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Leon Sofie Verraest

@leonsofieverraest

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writes&performs in dutch&english
debut novel forthcoming from @dasmag
talent support @literatuurvlaanderen
@writerscentre ‘25
@akademiesolitude ‘20

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Tomorrow, we open❤️

All the preparations, the sleepless nights, the ups and downs, the intensity, the planning, the reaching out to authors, the endless conversations. And now, the adrenaline is at an all-time high. We’re ready.

We’re opening the night with something AALFIE has always flirted with: a longing for opacity and empathy, a curiosity about what happens in the space between languages, and the possibility of crossing over, of getting lost and finding each other along the way. A desire to be moved by what we don’t yet understand, and to let another language, another rhythm, another world touch something in us.

This is our programme.

FOR SUDAN. For all lovers of art, multilingualism, songs, music, and conversation. For everyone willing to listen, to dare to travel beyond the borders of the self.

✨ 🎫Tickets available via the link in bio.

Opening night in partnership with @passaporta and @labellone, with the support of @opensocietyfoundations and the Commune of Ixelles.

See you tomorrow✨ by @leonsofieverraest

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4 days ago

*An introvert with an extroverted imagination.*

If you’re an introvert with an extroverted imagination (not sure that’s an actual term, but I’m sure you get the drift), I feel you.

If it were up to me, I’d be in solitude with my books, wandering the streets of Brussels, and reading poetry in different cafés over an unreasonable number of coffees.

I’m pretty sure I’ve said this in previous editions. But repetitiveness is art. And I stand by that.

Anyway, it’s next week. Yep, next week! These collages of ideas, thoughts, and feelings (see slides) will become windows into different conversations throughout the programme. We can’t wait to share them with you.

Explore the AALFIE programme, find a conversation that catches your imagination, and come join us.

Your imagination doesn’t have to stay in your head, even if the rest of you wants to. 🙃

🗓️ 15.-1710
📍La Bellone, Den Teirling
👉 Link in bio.

See you there💜

AALFIE 2026 — Edition VII supported by
@opensocietyfoundations @ixelles_elsene
In collaboration with @passaporta
Bib Sans Sou I, La Bellone, Den teirling, Maison du Livre, Shakespeare and Company, New Writing North · Davenport Books, City in Translation
Workshop, Wasafiri by @leonsofieverraest

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8 days ago

“Say, Leon, what was that horror film called again in which you play a blonde James-Deanish perv?” “Why, thank you for that question, Absolutely No One Globally. It’s called Nadine’s Lair and you can see it tomorrow night at @artistcommons_bxl ‘s festival opening in the presence of directors and producers @luceluce94 @somersdelphine @giuls_bonfyoh @charloveangel @desiree_0100 . Have a swell rest of your evening.” by @leonsofieverraest

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17 days ago

ONLY 100 PLACES. ✨
15–17 OCTOBER · BRUSSELS

We’re keeping the festival intimate. Den Teirling holds just 100 people.

If you’ve been thinking about coming, now is a good time to book your ticket. 🎟️

Three days of music, culture, literature, performance and connection, in a room small enough to hold us close.

An extraordinary international and local line-up comes together in Brussels for AALFIE VII. Here’s a glimpse of some of the people joining us.

Three days of:

Reimagining Europe from the margins.
Languages and what they make possible.
Artists who are also organisers.
Singing, dancing, plays and debates.
Sensuality, erotica, poetry, politics and everything that refuses to fit.
Books to read. Books to take home. Conversations that might stay with you.
Crossing political, erotic, literary and linguistic borders with curiosity, tenderness and risk.

🎟️ BOOK · LINK IN BIO
📍 Den Teirling, Brussels
🗓️ 15–17 October 2026

Full programme and artist bios on the AALFIE website.

AALFIE VII: Literature & Art as an Antidote to Tribalism

Kindly supported by @opensocietyfoundations and @ixelles_elsene by @leonsofieverraest

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17 days ago

What does it cost to make space for others?

This one is for the artists, writers, curators and cultural practitioners who do more than make their own work.

For those who build platforms, create spaces, bring people together, curate, organise and open doors for others - while finding ways to keep making, thinking and creating themselves.

