Writers Unlimited Festivalcafé

Talks & tunes with Francis Broekhuijsen, poetry on demand by Gerda Blees, bookshop, drinks and, late evening, a swinging Silent Disco featuring DJ Socrates.

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Information

Date and time Saturday 20 January 2024 21:15 tot 23:55 uur
Location Theater aan het Spui - foyer
Price Early bird price until 26 December €25
Regular €30
All up to 30 years / Ooievaarspas €15
DenHaagPas €27,50

Here, at the beating heart of the Writers Unlimited festival, you could encounter one another over a drink. At the Radio Writers Unlimited-table, host and DJ Francis Broekhuijsen played tunes and got into conversations on air with festival authors, among others. In the Poetry Poly, Gerda Blees wrote a poem for you on the spot. The bookshop of De Vries Van Stockum, fully stocked with books by festival authors, was open all evening. From 23:15 hours, DJ Socrates welcomed you in his Silent Disco with swinging beats.

Meet & Greet at the bookshop:
Meeting with authors for a chat or book signing!

Line-up

DJ Socrates

(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.
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Francis Broekhuijsen

(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
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Gerda Blees

(The Netherlands, 1985) made her debut with the short-story collection Aan doodgaan dachten we niet (We Didn't Think of Dying, 2017) and then published the poetry collection Dwaallichten (Wandering Lights, 2018), nominated for the C. Buddingh' Prize. In 2020, she publishes her debut novel Wij zijn licht (We Are Light), which was awarded the Boekhandelsprijs and the European Union Prize for Literature, and nominated for the Libris Literature Prize. Translation rights to her novel have been sold to nine countries and tens of thousands of copies have been sold in the Netherlands. Week (2022) is a pregnancy in poetry; with wonder and self-assessment, Blees depicts how expectant motherhood changes her body and life.
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