Dean Bowen (NL, 1984) is poet and performer and was the city poet of Rotterdam between 2019 and 2020. He has previously published in various literary magazines, both online and offline, and has given performances at home and abroad. An important and recurring theme in Bowen’s work is identity. For example, he often asks himself what aspects of our identity are and to what extent we ourselves have an influence on them. He uses the poem as a tool to give people insight into the role that identity plays in our society. In addition to writing and acting, he is also active as a literary programmer, and workshop teacher.