For a long time, I believed that by now, I would have written a book.
A real one. Bound. Finished. Placed on a shelf.
Instead, what exists are fragments — opening lines, half-chapters, poems, reflections — scattered across USB sticks, external hard drives and cloud folders. Attempts. Beginnings. Movements toward something that never quite settled into a final form.
And yet, I never stopped writing.
I never stopped asking questions.
I never stopped being drawn to stories.
As a child, I already knew I wanted to become a writer. I imagined thrillers, crime novels, poetry collections. I gathered inspiration obsessively: conversations across borders, memories from my grandmother’s childhood in hidden classrooms under a communist regime, encounters with people whose lives carried entire films within them.
Still, the book did not materialise.
What did materialise is Kom Maar Dichter (Dutch for Listen Closely).
If I look honestly, this podcast did not start in a studio. It started at a breakfast table.
My grandmother and I had a ritual: we would “discuss the day into motion.” Politics, history, ethics, ordinary life. Sometimes the conversation lasted so long we needed dessert before we were done. Dialogue was not small talk. It was a way of thinking together. A way of sharpening the mind and softening the heart at the same time.
Kom Maar Dichter continues that tradition.
In this podcast, I sit down with authors who did write the book. Sometimes one, sometimes several. I enter their worlds and ask what happened behind the pages.
How did the story begin?
What almost stopped it?
What does writing change in a person?
Which voices did they consciously choose to make visible?
The conversations move through three layers: the origin of the story, the discipline and ruptures of the writing process, and the broader shift that writing creates — in the author, and potentially in the world the book enters.
This is not about literary prestige.
It is about process. About doubt. About persistence. About perspective.
And it is about representation — gently widening the space of who gets to tell stories and who gets to recognise themselves in them.
Every guest brings a distinct voice. Different backgrounds, different genres, different entry points into writing — yet all connected by the courage to put words into the world.
We record most of the episodes in Robur op den Eik, a quiet place in nature that invites attention. If we're not recording in Robur, then we're hosted by Het Huis Van Ontmoeting or Talander. The conversations are intimate but grounded. Reflective, but practical. Honest, without spectacle.
The series launches in the summer of 2026.
The trailer of the series is already available on all major podcast platforms — including Deezer, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify.
If you would like to follow the journey from the start, I encourage you to:
• Subscribe or follow the podcast on your favourite platform
• Turn on notifications so you don’t miss a conversation
By subscribing to The Conversation Layer, you get each new episode delivered in your inbox.
Each episode will be published as a written transcript on this website — in both English and Dutch — making the conversations accessible for those who prefer to read, and for those who rely on text for accessibility.
Perhaps this is my book, after all.
Not bound in one volume, but unfolding across conversations.
Not written alone, but shaped in dialogue.
Not stored on forgotten devices, but spoken into the open.
If you would like to receive a message in your inbox whenever a new episode goes live — including direct links to the transcript and additional reflections — you can join the interest list for the Speaking Bug newsletter.
I would be honoured to have you there.
Come closer.
Let’s listen carefully.
Deniza Miftari - Tussenin
Yasmina Fadli - De gouden sleutel naar zakelijke groei
Majd Khalifeh - Het licht van de twijfel
Ingrid Larik - Conflictbemiddeling op het werk
Sandrine Ekofo & Benjamin Goyvaerts - Kimia in het hart van Congo
An Ansoms - Space for stories. Passion and vulnerabilities in research.
Els Lagrou - Waarom we meer over geld moeten praten
Tuly Salumu - Bintje
Taha Riani - Kan ik dat nog wel zeggen
If you would like to receive a message whenever a new episode goes live — including the transcript and additional reflections — join The Conversation Layer newsletter.
I would love to have you there.
Artemis moderates and hosts conversations with writers and public intellectuals — in Dutch, English, or a mix of both. She has hosted book launches, author talks and cultural programmes for organisations across Belgium.
If you're programming a literary event or cultural dialogue and need an experienced host who comes prepared and listens deeply — get in touch.
