On Saturday evening, May 24, a new edition of the Terschellinger poetry evening Dichter bij Zee will take place. On this evening in the atmospheric Meslânzer Church, poets from the island and from the shore will recite from their own work. The poets will share the stage with a guest poet. This year, none other than Poet of the Netherlands Babs Gons. Gons gained fame as a pioneer of the spoken word movement, in which not only the poem in the broadest sense of the word, but also its recitation as an art form is central. For example, she organized the poetry stage Palabras in Amsterdam's Paradiso for many years, where she gave young, unknown and international recitation artists a voice. She made her debut as a poet in 2021 with the collection Doe het toch maar, which was promptly nominated for the Herman de Coninck Prize. She also wrote a children's book (Het begint met een droom, 2021) and writes columns for Het Parool. Her work is characterized by a great social commitment. Gons has already performed for a large audience on Terschelling during Oerol. Now she is looking forward to sharing her poems in a more intimate setting. She writes about the islands: ‘I have a great love for the islands, being surrounded by water, the air, the wind that always accompanies you, the views, but also the idea that at least for a little while, or a very long time, you are all together on a piece of earth that you cannot just leave. I also love the rhythm of an island, I always feel myself walking a little slower, leaning back a little more.’ Curious about the work of Babs Gons and the other poets? Come to Dichter Bij Zee in the Meslânzer Kerk on 24 May. Starting at 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM.