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Elmar Kuiper selected for Transpoesie in Bruxelles

A jury of the Frisian Writers Association has chosen RIXT-poet Elmar Kuiper to represent the Frisian language at the ninth edition of Transpoesie, an European poetry festival in Bruxelles. Kuiper will perform on September 16, at the Day of the Languages, one of the events organized by the festival in the period September-October. The annual festival is organized by the EUNIC, the network of European Union National Institutes for Culture.

Elmar Kuiper was selected by the Frisian jury because of his poem Myn lân (‘My land’). Last year Janneke Spoelstra, also connected to RIXT, was the first poet to represent Friesland in Bruxelles.

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Gerrit de Vries – April 2019

Gerrit de Vries was RIXT-poet of the month April 2019.
You can read his original Frisian poems of that month here.
One of them – concerning canaries – is published here in translation.

concerning canaries

back then in the coalmine
a cage was hung in the gallery
behind bars sat a canary

carbon monoxide
lack of oxygen
mine gas was a hazard

the miners knew
when the whistling ceased
they could no longer be at ease

grandma had two canaries
Tom and Joy
until one day her tomcat
she fed Tom bird seed

rejoicing he sat sated
on his bar
when both were old
he just fell off

a godwit thrashes
his pecker to bits
looking for food
that no longer is

on the withered green
monotonous wasteland
a fleeing chick is running
out of breath

just pretend
all is fine
a meadow is no coalmine
a godwit ’s no canary

© Gerrit de Vries
Translation: Trevor Scarse

Oer kanarjes

eartiids yn de koalemyn
hong in koaike yn de galerij
siet efter traaljes in kanarje

koalmonokside
tekoart oan soerstof
myngas wie in gefaar

de mynwurkers wisten
as it fluitsjen ophold
dat der wat net doogde

beppe hie twa kanarjes
Piet en Jubel
oant op in dei de boarre
hja fuorre Piet sjongsied

sêd siet er te jubeljen
op syn stôk
doe’t beide âld wienen
foel er dêr ôf

in skries huft him
de snaffel stikken
siket nei iten
dat der net langer is

op de útdrûge grien
monotoane hûngerpôle
draaft in pyk op ‘e flecht
him út de liken

doch mar krekt
as is alles yn oarder
in greide is gjin koalemyn
in skries is gjin kanarje

© Gerrit de Vries
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Sytse Jansma in Oslo

As a result of the international festival for literature in Kenya (Kistrech) in 2018, Sytse Jansma established contacts with several Norwegian and Swedish poets.

In April 2019, a weekend was organized in Oslo, where six poets from these countries gathered. Gigs were organized, discussions were held with magazine publishers, discussion evenings were held, and further networks were expanded. All in all an interesting cultural exchange that will be continued, probably in Gothenburg, Sweden.

In Oslo there was also a performance in Cappelens Forslag, a bookshop in the city centre. On the photo the Dutch poet Frank Keizer reading his poetry.

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Piter Yedema – April 2018

Piter Yedema (†  2018) was RIXT-poet of the month April 2018.
You can read his original Frisian poem of that month here.
It is called ‘Land of birds ‘ and is published here in translation.


Piter Yedema performing 


Land of birds

Most cruel of months is April
A lapwing turns mid-air
far sounds his tweet thin and shrill

Memories and desire are freed
from dead ground a winter long
The poverty of today soon gone

Then resounding loudly her bird song
New life gets the place all to itself
and happily they lived long after

© Piter Yedema
Translation: Trevor Scarse

Fûgeltsjelân

Wreedste moanne is April
Oer de wjuk giet in âldhij
fier klinkt syn twiit tin en skril

Oantins en ferlangen komme frij
út deade grûn in winter lang
De earmoed langer skylk foarby

Doe klonk folút har fûgelsang
Nij libben krijt it ryk allinne
en lokkich libje se noch lang

© Piter Yedema
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Edwin de Groot – March 2019

Edwin de Groot was RIXT-poet of the month March 2019. You can read his original Frisian poems of that month here. One of them – On the poles it is cold (still) – is published here in translation.


On the poles it is cold (still)

In the villages in the early hours of the morning
colourful cockrels and everwhere the blossom of the elderberry
beautiful bright white butterflies flew around and every now and then one that ’s black

who wasn’t destined to grow old, catching the eyes of the birds
until the villages ended up in soot and the whites being preyed upon
meanwhile the black ones greedy guzzling their colour from the chimeys

that also ended and it showed: safekeeping
is a cautious coat in the colour of pepper and salt

© Edwin de Groot
Translation: Trevor M. Scarse