Who experiences the same?

Meeting on the 11th of Jan in a safe space with drinks, snacks and loads of books!

"Let’s face it, the beginning of the year can be complete bonkers.
You’re back (or never really left) Brussels, the days are dark
—dark, dark, dark—
and so, sometimes, is the mind.

Then come and join the people of Unity Bookshop to find the antidote (at least for one evening! We don’t yet have a solution for the whole month, right?).

Get your best ANTIdote book (can also be anti-anxiety, anti-fascist, anti-racist, anti-judgemental, all compatible), your comfy clothes (funky wanzy PJ are obviously authorized, it’s our free evening after all!!) and drinks or snacks,
we will have plaids,
get cosy,
and talk about books..."

In a historical moment where the Palestinian narrative faces continuous attempts at erasure, storytelling emerges as a form of resistance, a historical document, and a pursuit of justice.

Hosted by the Mediapolitik Institute as part of "The Third Perspective podcast" program, this event invites you to Unity Bookshop in Brussels for a critical conversation on how politics and literature intersect to shape Palestinian consciousness.

• The Vision

This panel aims to deconstruct the Palestinian narrative on two intertwined levels:

The Literary Level: How does the text—whether novel, poetry, or personal memoir—transform into a living archive? How do Palestinians write their pain and hope beyond rigid stereotypes?

The Political Level: How does literature serve political action? Can the writer break free from the "burden of representation" to exist as an individual voice, or is the Palestinian writer political by necessity?

• The Panelists

The discussion brings together diverse Palestinian voices, bridging the gap between the homeland and the diaspora, journalism and literature, and political analysis and personal reflection:

Mahmoud Joudeh: A Palestinian writer and member of the General Union of Palestinian Writers. He is the author of a literary trilogy comprising Gaza the Orphan (2015), Letters to Baghdad (2018), and the novel Garden of Legs (2020). His works have been translated into several languages, most recently the Dutch translation of his novel Garden of Legs in 2024.

Rasha Hilwi:  is a Palestinian writer, storyteller, journalist, editor, and cultural curator. She was born in the city of Akka and is based in Amsterdam. Her texts have been published in major Arabic media platforms and magazines, with several pieces translated into English and Dutch. Her first nonfiction book, on motherhood and home, will be published in the summer of 2026 by “Khan AlJanub” Publishing House in Berlin.

Waddah Abu Jame: A Palestinian poet and writer from Gaza. He studied law at the University of Palestine and established his presence in the cultural scene through poetry, literary readings, and workshops. He published the poetry collection A World Injected with Botox (Raya Publishing, Beirut, 2023), and his texts have been translated into English, Spanish, and French. Most recently, he released a short story collection titled General Lucky Loses the War (Marfa’ Publishing, Beirut, 2025).

• The Moderator

Karim Abu Abualroos A Palestinian writer and researcher in political science. With a background in dismantling ideologies and political philosophy, Karim will guide this dialogue, exploring the utility of writing in times of catastrophe and the role of the intellectual in reconstructing the national narrative.

📅 Event Details

Date: Friday, January 16, 2026

Venue: Unity Bookshop, Brussels.

Organizer: Mediapolitik Institute and Unity Bookshop

Why Attend? This event is an attempt to understand how Palestinians rebuild their homes with words when their physical homes are destroyed. It is an invitation to engage intellectually with writers who transform personal narrative into a matter of public justice.

{FR} ✨ Lecture Drag en famille avec @apocalips_drag ✨

Un moment dédié à la littérature jeunesse, pour les petit·es et les grand·es
(jeune public conseillé à partir de 3 ans).

Des albums pour ouvrir notre écoute à toustes : au rapport à son propre corps et à celui des autres, au respect du oui et du non, et à la découverte de ses limites.

À travers une lecture joyeuse et bienveillante, Apoca’lips invite les enfants à découvrir de beaux albums jeunesse, suivis d’un atelier créatif adapté à toustes.

RDV @unitybookshop.brussels le 17 janvier - 16h30

( Lecture : 20–30 min
Atelier créatif : 30 min)

{EN} > Please be aware that this event will happen in French

✨ Family-friendly Drag Storytime with @apocalips_drag ✨

A lovely moment of sharing around children’s books, for little ones and grown-ups alike
(recommended from age 3).

Stories to gently talk about the body, emotions and respect, and to learn how to say yes or no while listening to others.

Through a joyful and caring reading, Apoca’lips invites children to discover beautiful picture books, followed by a creative workshop open to everyone.

Storytime: 20–30 min
Creative workshop: 30 min

Meeting at @unitybookshop.brussels

Register via www.unitybookshop.be or by email or DM

Can't wait to see you there!

