Aicha Meke
Aicha Meke (2002) is a young writer who enjoys using her words to capture situations close to her heart on paper. In both English and Dutch, she transforms deep emotions into texts that everyone can relate to. In her debut collection, “Waiting For Love To Come Fix You,” she writes about the place love holds in her life and how she experiences its absence.
Charisa Chotoe
Charisa Chotoe (1993) is a (TV) journalist and poet. In her pieces, Chotoe bridges the professional distance she must maintain in journalism. While two sources are facts in her daily life, the factual representation in her pieces is primarily emotional. And her critical view of society turns into questions. She lets her feelings flow freely and mixes them with historical facts, growing up in the suburbs, and a touch of activism.
Maureen Ghazal
Maureen Ghazal writes poetry and prose, creates visual art, and performs. In 2018, she graduated with a poetry collection from the Willem de Kooning Academy, and in the same year, she won the El Hizjra Literature Prize for her poetry. Her work has been published in De Gids, De Revisor, and Extra Extra Magazine, among others. She has performed at events like Crossing Border Festival, Frontaal, and Perdu. In her work, she writes about her place of birth, connecting languages and landscapes, and being a woman. Maureen is part of the development program of Wintertuin.
Iduna Paalman
Iduna Paalman is a poet and writer. In the fall of 2019, her poetry debut “De grom uit de hond halen” was published by Querido. The collection was awarded the Poetry Debut Prize 2020, nominated for the Ida Gerhardt Poetry Prize and the C. Buddingh’ Prize, and received an honorable mention from the Grote Poëzieprijs. The Volkskrant named Iduna the literary talent of the year. In the fall of 2022, her new poetry collection “Bewijs van bewaring” was released, which won the J.C. Bloem Prize in 2023 and was nominated for the Herman de Coninck Prize. She has published in De Gids, De Revisor, and Het Liegend Konijn and has written columns, reviews, and essays for De Groene Amsterdammer, NRC Handelsblad, VPRO, and Hard//hoofd.
Moze Naél & Winterdagen
In “Zielsrust,” the different worlds of the Rotterdam poet Moze Naél and neo-classical composer and producer Winterdagen come together. “Zielsrust” is about finding balance in a big city like Rotterdam, finding equilibrium between the concrete jungle and nature, past and present, light and dark. Let yourself be carried away into a musical world filled with words of wonder and hope, where boundaries blur.
Moze Naél is a Rotterdam poet known for his soft voice and at the same time, someone who doesn’t shy away from sharply articulating painful events in life. Even what is not beautiful must sound beautiful. His words and cadence force the listener to truly listen; there is no escaping, so the listener must fully surrender to the moment, a melancholic dream flight. In this dream flight, he holds up a mirror to the audience, where the spectator ultimately confronts their own cracks.
Mink Steekelenburg (producer and composer), known as ‘Winterdagen,’ explores the boundaries of neo-classical piano music and electronics. Enchanting piano compositions are surrounded by warm synthesizer sounds and deep basses in Winterdagen’s work. In each composition, Winterdagen embarks on a new experiment, resulting in a unique emotion, tension, and atmosphere.
