Netherlands literary scene – June/July

Here’s our rundown of upcoming international literary events in The Netherlands for June & July 2018. Events are in English unless otherwise noted. Most ask that you register; some require tickets. Click on the headings for more info.

Attention fans of crime fiction author Karen Slaughter: she’s on tour in the Netherlands from the 15 – 18 June with appearances at nearly a dozen bookstores and libraries, a handful of which include interviews. See her website for details.

Also a heads up: Margaret Atwood is coming to Amsterdam this November! Tickets are already on sale.

• DIY (But Not Alone) Zine Fair  – Perdu opens its door to zine culture on Sunday, 17 June from 12:00 at Perdu, Amsterdam
• Books & Bubbles – a reading by local author Ivo Weyel + proseco and bites on Sunday, 17 June, 16:00 at the Sir Albert Hotel, Amsterdam Note: this programme will be in Dutch
• Open Mic Monday – poetry, music and stories in Dutch, English, French and Spanish, new performers welcome, 18 June, 20:30, Labyrinth, Amsterdam
• Salon Branoul: Charles Bukowski – a reading of Bukowski’s work framed by music by Copland, Carter and Muczynski on Tuesday, 19 June, 21:00 at Branoul, The Hague
• Graphic Novel Conference – with speakers, workshops and all around graphic novel fun on Friday, 22 June, 15:00 at the CREA, Amsterdam
• Shadowboxing multi-media performance and party – Perdu’s season finale brings together writers, artists, musicians and dancers for a blowout show with cocktails and dancing afterwards on Friday, 22 June, 20:00 at Perdu, Amsterdam. Note: part of this programme will be in Dutch.
• Picnic & Book Swap – a relaxed afternoon of reading, talking, drinking, eating and maybe even some alfresco writing on Sunday, 24 June, 16:00 on the green between between Sarphatistraat 213 and Plantage Middenlaan
• Talking Books with Kawa Nemir and Erik Bindervoet – Kurdish author Nemir and Dutch author Bindervoet speak about the translation of Joyce’s Ulysses into their mother tongues, Sunday, 24 June, 16:00 at Pages Bookstore, Amsterdam
• Open Mic Monday – poetry, music and stories in Dutch, English, French and Spanish, new performers welcome, 25 June, 20:30, Labyrinth, Amsterdam
• Open Mic with Int’l Open Stage – poetry, stories, songs and more on the topic of old traditions, ancient civilizations or anything else ‘old’ in whatever language you want,Tuesday, 26 June, 21:00 at ACU, Utrecht
• Pissfest 2018: Zine Fair & Party – 24 hours of talks, poetry, open mic performances, dancing and of course zines, on Friday, 29 June starting at 15:00 at VLLA, Amsterdam
• Open Mic at Pages – an evening of reading, drinks and food on Friday, 29 June, 17:30 at Pages Bookstore, Amsterdam
• Labyrinth Poetry Night: Human – a night of poetry in all its forms plus cocktails and soul food on Saturday, 30 June, 20:30 at Labyrinth, Amsterdam
• Open Mic Monday – poetry, music and stories in Dutch, English, French and Spanish, new performers welcome, 2 July, 20:30, Labyrinth, Amsterdam
• Level I Creative Writing Workshop – learn the foundations of good writing with our 6-week course, Thursdays, 5 July – 9 August, Boekhandel van Rossum, Amsterdam (also available online)
• Open Mic with Int’l Open Stage – poetry, stories & more in any language on what you see when you’re wearing your rose-coloured glasses in whatever language you want, Tuesday, 12 June, 21:00 at ACU, Utrecht
• Knock Knock – Amsterdam –  an evening of poetry, spoken word, music and food, on 13 July, 19:15 at Volta, Amsterdam
• John Pineda – meet-and-greet and book signing featuring his latest novel Let’s No One Get Hurt on Saturday, 14 July, 16:00 at the American Book Center, Amsterdam
• Karen Kao – this master class will look at technique in Kao’s novel The Dancing Girl and the Turtle, the challenges of writing historical fiction and more on Sunday, 22 July, 17:00 – 19:30 at Boekhandel van Rossum, Amsterdam
• Open Mic with Int’l Open Stage – poetry, stories, songs and more on the topic of Artificial Intelligence in whatever language you want on Tuesday, 24 July, 21:00 at ACU, Utrecht

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