Hagar PEETERS was one of the final contenders for the Dutch Poet Laureateship in 2009. She has published three books of poetry, most recently Loper van licht ('Light Walker') (2008), and a portrait of Holland's most famous thief, Gerrit de Stotteraar, ‘Biography of a Scoundrel’ (2002). She is the recipient of the 2004 Jo Peters Poetry Prize and the J.C. Bloem Prize. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State.