“Scala views us as a cultural companion, but in the eyes of the law we don't exist,” says Jan Willem van Ringelesteijn, KL!NK's president. As soon as the articles of association, a Chamber of Commerce number, a postal address and a bank account are in place, this will change.

The bank account will make all the difference to KL!NK. “Finally, our board members won't have to act like a private bank,” says Van Ringelesteijn. “We provide the funds needed to order shirts, publish collections and invite speakers to give workshops. We only get that money back with the sales of our published volumes. Having subscriptions come in will make it easier to organize things.”

Fellow board member Robin Pino thinks that having a formal status within Scala will also have its benefits. “KL!NK had a reputation for being the association ‘that was always forgotten’. But now we'll be in a stronger position. Attending the drinks parties given when a new association board takes office - and organizing them ourselves; we've already given one - will allow us to show people who we are.”

Reading and writing

The association's weekly meetings are held in the Luna lounge, beneath the Hubble community café. On Monday lunchtimes the Book Club meets to discuss the book being read that quartile. “An eighth of it, then. It's a fun approach, especially when it's a murder mystery,” says Van Ringelesteijn.

KL!NK holds its creative writing workshops on Monday evenings. Once a style of writing has been discussed, theme-based assignments are handed out. These sessions are usually attended by ten to fifteen people. Some stay on afterwards to take part in the writing circle whose members give each feedback on the longer, personal projects they are working on.

Shampoo bottle

KL!NK is doing well. The last two volumes produced by its members are now on sale in the Van Piere bookshop. These are Hutspot, a poetry collection, and Question Mark, a collection of stories. Their content is written in either English or Dutch. For the next collection, however, word has gone out that contributions are welcome in whatever language the writer wishes to use.

“This also applies, by the way, to performances at our open mike sessions,” says Pino. “We once had someone recite in Romanian and someone else in Spanish. Sometimes it doesn't matter that you don't understand the language. In spoken word performances, the speaker uses their creativity to add new dimensions to their poem or rap number. That might be through their body language or how they use their voice, or some other means. I once performed the text on a shampoo bottle. Anything goes, as long as it sounds good.”

Gala

On May 20th, KL!NK will celebrate becoming a proper association; with a gala that includes an open mike session. If you're keen to take part, you can sign up here.

Scala now supports ten student cultural associations. De Beunbazen is the federation's newest member. Two 'cultural companions' have not yet applied to join Scala: Glyph (where students paint and draw) and Stitch (where students work with textiles).