Poetry initiative takes red-light district approach
Flanders first-ever Poetry Brothel takes both listeners and poets out of their comfort zone with its intimate one-on-one readings
Adults only
In New York, fans of the genre have found a way to bring poetry closer, ahem, to the people by placing poets and listeners together in the same room. In a dimly lit, brothel-style venue to be exact.
“A couple of years ago, I got in touch with Stephanie Berger in New York,” Ineke Van Nieuwenhove tells me. “Together with Nicholas Adamski, she founded the Poetry Brothel, and I immediately loved what they were doing.”
Van Nieuwenhove, a creative entrepreneur, saw the potential of such an event in Flanders. She enlisted the help of Michael Vandebril, himself a poet and co-ordinator of the Antwerpen Boekenstad initiative, to develop a local programme.
“The evening develops as a visit to a regular brothel would,” Van Nieuwenhove explains. “I am the madam and invite you to spend some time with my poets. I’ll guide you to their rooms and leave you alone for a one-on-one poetry session.”
The first Poeziëbordeel was organised during the Poeziënacht (Poetry Night) event in Bruges last summer. It proved so popular that two more were scheduled – one in a castle outside of Ghent, another in Antwerp’s Huis Happaert. All sold out. So now organisers are gearing up for the fourth edition at a 1930s hotel in Brussels’ Elsene district.
A tease of a poet
All of the weekend’s participating poets have come up with naughty alter egos, such as Stan Lee Smoke, Felicity Fatale and Don Jazzanova. “The setting, the characters, everything is staged – except for the poetry,” Van Nieuwenhove explains. “The poets present their own work in a very pure and intimate way.”
Sometimes people get emotional and feel really touched by the poetry
While you might find the idea of sharing a room with a Don Juan or a femme fatale a bit awkward, the Poeziëbordeel sessions have turned out to be incredibly popular. The number of visitors is held to 100, and the next edition is already nearly full.
“We have some regulars who show up for every edition,” Van Nieuwenhove laughs. “Sometimes people even get emotional and feel really touched by the poetry.”
Fortunately, every Poëziebordeel comes with a bar and entertainment in the main room for those who might need a cool down. Oh, and feel free to dress up to match the atmosphere. After all, you might need an alter ego to step out of your comfort zone, too.
11-12 April, from 21.00 at Hotel Le Berger, Herdersstraat 24, Brussels
Photo by Carmen De Vos
