Sven Vek began in April 2022 following the resignation of city poet Jan Widdershoven and youth city poet Anoek Hilt. After a two-year term, the Heerlen city poets' committee, in coordination with the municipality, selects one or more city poets who may represent and comment literarily on the city and its residents during that period. Louie Hamers and Yana Wings have been elected city poet and young city poet of Heerlen for the next two years.

Louie Hamers

Theater and language performer Louie Hamers (b. 1994) studied script/theater writing at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Utrecht. He writes about the tragicomic sides of life and entertaining imperfections. Stories with an absurd edge. Louie has now brought a number of plays into the world and recites short stories and poems in person on various stages. Louie is the drummer for the band SEARCH:PARTY, which will also be featured at this year's Booch?

'In those two years, such a poet prepares poems. A number of them try to capture the city and its surroundings in language, another number may not, but you get that ram for free.' 

- Louie Hamers

Yana Wings

Yana Wings recently won first prize in the Language category at Kunstbende Limburg and was in the finals in Amsterdam on Saturday, June 29. She is also part of "The Important Society with a Still Unclear and Ever Changing but Always Literary Content," the informal talent group of Stichting PANDA Collectief.