A poet, performer and psychonaut, Dean Bowen examines the dynamics of the composite identity and how this relates to a political and social positioning of the self. His debut collection Bokman (2018), nominated for the C. Buddingh’ Prize in 2018, is lyrical, passionate and furious; a personal quest aimed at revealing universal patterns, allowing many voices to speak. Dean has stepped on the stage in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, South-Africa and the US to present his powerful poetry and spoken word performances, winning him the first ever Van Dale SPOKEN Award in 2015.Â