Introducing Double Dutch magazine

Sep 8

Hi there! Welcome to Double Dutch magazine. Thank you for visiting us, and taking the time to read this first ‘Feature’ article. We thought we’d take this opportunity to delve a bit deeper into the reasons why we started Double Dutch magazine, what we intend to add to an already crowded magazine landscape and our plans with it moving forward. The first of those reasons is simple enough…:

Keeping friendships alive

We (Onno and Benne) have known each other for about 3 decades now. In 1998 we started the artist movement ‘Het Ongeboren Idee’, together with fellow prolific creatives Gino Morelli, Sander Groen, Martijn van Dijk and Jasper Arts, resulting in several cd’s, cultural lo-fi festivals, exhibitions, a theater show, a full blown movie, monthly poetry evenings in our hometown of Vlaardingen (Poezie in De Steeg) + a talent show for bands.

Artist movement 'Het Ongeboren Idee' on double dutch magazine — *The entire Idee in 2012 with from left to right: Onno, Martijn, Benne, Gino, Jasper and Sander*

'Het ongeboren Idee' debut CD on double dutch magazine — ‘Het Ongeboren Idee’

*Our debut cd as a group from 1998, with poetry, soundscapes and music, produced by* *Marco de Brabander*

'il mostro' art by Onno and Gino on double dutch magazine — ‘Il Mostro’

*An art installation by Onno and Gino at the ‘Vlaardingen container festival’ in 2006*

Poetry exhibition by art movement Het Ongeboren Idee on Double Dutch magazine — “Please don’t read the poetry out loud”

*‘A poetry exhibition by art collective Het ongeboren Idee in the center for silence (corner Veerplein/Waalstraat) during the 2007 National Poetry day in Vlaardingen’*

We actually were a pretty active group for years on end, but as maturing tends to bring inevitable changes with it like some of us becoming fathers, others moving away or getting married etc, etc, a.k.a. the usual, the once very tight creative ties slowly loosened. And then loosened some more. Priorities, eh? Which is normal, I guess, but regrettable none the less… So, yeah, fuck THAT! While we might not be able to get together way as much anymore, and the last project as a complete groep was many, many years ago, the members did not stop creating individually and there have been a few solid collabs between us since then. For example, Onno and me partnered up between 2010 and 2015 by publishing a poem with accompanying art and vice versa every month for Barflyer Magazine, culminating in the volume ‘Met man en muizenis’ by publishing house Stanza in 2015, while Martijn (music/production/patience) and I (lyrics/vocals) worked on a 6 track EP together in 2020 and 2021. So yeah. And now? Now there’s Double Dutch magazine :)

the film Venus bij maanlicht by artist movement Het Ongeboren Idee on double dutch magazine — ‘Venus bij Maanlicht’

*A still from our feature length film, shown at* *Het Zomerterras festival* *in 1999*

het ongeboren idee on double dutch magazine — ‘CASHFLOW WINNER 1 st EDITION FARADAY’S CAGE’

‘… a competition for bands mostly from the Music scene in Vlaardingen. … organized and presented by Sander Groen, Benne van der Velde and Onno Maat from the artist movement Het Ongeboren Idee.’ 2000

Why a literary, music and art magazine?

I’ve been a editor for 3 Dutch literary magazines in the past. Liked that a hell of a lot. Since a couple of years, not long after I started to re-write my own poetry in English, I began to send my work to English/American magazines and competitions myself. Doing so with the same intensity I tend to do everything with, and learning a lot from those experiences in the process. Enough even to come to a simple realisation: I can do that too! And so I am. And so WE are. I love poetry, Onno breaths visual art and we both know a thing or two about music first hand. Just makes sense. What helps a lot as well is that it’s all online, the editorial stuff and managing the site and what not. Great for a couple of busy gen X’ers like us!

Eliciting responses

Pssst…. These are very, very, VERY sensitive times… While some of the greatest art out there, in any form, is a shock to the system by fucking design. Covering the entire range of human emotions, from fear, jealousy, to hate, through pride into (self)loathing. Offending just for the sake of it, is just… boring, true enough, but people getting offended by sublime poetry or striking art just because of the choice of language, sensitive subject matter or the imagery (for example nudity) used should NEVER be a reason to stop providing places where you can read those kinds of art, or look at them. Or listen. So. If what we showcase offends you, good! It means our contents at least achieve what they’re supposed to: elicit a response. What kind of an emotion that might be, however, is NOT our responsibility, nor problem, and if you don’t like what you see, or hear, or read here, just… leave?

