Born in 1952 in the Netherlands, I came of age in the colourful sixties, helping to establish branches of Amsterdam’s cultural centre Paradiso; partaking in poetry readings and concerts, and presenting art movie shows. After two years of travel to and from Thailand (‘78-‘80) I gave priority to writing and photography. In 1986 I printed a book of Dutch poems, called ‘Kadine’. Two years later I left Holland, and my job as cultural reviewer, to go to Auroville and fully engage in poetry; and Taoist studies, as it turned out. For sixteen years I lived in small cabins as a forest watchman; later also managing the Auroville library and editing. The first six years I read only poetry, coming to love: Juan Ramon Jimenez, Janet Lewis, Pablo Neruda and Jeremy Reed. In 1992 I published ‘But for the Breeze’ (Shanta Books), a collection of poems on living in nature, by candle light. I made an illustration that I placed over a poem by Kikaku Enomoto, about withdrawal and isolation as I came to know them:  

I kept writing poetry and essays on my studies in the “I Ching”, which are also poetic in nature. In 2002 I moved from the forest to the residential community of Creativity. From there I published “Between Seasons”, spanning twenty years of writing, in over a hundred poems. It contains work from the Shanta book and writings up to around 2004; combining nature poems with later ones on love, partnership and ageing.

As a photographer I have had two photo exhibitions in 1978/80 (b/whites & collages), followed eight years later by one of hand-printed colour fashion photos, in Amsterdam and three other major cities.

Meanwhile I was a staff reviewer of books, poetry (readings) and jazz/funk concerts. Having taken up photography again, I edit as well as design books of poetry and other writings.