The Secret Space - Poetry

Within De verborgen ruimte (The Secret Space), the map is newly read and drawn by nine poets. Which sounds and tones belong in it, what has not yet been said, and what is continually misunderstood?

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Information

Date and time Friday 20 January 2017 20:45 tot 21:55 uur
Location Theater aan het Spui - Zaal 2

Within De verborgen ruimte (The Secret Space), the map is newly read and drawn by nine poets. Which sounds and tones belong in it, what has not yet been said, and what is continually misunderstood? Who is on the sidelines or smack in the centre? The Secret Space could be in suburbia, in a body, in a factory farm, or in an addictions clinic. This has consequences - whoever peeks into the secret space loses a number of his or her certainties. When the map is redrawn, no one finds their way home.

The "VSB Poetry Prize on Tour" forms part of The Secret Space - among the performing poets are the authors of three volumes nominated for the VSB Poetry Prize: Kwaadgesternte (Born Under a Bad Sign) by Hannah van Binsbergen, Lichtmeters by Ruth Lasters and Koelkastlicht (Refrigerator Light) by Rodaan Al Galidi. In addition, Marieke Rijneveld, Dominique de Groen, Mira Feticu, Obe Alkema, Simone Atangana Bekono and Ton van ’t Hof will read from their work. The Secret Space is organized and presented by the poet Maarten van der Graaff, winner of the C.Buddingh' Award 2014 for his debut collection Vluchtautogedichten (Getaway Car Poems). Programme in Dutch

Line-up

Maarten van der Graaff

(The Netherlands, 1987) debuted in 2013 with Vluchtautogedichten (Getaway Car Poems), which won the C. Buddingh' Prize. The jury praised his "boasting, swagger, and bravado." Van der Graaff escapes everyday reality in his very own getaway car — namely poetry — looking for new dimensions. His second volume Dood werk (Dead Work, 2015) won the J.C. Bloem Prize. He publishes poetry and prose in various magazines, performs regularly, and is editor and co-founder of the online literary magazine Samplekanon. His first novel Wormen en engelen (Worms and Angels, 2017) is a contemporary quest for the meaning of faith. In 2020 he published the poetry collection Nederland in stukken (The Netherlands in Pieces), followed by his second novel Onder asfalt (Under Asphalt, 2022). He curates compelling poetry recitation programmes each year for Writers Unlimited.

Go to website Maarten van der Graaff
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Lucas Rijneveld

(The Netherlands, 1991) is a writer and poet. The first Dutch writer to do so, Rijneveld won the 2020 International Booker Prize for The Discomfort of Evening, the English translation by Michele Hutchison of his 2018 debut novel De avond is ongemak. His Kalfvlies (Calf's Membrane, 2015) won the C. Buddingh Prize for best poetry debut, was followed in 2019 by his collection Fantoommerrie (Phantom Mare). His poems are riddle-like prose stories featuring notably strong metaphors. He writes about grand themes like death and loneliness, and about his experiences as the country child who goes to study in the big city.  In 2021 he published his second novel Mijn lieve gunsteling, in which a veterinarian and a farmer's daughter develop a mutual obsessive fascination. Its English version My Heavenly Favorite was awarded the James Tait Black Prize for Fiction in 2025. His poetry collection Komijnsplitsers (Cumin Splitters, 2022) explores what it means be home: in a house, within oneself, and in relation to others.

Instagram: @lucasrijneveld
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Rodaan Al Galidi

(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.
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Simone Atangana Bekono

(The Netherlands, 1991) is a writer of prose and poetry. She has written columns and essays for various newspapers and magazines and is an editor at the literary magazine De Revisor. In 2016, she graduated from the Creative Writing program at ArtEZ with a collection of poems and letters titled Hoe de eerste vonken zichtbaar waren (How the first sparks became visible). In 2018, the collection was awarded the Poëziedebuutprijs Aan Zee. Her debut novel Confrontaties (Confrontations) was highly praised and won the Hebban Debut Prize, the Anton Wachter Prize, and the Best Book for Young Adults Award. In 2022, Simone wrote the novella Zo hoog de zon stond for the Brabants Book Present. In 2024, her second poetry collection Marshmallow was awarded with the Jan Campert-prijs.
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Mira Feticu

