About

History

Organisation

Team

Supervisory board

Contact details

Press

Vacancies

Privacy

Partners

William Kentridge

Remco Koers

Olga Tokarczuk

Remco Koers

Local Natives

Parcifal Werkman

Brian Eno & Bette A.

Angie Louws

Crossing Border annually organises the multi‑day international literature festival Crossing Border Festival in November and runs its own literary venue Borderkitchen, where events take place throughout the year.

For information about the 2026 festival edition, check the festivalinfo page.

For upcoming Borderkitchen events, check our agenda.
Address: Kerkstraat 13, The Hague

Crossing Border Festival

Crossing Border Festival is a multi‑day international literature festival that takes place every November in The Hague. Founded in 1992, it is one of the oldest and renowned literature festivals in the Netherlands. It is a pioneer in crossover programming, being the first Dutch festival to bring literature to the stage in combination with pop music and other art forms.

At the Crossing Border Festival you’ll see conversations, readings, and performances by more than 120 international and Dutch literary writers across many stages, renowned established names alongside exciting new talent.In addition to the literary programme, other art forms are presented as well, with storytelling and linguistic artistry as the connecting thread, along with international music acts and interdisciplinary programmes. For festival highlights, check our gallery.

Alongside the main programme, there are special events during festival week:

Kids Programme – an extensive children’s book programme featuring international authors and illustrators, workshops, and the Border Kids Book Club for children aged 4–8.
In collaboration with The Hague libraries and primary schools.

Crossing Border NXT – a Young Adult programme for readers aged 16+.

You’ll have to scream LOUDER – programmes spotlighting Dutch‑language talent.

The Chronicles – a unique annual residency project for talented authors and translators.

The Addict – networking events for national and international book professionals.

Programmes for students and secondary schools

Crossing Border Festival Antwerp

Following the edition in The Hague, the Antwerp edition of the festival will take place. A selection of international writers will perform at both festivals, and there will be an extensive Belgian programme featuring established names and exciting new talent.
The festival takes place in Arenberg theatre and is part of the November Book Month. It is organised in collaboration with Antwerp Boekenstad and many other local partners.

"It was the first European arts festival I’d attended, and since then I’ve never been to a better one, anywhere. It was electric, eclectic, fun-loving, and highly democratic."

- Dave Eggers

"For many, many writers, musicians and artists, Crossing Border Festival IS Holland and the Netherlands – it is what we associate the country with: an engine of meeting and discoveries and memorable concerts and book events.”

- Alan Warner

History

It all began in 1991, in a small bookstore in Amsterdam

Bookseller Louis Behre had a small Amsterdam shop that was always well-stocked with a diverse range of titles from around the world, and the eclectic selection and welcoming vibe made it a favourite haunt of writers including the Dutch poet Simon Vinkenoog.

Annahstasia

Remco Koers

J.M. Coetzee

Remco Koers

Andrea Antinori

Remco Koers

Zadie Smith

Jassir Jonas

Organisation

Crossing Border is organized by Stichting Other World Productions, a non-profit organization which aims to promote literature and reading through compelling live events in which audiences can interact with writers from all over the world.

Past events include Het Voorwoord, Walk the Line Festival, The Music in My Head, Crossing Border Antwerpen, Crossing Border Enschede, and Words on Fire (Crossing Border Maastricht).

Team

Management / board

Michel Behre, Director

Production

Sara Halbertsma, Production

Remco Cornelissen, Technical Production

Fabiene Soeters, Production

Coordination

Anna Eble, Coordinator The Chronicles

Elinor Archer, Coordinator education

Mina Javadian, Coordinator literature programme

Communication

Goeleke van den Heuvel, Communication & website

Thamar Kempees, Marketing

Rosa Laan, Socials

Programme

Daniëlle Zawadi, Programmer You'll have to scream LOUDER

Amanda Steck, Programmer Kids' Programme

Naomi Terhorst, Programmer CB NXT

Supervisory board

Louis Pirenne, Chairman

Louis Pirenne is a former cultural official, worked as head of culture for the municipality of Haarlem and as a cultural booster in the Amsterdam North and Nieuw-West districts. Before that, he worked in the theater and festival world. He has been involved with Crossing Border in various ways from the very beginning and has been chairman of the Supervisory Board since 2022. He believes in the power of the written, spoken and sung word. Within the Supervisory Board he pays extra attention to topics such as Governance, Diversity & Inclusion and Social Safety.

Mischa Blok

Mischa Blok is a radio host and podcaster.
She is featured every day on NPO Radio 1 in her interview programme MISCHA! She also presents VINK, the Podcast Guide of the Netherlands and Het Echte Leven, about non-fiction books. In addition, she is a writer. In January 2023, her book 'Mama Lee' was published and received the Opzij Literature Audience Award. As an RVT member, she focuses mainly on (social) media and publicity strategies.

Kiran Sukul

Kiran Sukul is an experienced board member and museum professional. At the Council for Culture, she focuses on museums and intangible heritage. Prior, she spent over a decade at the Hague Historical Museum. With a background in classical Indian dance, she brings deep expertise in culturally diverse performing arts and cross-cultural connections. On the Supervisory Board, she pays close attention to diversity in all its forms, as well as the foundation’s social impact and overall quality. She approaches cultural governance with both a legal mindset and a human perspective.

Michaël Roumen

Michaël Roumen is manager of ten Dutch and Flemish literary authors. Previously, he was director of the Leiden Cultural Fund and a consultant at the intersection of culture and economy. As a Supervisory Board member, he is extra motivated to think about the position and perspective of the authors and the long-term strategic and business development of the festival.

Babeth Fotchind

Babeth Fotchind is a poet, writer and human rights lawyer. She works in policy and in the cultural-societal field. Her acclaimed poetry collection Plooi was published in 2022 and she is currently working on a debut novel and second collection. As a COE member, Babeth brings both the perspective of the writer and artist and the managerial perspective. She previously read her poetry on one of Crossing Border's stages. That was a taste for more, which made her willing to commit to the international literature festival for a longer period of time.

Contact details

ANBI

Stichting Other World Productions

Address

Kerkstraat 11, 2514 KP Den Haag

Email address

info@crossingborder.nl

KvK-number

411572021

Crossing Border has the status of a cultural ANBI (Public Benefit Organization with Cultural Status).

Donors of an ANBI are allowed to deduct their donations from income tax or corporate tax. To be eligible for the deduction of periodic donations, the donor and the ANBI must record the donation in an agreement.

For donors to cultural ANBIs, there is an additional deduction for donations. Individuals can multiply their donation to a cultural ANBI by 1.25 in their income tax return and deduct it as a donation. Corporations subject to corporate tax can deduct 1.5 times the amount of such a donation in their corporate tax return.

Here is the link to the form for the publication obligation of an ANBI.