WU x Fixdit Long lines: writer and theatre maker Shantie Singh about her female sources of inspirati

20251123141409 1

Shantie Singh, a writer, theatre maker, columnist, storytelling fashionista and creative public administration expert, was the interview guest of author Sanneke van Hassel and Iris Kater Mirsalari.

The Fixdit writers' collective, of which Shantie Singh is a member, is committed to increasing the visibility of women in the literary world and the canon. In the Fixdit podcast Lange lijnen (Long Lines), authors from the collective discuss literary works written by women who have inspired them. With this podcast, Fixdit emphasises the importance of great female writers for the development of contemporary oeuvres.

The episode in which Shantie Singh plays the leading role was recorded at the Writers Unlimited Festival with a live audience. The conversation was later online available as an episode of the Fixdit podcast series Lange lijnen.

Shantie Singh is an author, program maker, and moderator. Themes such as identity, diversity, women's rights, and emancipation are often central to her work. Her background is layered and connected to three continents in the countries of India, Suriname, and The Netherlands. She wrote about this in her debut novel Vervoering. This was followed by the novel De kier. In 2024, her non-fiction book Na de komma – Hindostanen en de erfenis van het kolonialisme (After the Comma – Hindustani People and the Legacy of Colonialism) was published, her plea for greater recognition and visibility of the Hindustani story in the Netherlands. This book inspired her theatre production Her (s)tories (2024-2025), an ode to the women from Hindustani migration history.

Sanneke van Hassel wrote six collections of short stories, inluding 2019's Nederzettingen (Settlements), as well as the novels Nest (2010) and Stille grond (Silent Ground, 2017). She won the 2008 BNG New Literature Prize for her early work and the 2013 Anna Blaman Prize for her oevre. Van Hassel also writes non-fiction and is a strong promotor of the short story genre; together with Annelies Verbeke she compiled the short-story anthology Naar de stad (Toward the City, 2012).

Iris Kater Mirsalari is a Dutch language and literature scholar and philosopher. She works at Bookshop Het Martyrium in Amsterdam.

Go to the Fixdit website and listen to Fixdit podcasts here.

Information

Date and time Saturday 24 January 2026 from 17:00 to 18:00 hrs
Location Theater aan het Spui - Zaal 2
Price 2,50 (up to 30 years or Ooievaarspas)
3,50 (DenHaagPas)
5,- (regular).

Shantie Singh

(The Netherlands, 1982) is an author, program maker, and moderator. Themes such as identity, diversity, women's rights, and emancipation are often central to her work. Her background is layered and connected to three continents in the countries of India, Suriname, and The Netherlands. She wrote about this in her debut novel Vervoering. This was followed by the novel De kier. In 2024, her non-fiction book Na de komma – Hindostanen en de erfenis van het kolonialisme (After the Comma – Hindustani People and the Legacy of Colonialism) was published, her plea for greater recognition and visibility of the Hindustani story in the Netherlands. This book inspired her theatre production Her (s)tories (2024-2025), an ode to the women from Hindustani migration history. In her De Dolle Kavita Talkshow, Shantie welcomes trailblazers (women, men, or anything in between) with a story that needs to be heard. She is also a member of the feministic writers collective Fixdit.

Go to the website of Shantie Singh
Instagram: @shantie.singh1
20211116172041 2

Sanneke van Hassel

(Netherlands, 1971) wrote six collections of short stories, inluding 2019's Nederzettingen (Settlements), as well as the novels Nest (2010) and Stille grond (Silent Ground, 2017). She won the 2008 BNG New Literature Prize for her early work and the 2013 Anna Blaman Prize for her oevre. Van Hassel also writes non-fiction and is a strong promotor of the short story genre; together with Annelies Verbeke she compiled the short-story anthology Naar de stad (Toward the City, 2012). Both her novels and short stories describe people struggling to get a grip on their lives. Van Hassel studied drama and cultural history, was a dramaturge with theatre company ’t Barre Land from 1996-2006, and is a member of the writers' collective Fixdit, which aims to raise awareness of gender inequality in literature and expand the literary canon with work by important female authors.

Go to website Sanneke van Hassel
Instagram: @sannekevanhassel
20211119181413 2

Iris Kater Mirsalari

(1997) is a Dutch language and literature scholar and philosopher. She works at Bookshop Het Martyrium in Amsterdam and provides support services for the feminist writers' collective Fixdit.
20260110172841 1

Discover

20 May 2026

Get your 2027 tickets!

Get your Early Bird tickets for the big festival nights, Friday & Saturday Night Unlimited!