van Lieshout made visual books for children in the Rijksmuseum and wrote songs for Jenny Arean and Lenette van Dongen, among others. His picture book Koekjes! (Cookies!, 2009) was number 1 in the CPNB Bestseller Top 60. In the same year Van Lieshout won the Theo Thijssen Prize for his entire oeuvre. In 2012 his first novel for adults, Mijn meneer (My Mister) is based on the relationship he had as a young boy with a grown-up man. In Schuldig kind (Guilty child, 20176), Van Lieshout answers the question he was asked many times: what influence did that relation have on your further life?

(Odijk, NL 1971) is a theatre maker, actress and founder of Stichting Castel Bianco, a platform for the realisation of musical theatre productions (www.castelbianco.nl). In her work she combines the three subjects she graduated in: theatre (Theaterschool Selma Susanna-Thopss), journalism (School voor Journalistiek, Zwolle), and anthropology (University of Amsterdam). In her werk she departs from personal and current themes. Thus in her solo performance Deze en Genen (Somebody or Others) she goes in search of her Dutch East Indies' roots. Her musical theatre production Gegijzeld (Taken Hostage) is about the occupation of a school in the Dutch town of Bovensmilde in the 1970s, in which her sister was among the hijacked children. Right now she is working with Frits Lambrechts and others on a musical performance about the city of Amsterdam. In addition she writes theatre texts and lyrics, teaches cabaret and writing for the theatre and writes poems and presentation texts for television. www.elsbethvernout.nl

(Groningen, NL 1970) is a strip cartoonist. She is well-known for her candid autobiographical comic strips, in which she tells about the small and big questions of life in a humorous way. In 2009 she was recipient of the stripschapprijs for her entire oeuvre and De Volkskrant proclaimed her as one of the five best comic writers in the Netherlands. She has published in NRC Handelsblad, for VPRO, Amnesty International and numerous other organisations. In October 2012 her eighth book was published, Vincent, a strip cartoon about the painter Vincent van Gogh. Barbara Stok lives in Groningen with her husband and her dog. In addition to being a comic writer she is a yachtswoman, a drummer and a student of philosophy.

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.

(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

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

(Duiven, NL 1964) graduated in 1987 at the Arnhem art school. As the other half of the artists' duo Grootendorst and Van den Berg he made among other things a photo column for the VPRO radio and tv guide and the weekly Vrij Nederland, and a number of conceptual music cds. With their massive graphical and video installations the duo made furore at home and abroad. Martijn Grootendorst does solo video projections for opera, the stage, a concert, or any other mixture, but particularly in cooperation with musicians. He is currently part of Grootendorst & Van den Berg (visual art), I Compani (jazz+), Barockpuppies (philosophical concerts with video), MOSS (pop music) and Indisch Zwijgen? Me Hoela! (theatre and stories).

(Amsterdam, NL 1955) writes for daily newspapers and mgazines, particularly about art, literature, upbringing and education. In 2012 she published a book about these topics. In it she sketches the dilemmas of modern parenthood. In her weekly column for Volkskrant too Truijens writes a lot about upbringing and education. She made her debut in 2004 with Geen nacht zonder (Not a Night without), about a four-year old girl suffering from leukemia and the impact it has of the family. This novel was translated in German. Her second novel Vriendendienst (Friendly Turn; 2007) is about a bunch of schoolfriends taking stock together around their fiftieth birthday. They are all traumatised by the early suicide of one of their friends. In 2011 her biography about the writer F.B. Hotz appeared, about whom she had already published in the 1990s. In 1997 she published a biography of the renowned Dutch writer Hella Haasse.

(1964) is a guitarist, composer, actor, arts manager and agent. Right now he plays in the band Brandjes and organises the Kofferbak-feesten (car boot parties). As an arts manager he has done projects for New Cool Collective, Benjamin Herman, Zuco 103, Cmon and Kypski and many others. As a musician Vincent Kruger toured at home and abroad in various and widely varied formations.

(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.

(Groningen, 1981) studied History at the University of Utrecht. In 2007 he started working for the VPRO, first for Geert Mak's TV-documentary 'In Europa', after that for radio talkshow on culture De Avonden. Westerveen made a few radio documentaries and a radio play. In 2012 he worked on his first interview marathon on Radio 1.

(1957) is director of the Literatuurmuseum in The Hague and chair of the Jan Campert Foundation. He studied Dutch language in Leiden and, as of 1982, worked for the organisation that looks after the national Dutch literary heritage (formerly the Letterkundig Museum). He organised exhibitions about writers such as Remco Campert, Miep Diekmann, and Cees Nooteboom. From 2002 to 2005 he was director of the Haags Historisch Museum/Museum de Gevangenpoort, and afterwards of Stichting Lezen. In 2009 he returned to the Literatuurmuseum as director. Meinderts has publications to his name on writers Anna Blaman, Emmy van Lokhorst and Sonja Witstein. He also wrote Een literaire roadtrip: in 30 dagen langs 100 schrijversgraven (2010), ‘Uit geil en bloed bestaat dit rotte leven!’: Max Kijzer (1893-1944) (2021) en In gekroonde stoeten (2022).

(Surinam, 1962) is the National Coordinator against Discrimination and Racism since 2021. Baldewsingh was alderman in The Hague for 12 years, from 2006 to 2018. Prior to that, he was a documentary editor and, from 1998, a Hague city councillor. As alderman, he held various policy areas in his portfolio, including social affairs and employment, neighbourhood approach, sports, city management and environmental policy, public health, integration, personnel and organisation and civic affairs. Besides his work as NCDR, he participates as a dual PhD student in the programme of Leiden University Dual PhD Centre The Hague. His dissertation will be on Sarnámi as a language in oppression.