This is not the first time I’ve helped to created a safe space kinda like this. In 2007 I started a blog filled with of (in)famous and lesser known Dutch and Flemish anger/sarcastic/hate/pamphlet poetry with fellow poets Daniel Dee and Alexis de Roode, which ultimately resulted in the Anthology ‘Ik proef iets wat bedorven is.’ in 2016. Its promotion tour brought us to the Lowlands- and Woordnacht festivals, where we also mixed said poetry with music in the same vein. In short: this fight for true freedom of expression really means something to me, and I’m very glad I get to continue it in this new way!

anthology 'Ik proef iets wat bedorven is' by Daniel Dee, alexis de Roode en benne van der velde on double dutch magazine — *Alexis de Roode, Daniel Dee and me with our anthology ‘Ik proef iets wat bedorven is’*

newspaper trouw about anthology ik proef iets wat bedorven is on double dutch magazine — “Anthology fits the current times beautifully”

*An article about ‘Ik proef iets wat bedorven is’* *in the national news paper Trouw* *from 2016 by* *Janita Monna*

Going Dutch

Another pillar of this initiative is to showcase some of what the best Dutch poetry, lyrics and art have to offer. Great visual art shouldn’t need to get translated to be understood and felt, but storytelling through written language does. That’s why we aim to include some of the best/most beautiful Dutch lyrics, poetry and art along with their English translation (if required) in each issue. Highlighting the artists AND translators in question. Alongside stunning visual art by a range of Dutch and flemish creatives. Because we’re simply proud of our rich cultural heritage and new, contemporary examples of it. They deserve a global audience. And we can’t wait to show why. Period.

That’s it, I guess. Thank you so much, again, for visiting Double Dutch magazine! We hope you like what you see, hear and read, and if so, come back soon, submit, maybe even tip our jar and spread the word? We’d love to grow into a force to be reckoned with, and with your help we just might do exactly that. Cheers!

Back

Benne van der Velde

After thoroughly enjoying the Dutch slam poetry scene in the early and mid 2000s (with wins in 7 cities and eventually a place in the Nationals of 2012) and performances at the Lowlands-, Uitmarkt- and Parade festivals a/o, Benne successfully made the transition from the stage to paper by signing his first publishing deal in 2005. Since then 4 publishing houses (kleine Uil, Douane, Nadorst and Stanza) released volumes of his poetry. For a 5th (Passage) he co-edited an anthology of satirical/pamphlet poetry with fellow poets Daniel Dee and Alexis de Roode.

As a member of the artist movement ‘Het Ongeboren Idee’ he helped to organize (and was part of/presented) cultural lo-fi festivals, exhibitions, making a movie, monthly poetry stages in his hometown of Vlaardingen (Poezie in De Steeg), Rotterdam (De Poetsclub) and Nijmegen (Late Letteren Live) + a talent show for bands.

In 2002 and 2003 he studied ‘writing for performance’ at the vocational university of the Arts in the city of Utrecht (HKU) and as a result saw 3 of his theater plays make it to a stage. Writer Hiekelien van den Herik and he co-wrote a knight spectacle play complete with real choreographed sword fights, men in heavy plate armor and more great stuff like that. Theater-/enactment group Ridderspoor performed said play in 2004 and 2005 at Het Archeon, during De Kasteeldagen and at an Elfia-fantasy fair. He also gave numerous poetry and rap workshops at schools and other institutions. There were a lot of collabs too, for example voice-over work for a Rock Opera, a monumental art project for which he partnered up with the artist Erwin Adema and thrice alongside the R.J.S.O (The Rotterdam Youth Symphony Orchestra).

Benne has been an editor for several literary magazines (Krakatau, Renaissance and Op Ruwe Planken), at one time he and his wife owned a secondhand bookstore, he’s been the official poet laureate for his hometown of Vlaardingen and released his first and only Dutch rap-EP in 2011. In 2012 he rapped his way into the finals of Art Rocks. An EP with songs in English followed in 2021. A year later he started translating Dutch musical and lyrical classics from Dutch into English, and vice versa. Some of his short sci-fi and fantasy stories have found their way to medium related websites, magazines and anthology’s.

According to the poet himself rewriting his own poetry, lyrics and prose in English somehow feels like the next logical step in his career, a way to open up to the world at large. Which is both exhilarating and terrifying. So far several of these translations have been published in Bebarbar, Hare’s paw, Festivalforpoetry, Punt Volat, The Dewdrop, The Dillydoun Review and Months to Years a/o.

In everyday (some claim real) life he worked as an industrial tank cleaner, in pest control, on a garbage truck, driving a forklift, in a chemical waste facility, on a Ferry and 10 years as a bartender in a cannabis bar. At the time of writing this resume he can be found at home or in the hospital battling throat cancer. He’s been off the Herb since 2008, has a wife, 2 dogs, mild anxiety issues and likes to read every sci-fi and fantasy classic he can find.

www.linkedin.com/in/benne-van-der-velde-8b17a7296

The poet/lyricist and author Rob Chrispijn: ‘Benne writes sentences that stick; clean, dark and intense. This way a poem lasts!’

The poet Philip Hoorne on the website Poetry rapport: ‘There’s a genius hiding in Benne van der Velde, those are the Good Tidings of today. Amen.’

https://www.doubledutchmagazine.com

Introducing Double Dutch magazine

beauty is truth but ugliness means well (some personal thoughts about Donald Gardner’s poetry)

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