(Romania, 1973) is a writer, poet and columnist. Her first collection of poetry was published in 1993, after which she devoted herself to prose. In 2005, she moved to The Hague with her Dutch husband André. There she decided to write in Dutch rather than Romanian. In her novels, she has successfully developed a personal and candid writing style. Her publications include Lief kind van mij (My Dear Child, 2012), De ziekte van Kortjakje (Kortjakje's Illness, 2013), Tascha. De roof uit de Kunsthal (Tascha: The Robbery at the Kunsthal, 2015), Al mijn vaders en Picasso's keerzijde (All My Fathers and Picasso's Other Side, 2019), and Liefdesverklaring aan de Nederlandse taal (Declaration of Love to the Dutch Language, 2021). After the loss of André, she wrote her latest novel Gewone Hollandse jongens (Ordinary Dutch Boys, 2025) about grief, physical desire and the search for stability in the company of others. Her articles and columns appear in Tirade, De Groene Amsterdammer and Den Haag Centraal, among others.

Go to the website of Mira Feticu
Instagram: @mirafeticu
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Hannah van Binsbergen

(1993) debuted in 2016 with the poetry collection Kwaad gesternte (Born Under a Bad Sign), which immediately led to a nomination for the 2017 VSB Poetry Prize. Van Binsbergen, who studied philosophy at the University of Amsterdam, investigates in her book how one can lead a meaningful life in a world dominated by market forces and strife. The dream of progress stands in sharp contrast to the individual who does not feel at home in a world he cannot grasp. She writes about the exhaustion of the earth, about unaffordable medicines. Despite her sad view of humanity, there is hope - the hope carried in words which, she believes, can make the difference. Words of poets who engage and participate fully in society.
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Obe Alkema

(Netherlands, 1993) is a poet, artist and critic for Dutch national daily newspaper NRC. His work has been published in various Dutch, Flemish and international magazines and platforms. In 2018, his C. Buddingh' Prize-nominated debut collection Obelisque was published, designed as a poetry glossy with alphabetically arranged poems and fashion photographs.
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Dominique De Groen

(Belgium, 1991) is a writer, poet and visual artist. Her work is characterised by a critical attitude towards globalisation and capitalism. For example, she drew inspiration for her debut Shop Girl (2017), in which she analyses the fast-fashion industry, from the time she worked at Primark, and the poems in Sticky Drama (2019) include as their subjects the depletion of natural resources, environmental pollution and global warming. Her fourth collection Slangen (Snakes, 2022), for which she won the 2022 Jan Campert Prize, questions, among other things, the still-prevailing belief in progress. She is currently working on Corpus Britney, a novel about capitalism, witchcraft and Britney Spears.
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Ton van 't Hof

published ten poetry collections, among which Aan een ster / she argued (To a star, / she argued, 2009), Een lijn is een vore (A line is a furrow, 2011) en Dingen sluiten nooit helemaal goed aan (Things never exactly fit together, 2015). He translated works by John Ashbery, Sophia Le Fraga and Charles Bernstein. He co-founded weblog De Contrabas, edited the collection Flarf (2011) and currently is also publisher at Stanza.
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Ruth Lasters

(1979) was born in Antwerp, studied Roman philology in Brussels. Her literary debut, the novel Poolijs (Polar Ice), was awarded with the Flemish Debut Prize in 2007. She published her second novel Feestelijk zweet (Festive sweat) in 2010 followed by her third novel Vlaggenbrief (Flag Letter) in 2014. Her poetry debut Vouwplannen (Folding Plans) was awarded with the Debut Prize Het Liegend Konijn (The Lying Rabbit, 2009). In 2015, she published her second poetry collection Lichtmeters (Light Meters) for which she received the Herman De Coninck Prize and a nomination for the VSB Poetry Award. Next to writing prose and poetry, she likes writing columns and, now and then, an opinion piece for Belgian newspaper De Standaard. She also works as equal opportunities coordinator and teacher at a secondary school in Borgerhout.
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