What is it you do in Broedplaats VKG?
Nyk: “I mainly write in my small office on the second floor. Besides being a writer and poet, I am also a musician. I record and mix music in my attic at home, where I’ve built a small studio.”
You do quite a lot of different things. Is there a common thread in your work?
“In my work, you’ll always find a certain degree of lightness, humor, and at the same time heaviness, tension. The combination of those two things is the holy grail for me. I like it when work is accessible and then suddenly hits the reader or viewer with pressing uncomfortable things. ‘Discomfort, expertly wrapped’, a reviewer once wrote that about my work. I thought it was a good description.”
Do you find Broedplaats VKG to be an inspiring environment?
“In recent years I have worked with quite a few people in the building. Since I don’t have any valuables in my studio – except for my laptop – I don’t have to blind my window. This way I see everyone walking by. It’s wonderful how easy it is to make contact and exchange ideas here. Sooner or later, collaborations will emerge.”
You’re also the poetic ambassador of Friesland (aka ‘Dichter fan Fryslân’). In this capacity you write six to ten poems a year, inspired by striking affairs in the province. What was the most striking affair you wrote a poem about?
“The town where I was born is pretty much the heart of the so-called ‘blokkeerfriezen’. And quite a few people I know there are PVV-voters and supporters of Forum voor Democratie. In Amsterdam, almost all of my friends and acquaintances have a left-wing signature. I try to create work that reaches both camps and has an effect on both. ‘Begin’ – the first text I wrote as Dichter fan Fryslân – is apparently about an ordinary quarrel, but this theme certainly lies underneath it.”
Your new poetry bundle ‘Asman‘ will be released soon. Can you tell us something about it?
“Asman is a mix of prose poems, humorous ultra-short stories, and texts I wrote as Dichter fan Fryslân. The bundle brings together the lightness and the heaviness that I mentioned earlier. It also includes eight short poetry films that I made with filmmaker Herman Zeilstra. I am a big fan of film because it’s the discipline where everything comes together: text, images, and music. During the bundle presentation in Doka, I also hope to include the films in my performance.”
Last but not least, the million-dollar question: who is your favorite poet and why?
“I started as a musician, so music is my main inspiration. The parlando songs by Tom Waits had a big influence on my short texts. For example, a song that I have played endlessly is ‘Franks Wild Years’ from the album ‘Swordfish Trombones’.”
More info via Nyks website
