Heads up, comic and graphic-novel fans! Come by the Bibliotheek Schilderswijk (free entry) on Friday afternoon, 19 January, and meet one of the most famous Dutch graphic-novel authors Erik Kriek and his Hague colleague Mark Verdult.

Both artists talk about their work, present examples and answer your questions. Building on the festival theme Human Voices, they show how to express the human voice through images and illustrations, as well as how to depict emotions, contact with others or even loneliness. Host is Xander Kowollik, acting librarian of the Schilderswijk Bibliotheek.

Some (budding) comics artists grabbed their chance and showed some of their works to Erik, Mark and the visitors. They did so after registering beforehand by email to the Bibliotheek Schilderswijk.

Erik Kriek is an internationally famous illustrator and comic artist. He became well-known through his "superhero" Gutsman. He creates illustrations for international publications including the Boston Globe, Weltwoche, De Volkskrant, NRC, VPRO Gids and the comic magazine Zone5300, and designs album covers, posters and skateboards. His interpretation of the stories of H.P. Lovecraft, Het onzienbare en andere verhalen (The Unseen and Other Tales), has been translated into Spanish, French, Italian, German, Serbian and Swedish.

De Kuil (The Pit), Kriek's latest one-shot, is a masterfully told and drawn horror story that, for once, takes place neither in the forests of North America (In the Pines) nor in the hills of medieval Iceland (De Balling; The Exile), but simply on the Veluwe in The Netherlands. The book was published in a 132-page hardcover with a linen spine, and also as a deluxe edition with an additional 12-page section, with a faux-leather cover and a signed print.

Mark Verdult is an illustrator working and living in The Hague. He also works at the Huis van Betekenis in Utrecht, a community and collective for illustration and graphic design. He creates storytelling illustrations for picture books, graphic novels and comics, with a penchant for portraying characters (poses, expression of emotion, interaction) as a starting point for his narrative work.

One of his published series is Red Wanderer, a graphic novel about a lady named Red who, guided by a supernatural map, makes an important journey in which she must independently face her struggles, dilemmas and limits.

Festival tip: Kriek also appeared on Friday, 19 January 2024 at Friday Night Unlimited, the grand festival event during which you chose your own route along some twenty programmes on five stages at the Theater aan het Spui and the Filmhuis Den Haag. He spoke about his favourite book in The Book of My Life.

From 18 to 21 January 2024, the festival could be found in theatres, libraries and schools throughout The Hague: from Theater aan het Spui, Filmhuis Den Haag, Koninklijke Schouwburg and Paard to Theater Dakota, the Laakkwartier, Nieuw Waldeck, Schilderswijk and Ypenburg libraries and Haagse Hogeschool. With over ninety writers, poets and spoken-word artists and musicians from the Netherlands and abroad. With readings, prose, poetry, storytelling, spoken word, author interviews, topical talks, films and music.