Conversation : De taal die ons verbindt

Dutch writer, poet and columnist Babs Gons is behind a number of poetry initiatives, including Palabras (Amsterdam), a monthly gathering of young and/or emerging poets. Later, she founded and was artistic director of the well-known Poetry Circle. Long devoted to putting other artists in the spotlight, Gons made her writing debut in 2021 with her collection of poems Doe het toch maar. The same year, she published a children's book: Het Begint Met Een Droom. In 2022 she won ‘The Johnny’ prize for poetic interpretation, and in 2024 the ‘Gouden Ganzenveer’. Gons' poems are fundamentally socially engaged, and navigate brilliantly between global themes and the sphere of the individual and intimate. Babs Gons is currently national poetess of the Netherlands from 2023 to 2025, a term during which she aims to pursue one of the main motivations behind her work and vision: bridging the gap between the worlds of spoken word and poetry, the latter considered elitist and the former often dismissed as “inferior”. Gons shows the world both the plurality and singularity of poetic forms, while addressing the need to democratize poetry, to make it accessible: according to her, everyone can read it, integrate it into their daily lives, and even make it themselves.

Ruth Lasters, born in 1979 in Antwerp, is a Belgian poet, novelist and teacher. A graduate in Romance philology, she has published several award-winning novels and poetry collections, including “Vouwplannen” and “Lichtmeters”. Her work deals with identity, society and everyday life with humor and reflection. In 2022, she sparked a major debate on freedom of expression after a critical poem was censored. She teaches and coordinates equality at a secondary school in Borgerhout. She will be Belgium's national poetess from March 2026.

Brussels-based Dutch slam poet Lisette Ma Neza is the first Dutch-speaking woman to win the Belgian Poetry Slam Championship in 2017. She has performed several times at the KVS and has developed artistic projects combining poetry and engagement, particularly in schools. Supported by the KVS, she is preparing a multidisciplinary performance, a collection of poems and a documentary series on Afropean identity. She collaborates with artists and is preparing for international projects. She is the first Brussels’ Poet.