Book Week 2026: Writers on Stage

On Saturday 21 March, discover the stories of writers Sandy Bosmans and Ans van Berkum during Writers On Stage. Fadoua Alaoui interviews these two writers from Almere about their work and their experiences growing up and living in Almere. The programme ties in with the Book Week theme 'My Generation' and the 50th anniversary of Almere and De Nieuwe Bibliotheek. Afterwards, you can buy their books and have them signed.

About Sandy Bosmans:

One of the ways she shares her work is as a spoken word artist. Thus, she has appeared several times on stages such as "The New Love", "words become sentences", "people say things" and "Paginagroots". Since 2014, she has been associated with Poetry Circle, where she now also works as a coach. She won several regional poetry slams and reached the semi-finals of the NK Poetry Slam in 2016. In 2017, she founded the spoken word stage Art Harder with friends. She wrote the theatre play Homecoming (2019), performed in the show RAUW v/v and her work appeared in the collections En ze leefde nog and Hardop. She also collaborated on the animation project Anouschka, wrote stage texts for House of Nouws, among others, and is active as a programme maker, workshop teacher and programme manager for Zaal X.

About Ans van Berkum:

Ans van Berkum studied art and architectural history and now writes passionately about artists, urban planning and architecture. She also initiates and organises cultural projects in which she brings past and imagination together. In honour of 50 years of Almere, she collaborated on the design of the museum residence Huis van Haven. Here, visitors experience the 1970s, the period in which Almere came into being.

About Fadoua Alaoui:

With her positive energy, empathy and broad interests, Fadoua Alaoui has been presenting a variety of events in the Netherlands for years. During her 13-year stay in Curaçao, she discovered and developed her passion for interviewing and presenting as anchor of the daily morning show on Nos Pais Television. Back in the Netherlands, she continued this experience as an event presenter and moderator, effortlessly creating a warm atmosphere in which both guests and audience feel at ease. Thanks to her journalistic background, she is strong in interviews and panel discussions. Her international experience, broad social interest and language skills make her versatile. With human interest, connection and empowerment as her driving force.