Different Class

I do not have a very diverse musical taste. New music does not capture my attention easily. This could be why I remember so clearly sitting in front of the television with MTV on the upper floor of my parents’ apartment, in the tiny hallway in front of my and my sister’s room, mesmerized by… Continue reading Different Class

The Story of the Siren

I have recently read a short story for the sleep podcast, Listen to Sleep. I was very happy when Erik, the host of the podcast asked me, and it did not take long for me to select a piece by E. M. Forster, one of my favourite writers of all time. Just some time before… Continue reading The Story of the Siren

About the Tulips

The artwork for ‘Love is Cancelled’ is my favorite so far. The photo was taken by Isa de Jong, who I asked to write a few words about the picture she took. I also added a few of my cents, and we created a playlist to accompany it, a playlist of breakup songs. For ‘Love is… Continue reading About the Tulips

Love is Cancelled

To all my exes, dead or alive. I am writing these words, as I sit in my apartment packed up waiting for the movers. I’ve fit my life in thirty-something boxes, shredded many photographs and documents. Any happenings related to emotions can feel banal. This goes to break-ups, too. I’ve broken up and been broken… Continue reading Love is Cancelled

Pride

This writing has been inspired by tweet exchanges with Gordon Darroch, who I do not know in person, but I hope I will. It’s Pride month. During Pride month the government of my home country passed a law, which sets the right of LGBTQI+ people back by decades. It is difficult to be proud to… Continue reading Pride

Dancing to Sirens

Every first Monday of the month, exactly at noon, they test the air defense sirens in the Netherlands. This sound of alarm has become part of our life, something that you hardly notice anymore.  The past years have not been easy. Both this virus ridden 18 months and the time before, I have collected a… Continue reading Dancing to Sirens

The Nutcracker

New blog post about the time, when, at the age of 18, I spent a year in a monastery.

The Magic Piano

I was not tall enough to reach the pedals on my grandparents’ grand piano. It definitely did not stop me from trying, however. The piano belonged to us for generations, many of my family, mostly the women, played on it. Some of the keys had numbers written on them in red ink with the beautifully… Continue reading The Magic Piano