Time. Energy. Care. Imagination. And so much work that happens behind the scenes.

Across two conversations, practitioners from Europe, Africa and beyond come together to explore the joys, tensions and realities of making space for others.

With Sylvia Arthur, Vamika Sinha, Irenosen Iseghobi-Okojie and Lubi Barre, and Adam Biles, Sagal Farah and Azieb Pool.

Performance Intermezzo by Angel Patricks, Julia Galaski, Leon Verraest and Marcel Marchetti.

Languages: English, with readings in French, West Flemish and English.

For everyone who has ever wondered: how do I make space for my own practice while holding space for others?

📍 Brussels
📅 15–17 October 2026
🎟️ Tickets via the link in bio

Supported by Ixelles Commune
The Open Society Foundations

In partnership with Shakespeare and Company, Davenport Books & Wassafiri Magazine by @leonsofieverraest

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a month ago

Een dankbare dag onder de zon: een contract mogen tekenen bij een uitgever die ik bewonder voor een boek waar ik in geloof. Debuutroman coming your way in 2027 🐛🎈Dank voor het vertrouwen (en om mij rond de tafel te laten lopen, want zo uit ik vreugde) @dasmag en ook @craig_literary ik ben zo fijn omringd by @leonsofieverraest

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a month ago

AALFIE VII · LINE-UP

Over 60 artists. Roots in more than 47 countries. Performances in more than 23 languages.

For three days, they come together in Brussels, hosted by the Asmara-Addis Literary Festival (In Exile).

Reimagining Europe.

Transcending political, erotic, literary and linguistic borders — with curiosity, tenderness and risk.

All artists & panels will be spotlighted individually in the coming days.

For now, save the dates:

📅 15–17 OCTOBER 2026
📍 BRUSSELS

🎟️ TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE - 🎟️ LINK IN BIO

https://fienta.com/s/aalfie-vii

AALFIE VII
Literature & Art as an Antidote to Tribalism.

AALFIE 2026 — Edition VII supported by
@opensocietyfoundations @ixelles_elsene
In collaboration with @passaporta by @leonsofieverraest

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a month ago

Maandag 21 september ga ik om 19u in de @kantl_ctb in gesprek met Alara Adilow over haar jongste boek “Kijk es naar al dat licht” om het academiejaar van de @master_vml_ugent in te luiden. Adilow leest voor uit het boek en we hebben het samen met jullie over klasse, gender en identiteit in een context van migratie en systemische ongelijkheid. In samenwerking met @poeziecentrum . Gratis! Iedereen welkom. Reserveren is niet nodig. by @leonsofieverraest

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a month ago

In true AALFIE style, we’re late with this. We know.

But we’re also incapable of putting on a festival without making room for emerging talent.

So here it is: the Mebrat (መብራት) Fellowship. One emerging artist, one piece, one night at AALFIE VII.

Emerging artists based in Belgium, of ANY age.

Got a spark? ✨ Or know someone who does? Send this to them. This could be your chance, or theirs, to share a stage with some of the most amazing trailblazers from the diaspora, the margins and beyond.

We may close the call early if 10 good submissions come in, because frankly, we already have enough on our plate.

Details in the slides.

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#emergingartist
#diasporaart
#mebratfelliwship
#fellowship
#writerscommunity by @leonsofieverraest

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a month ago

Morgen mag ik in @deschoolvangaasbeek als deel van het Septemberfestival in het mooie gezelschap van @mmmikeville @astridhaerens en Dominique de Groen even op de grens van proza en poëzie gaan balanceren. Om 16u lezen we in het @kasteelvangaasbeek voor uit eigen werk en wat ons inspireert. Wat doet een mens op een zondag? by @leonsofieverraest

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a month ago

Amsterdam! Vanavond om 17u wordt dit mooie nummer van @tijdschriftny over transklassen in de literatuur, samengesteld door @ripnadiadevries en @frankkeizer , voorgesteld in @athenaeumnieuwscentrum . Komt luisteren, lezen en hangen! by @leonsofieverraest

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2 months ago

Emerging by @leonsofieverraest

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2 months ago