Sophia Blyden
Sophia Blyden (she/them) is a writer, poet, editor and program maker. Telling and sharing personal stories is the common thread in her work and she strongly believes that the power of vulnerability connects people. She likes to write about and organize events around themes such as feminism, mental health and love. In 2017 she founded the feminist platform Stories of Womanhood, where she gives personal stories a stage through creative arts. Since 2020 she has been working as an editor for VPRO’s Brommer op zee and since 2021 she has been making the poetry podcast Maxi Poezie together with Annemieke Dannenberg.
Lin An Phoa
Lin An Phoa is a writer, linguist and a Dutch teacher. Her poetry is physical and critical and often explores themes such as femininity, malleability, social expectations and systems.
Daniëlle Zawadi
Danielle Zawadi writes prose and performs spoken word. Her stories are often about what it means to be young in the Netherlands as someone of the second generation: born in the Democratic Republic of Congo but raised in the Netherlands. Zawadi touches on topics related to her bi-cultural background, friendship and aging. Through her passion of writing she initiated a platform for word art in The Hague: Het Zwarte Schaap.
Houda
Houda is a spoken word artist and performs under the pseudonym Tough & Vulnerable. The power in Houda’s lectures is that she shows her vulnerability without fear. On stage she points to where the pain is. Houda debuted at Worldsplay in 2019 during International Women’s Day. She has performed at Mensen Zeggen Dingen, Opera Forward Festival 2021 and other stages.
