English

Passionate and Bulkboeks Dag van de Literatuur (Bulkboek’s Day of Literature) have merged on 1 January 2009. This merger has resulted in Passionate Bulkboek, the number one national organisation in the field of Dutch literature and young people.

Passionate was founded on 3 November 1995 and its aim was ‘the promotion of the literary climate in the Netherlands in general and in Rotterdam and its surroundings specifically’. At that moment the publication of the magazine Passionate was its only activity. Starting out from an evening of reading in 1997, the current GDMW Festival has grown, which takes place yearly in the main theatre of Rotterdam. In 1998 the organisation has acquired its own office, from which Passionate’s further growth has been realised. This consists mainly of the writing contests Write Now! Hereby the concept of New Literature is central to Passionate’s policy.

Bulkboeks Dag van de Literatuur was founded on 14 October 1988 and its aim was ‘organising a yearly Bulkboeks Dag van de Literatuur (Bulkboek’s Day of Literature) and all other activities that can help promote the knowledge of literature among young people at school’.

On 1 January 2006 the union of Passionate and Bulkboek was realised. As a result, during the past two years both organisations have been able to reach their most important common goal even better: to promote interest among young people in Dutch literature. As of 1 January 2006 one organisation was formed, which initially worked from both the offices of Bulkboek in Amsterdam and Passionate in Rotterdam. On 22 November 2006 the new collective office was occupied in the cultural centre of Rotterdam, and both other offices were closed.

As of 2009 Passionate Bulkboek is responsible for seven regular projects, which, together with all other activities result in about ninety performances on a yearly basis, varying from a workshop in writing for eight kids in Goes to the Dag van de Literatuur (Day of Literature) for 5.000 pupils in de Doelen in Rotterdam. Passionate Bulkboek has twelve employees. Furthermore the organisation has six trainees, twenty regular volunteers and about two hundred volunteers who occasionally contribute to the realisation of especially the large-scale projects. Because of the independent growth of both foundations as well as their cooperation, the organisation has grown into the number one organisation in the field of young people and literature. The organisation offers major national activities, particularly in its place of residence Rotterdam. Increasingly it also seeks out its target audience with regional activities.