Projects

About Perdu’s Writing Workshops

Learning and development are deeply rooted in Perdu’s mission. Different to formal education, learning at Perdu is much more speculative; it is a collective exploration of possible modes of being in the world through writing experimentally.

Taking part in a Perdu writing workshop does not mean completing a trajectory as such, but it is more about having a writing project, regularly exchanging ideas with others, or discovering in a playful way who you can be as a writer. It may also mean swapping roles; sometimes you’re guiding others’ learning process instead.

Perdu writing workshops are intended for ambitious writers at the beginning of their writing trajectory. Participants write prose, poetry, and essays, read peers’ works, and discuss literary texts. The group gradually determines together what they would like to read and focus on. Own input therefore largely determines what is learned. Often, workshop participants have gone on to become published writers, joined Perdu’s programming team, or have had a great trajectory in the literary, artistic, and cultural sector.

Now open for applications: Season 2024/5

In the new cultural season, Perdu would like to give ambitious, starting writers the opportunity to develop further. From October 2024 there will be biweekly writing workshops in which a total of 16 writers, divided into two groups, will be given the opportunity to develop their skills together with other aspiring authors.

The workshops take place once every two weeks. The meetings usually consist of discussing a reading and writing assignment (the reading and writing itself takes place at home). The reading work is diverse and related to the writing assignments. During the workshop there will be more and more room for the participants’ own input in the selection of the reading material and the formulation of the assignments. When providing feedback on the assignments, the supervisors ensure that there is room for different perspectives and that the participants approach each other’s work both critically and respectfully.

The group led by writer, poet, critic and editor Jeroen van Rooij will take place on Wednesday evenings, starting October 2nd (7:30 pm – 10:30 pm) while that led by poet and writer Hannah van Binsbergen will start on Saturday morning on October 5th (10:00-13:00). The groups will meet once every two weeks until the end of June 2025 and take place in Perdu’s theater hall. There is a reading and writing assignment for each meeting.

Practical information

You can register for the workshop until September 8, 2024 via perduschrijfworkshop@gmail.com.

There is a pre-selection, based on a short motivation letter (max 1 A4 page) and a few pages of recent written work that you can send via email. Towards the end of September, you will receive a message regarding the outcome of the selection procedure. We look forward to your application!

The working language of the writing workshops is Dutch, but work in English is accepted if you can give feedback on the work of your fellow participants in Dutch.

Prices: