Leeuwarden UNESCO City of Literature, the Wadden Sea World Heritage Centre in Lauwersoog (WEC) and the literature festival Meet Me at the Lighthouse on Schiermonnikoog (MMATL) are inviting two writers from Friesland to write a poem about their relationship with a seal – based on an idea by Heidelberg UNESCO City of Literature.
Sign up!
Would you like to participate in this open call? Send a short motivation to info@leeuwardencityofliterature.nl before Monday, August 10, 2026, explaining why this project suits you and how you would approach it.
Starting Monday, August 17, 2026, we will select 2 poets from all submissions for this open call. We will then put you in touch with the WEC in Lauwersoog, where you will follow your own seal throughout the project (from September 1 to Animal Day, October 4) to work on your poem.
- Poem length: 200 – 500 words (maximum 3,000 characters including spaces and punctuation)
- Language: Dutch, English, Frisian, or Frisian regional dialect
- Poem submission deadline: Sunday, October 4, 2026
- Compensation: € 500
In consultation with the selected poets, the WEC, and the literature festival Meet Me at the Lighthouse, we will then look into presentation possibilities for your poem. Furthermore, your poem will be submitted to the international project ‘What (not) to say on animals (in zoos)’ by Heidelberg UNESCO City of Literature and published online in German.
Wadden Sea World Heritage Centre
The Wadden Sea World Heritage Centre (WEC) in Lauwersoog is the new home of the Pieterburen Seal Centre, where visitors can discover the Wadden Sea area.
Literature Festival Meet Me at the Lighthouse – November 12 to 15, 2026
Meet Me at the Lighthouse (MMATL) is a literature festival on Schiermonnikoog. MMATL is created out of love for literature, culture, and nature. This year’s theme is ‘Wandering Guests’. Marjolijn van Heemstra, Ellen Deckwitz, Nisrine Mbarki Ben Ayad, Jaap Robben, and Peter Buwalda, among others, will be on stage this year.
Leeuwarden UNESCO City of Literature
As a UNESCO City of Literature, Leeuwarden and Friesland are investing in a professional multilingual literary climate, an international network, and the promotion of reading. With this permanent title for the city and province, Leeuwarden is part of the global network of over 400 Creative Cities and 62 other Cities of Literature. This network offers many opportunities for collaboration and exchange, such as for this project by Heidelberg UNESCO City of Literature.
Do you have a question regarding this open call? Please contact Sito Wijngaarden at sito@leeuwardencityofliterature.nl.
