The State of Poetry – Keynote by Babs Gons

Poetry knows no borders! At this first Poetry Summit, voices from around the world come together to reflect on its power, urgency, and future. In collaboration with Babs Gons, Poet Laureate of the Netherlands, the Poetry International Festival opens with her keynote speech, in which she explores where poetry stands today: what it can achieve, who it speaks for, and how it shapes the world around us. Over the course of the summit, Gons will meet and engage with fellow Poet Laureates from countries such as Barbados, New Zealand, Albania, and Malta, exchanging perspectives on poetry’s role in society. 

Throughout the weekend, Gons will gather the most striking poetic insights and declarations from festival guests. These will culminate in a final statement, a collective poetic document that she will present at the festival’s closing. From the first word to the last, The Poetry Summit is a space for dialogue, imagination, and the shared language of verse.

Babs Gons is a writer, spoken word poet, and host. 

For decades, she has been a driving force behind numerous poetry stage initiatives. Starting in 2000, she organized Palabras at Paradiso (Amsterdam) for nearly ten years—an event celebrating the work of young and emerging poets and spoken word artists. She later played a key role in founding and developing the Poetry Circle. 

Gons made her poetry debut in 2021 with Doe het toch maar. That same year, she wrote the official Boekenweek poem and published a children's book, Het Begint Met Een Droom. In 2022, she received De Johnny, a lifetime achievement award for performance poetry, and in 2024, she was awarded the prestigious Gouden Ganzenveer. She presents various literary programs and is the host of Babs’ Woordsalon, a musical-literary show. In addition to poetry, she writes stories, articles, and columns. A selection of her columns for Het Parool was published in June 2022 under the title Alles Wat Je Liefhebt Wordt Mooi. 

Gons serves as Poet Laureate of the Netherlands from 2023 to 2025. The selection committee praised her as "one of the most compelling poets in the Netherlands today, with a voice full of fire—burning and warm—both on stage and on paper. She is a poet who passionately and powerfully gives words to the issues of our time, in a society that she, with deep conviction, connects through poetry."