“Degrowth: A Vocabulary for a New Era”

(Selected chapters)

by GrowthKills

Extras

Bring a snack for our potluck table (optional, but always welcome!)

Bring your book if you have it. If not, we can share a chapter on-site or send it before the event (having an e-reader or laptop helps).

Save your spot here

““Degrowth: A Vocabulary for a New Era””

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 You didn't think you would experience it in Belgium right? Neither did we actually!

Thanks to Scottish folks met during those small weeks of opening, we have the privilege at Unity Bookshop to host our very first "Burn's night" in Brussels for this glorious day of the 25th of January.

To expect:
- Spoken words and celebration of the National poet Robert Burns
- Scottish/Celtic acoustic music
- Activities for the wee ones
- A display of Scottish authors (a lot of books to discover!!)
- Hot toddy
- Ceilidh dance (depends on you 🥳)

Who is in??

To be mentioned: it's a free event!

Join us to celebrate a literary acoustic project at Unity Bookshop!

Dottie is a trio built around atmosphere, restraint, and storytelling through sound. Named after one of the characters from Tracy Letts' Killer Joe, the band reflects the play's quiet tension and unsettling intimacy by creating music that moves quietly but with purpose.

Led by composer and double bassist Robert Jukič, with Toine Thys on bass clarinet and clarinet, and Marco Giongrandi on guitar and banjo, Dottie creates music that is simple, minimalistic, and folk-inspired. Their sound is contemplative, cinematic, and theatrical, shaped by silence as much as by melody. Each piece unfolds like a scene, subtle and suggestive, drawing the listener into a sparse sonic world where mood and nuance take center stage.

• Copies of “Killer Joe” by Tracy Lett will be available on the night

• RSVP this event to work on the coordination accordingly

• Safe space, respect to everyone is our unique law

• Share joy, music and little drink with the community

Looking forward to seeing you on the 1st of Feb for the glorious concert!

Join us at Unity Bookshop, with curator Jules van den Langenberg and artist Annee Grøtte Viken as they share their forthcoming publications on art, ecology and heritage.

As regular collaborators since 2021, Van den Langenberg opens the gathering at Unity Bookshop with a brief introduction of the preliminary work on the publication series ‘Parallel Archive’ on long term relations in the arts, supported by the Dutch Mondriaanfonds. Viken continues by launching her newest printed publication ‘Domestic Encyclopaedia - Oblique Encounters of Domestic Space’  about the spaces closest to us and what they are made of supported by Arts and Culture Norway Norway and Trøndelag County Authority.

Workshop
Following the publication presentation, the curator and artist invite the audience into a short workshop. Visitors of the gathering get to touch and try out various pigments and material samples.

Curious neighbors, experts and nature lovers are invited to join and discover how objects and public space can transform through ‘woodgraining‘, a traditional painting technique for imitating wood using natural pigments, water and linseed oil.

Meanwhile Van den Langenberg and Viken give a preview into their most recent research and plans for a new type of public artwork: a site-specific work that is based on a plant to paint to public

Image: paint to public prototype by artist Annee Grøtte Viken curated by Jules van den Langenberg, in collaboration with the (Nelly&)Theo van Doesburg Foundation, photo by Sander van Wettum.

Background information

Annee Grøtte Viken
As an artist, writer and restoration architect Annee Grøtte Viken (1984, she/her) uses fiction as a tool for exploring the cultural and material realities of space and the potential they hold for repairing broken relationships. Viken studied at the Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam and imitation craft studies at Institut Supérieur de Peinture van der Kelen – Logelain in Brussels. Since 2021 she collaborates with the (Nelly&) Theo van Doesburg Foundation and curator Jules van den Langenberg on the development of a public art work based on locally cultivated flax that is turned into linseed oil paint and applied to objects in public space.

Jules van den Langenberg
Jules van den Langenberg (1988, he/him) is an artistic director and independent curator focusing on the intersections of contemporary art, bio regional programs, art in landscapes and talent development. He studied conceptual scenography and exhibition design in The Netherlands and Sweden, and resided in Paris, Athens, the Dutch Noordoostpolder and Berlin. His experience includes initiating and curating projects with biennials, museums, city festivals, collectives and artist-led spaces.

(Nelly&) Theo van Doesburg Foundation
From their base in the capital of The Netherlands, the (Nelly&) Theo van Doesburg Foundation develops collaborations between emerging artists, curators and progressive organizations and developers. Since 1987 the foundation strives to realize visual art projects and initiate formats that generate positions and commissions for emerging- and early career artists that studied or resided in Amsterdam. Through a carefully curated activity program the Foundation develops unsolicited proposals for site specific public art works.