Babs Gons

2019 saw the publication of Hardop, a collection of works by 18 Dutch spoken-word poets that she assembled. Gons writes short stories, articles and columns, including a regular column with newspaper Het Parool. Her collection of poems, Doe het toch maar, was published in 2021 and her first children's book, Het Begint Met Een Droom, in 2022. 

Gons gives readings at festivals and literary programmes and in museums, debate centres and libraries. She performs on radio and television and has toured South Africa, Sudan, Curaçao, Suriname and Brazil, among other countries. Because her work expresses a high level of social engagement and urgency, she is regularly asked to giving readings during public initiatives or events, for example marking events of the Second World War or the Netherlands’ history of slavery. She is also a presenter for such programmes as the NK Poetry Slam, Kindernacht van de Poëzie and, since 2017, has hosted the musical literary show Babs' Woordsalon, which she performed at the Lowlands and Oerol festivals, among others.  

Gons has received multiple awards for her work. In 2018, she won the Black Achievement Award voor Kunst en Cultuur, and more recently has been nominated for the Gieskes-Strijbis Prize, the Johnny, and the Herman de Coninckprijs. In 2024, Gons won the Gouden Ganzenveer literary prize. She is the 2023-2025 Poet Laureate of the Netherlands