Derek Otte is a poet, spoken word artist, teacher, and theater maker who bridges the personal and the societal with his words. His poetry is both introspective and straightforward, exploring themes such as identity, urban life, and the position of the individual. What started as a way to overcome his stuttering grew into a versatile career: he was the house poet for FunX, the city poet of Rotterdam (2017-2018), and teaches spoken word at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. He has published five collections, including On the Edge of Dreamland (2023), and has traveled through the Netherlands and Flanders in recent years with his theater performances De tijd is om and Tijd over.

Foto: Hans Reitzema