08
Mar
On International Women's Day, THE WORD presents a unique festive gathering where nine women take the stage. Enjoy an evening of poetry, spoken word, song, and music.
The Word
On International Women's Day, the new season of Ruigoord kicks off. THE WORD presents this unique festive gathering where nine women will take The First Word. We will enjoy poetry, spoken words, song, and music. Featuring Elly de Waard, Bernice Vreedzaam, Manja Opdam, Samantha Kemna, Sholeh Rezazadeh, Mirjam Elias, Tosca Niterink, Sandhya Sandjana, and Cato Fluitsma. Hosted by Yvonne Mousset van Doorn and Diana Ozon. DJ is Menging Chu.
Elly de Waard
A poet and pioneer in pop journalism, she founded the poets' group 'De Nieuwe Wilden' and initiated the Anna Bijns Prize. In 2017, she received the Ruigoord Trophy.
Bernice Vreedzaam
A writer, poet, and performer. Her debut collection *De vogelgrens oversteken* was published in 2025 by Atlas Contact.
Manja Opdam
A creative producer and writer of poetry and prose, she is the founder of Zinnen Zetten in addition to her work as a writer and spoken word artist.
Samantha Kemna
A barmaid with a preference for The Word, she was inspired by poetry to start writing poems herself, and now she has her debut.
Sholeh Rezazadeh
A writer, poet, and performer from Iran. Her novels have received awards, and her poetry debut quickly went into reprints. For Book Week 2025, she wrote the Book Week poem.
Mirjam Elias
An author, presenter, historian, and journalist, she pioneered in women's history, presented for VPRO, AVRO, and NOS, and wrote numerous reports.
Tosca Niterink
A village poet, actress, comedian, writer, and painter, she created the TV series *Theo en Thea*, was a columnist for NRC Handelsblad, and has been a Ruigoord Trophy holder since 2014.
Sandhya Sanjana
A classically trained Indian singer and Ruigoord Trophy holder 2016. She has composed, recorded, and performed all over the world, both solo and with leading bands.
Cato Fluitsma
A cabaret artist, singer, accordionist, composer, lyricist, host, and Ruigoord Trophy holder 2025, she writes her own songs and also has a huge multilingual repertoire.
DJ Menging Chu
Will be spinning records.
Hosted by Yvonne van Doorn and Diana Ozon
They are both holders of a Ruigoord Trophy. With The Word, they prove that words not only tell stories but can also build worlds.
Kerk Ruigoord
Ruigoord 76, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Upcoming
Ruigoord 76, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Upcoming