I thought I’d write to Juliet

Today, 8 March, International Women's Day, a day where we reflect on all strong, vulnerable, and powerful women.

But today, we also draw attention to all women who live in relationships with violence on a daily basis. Not only physical violence, but also financial, sexual, and emotional violence.

With I thought I’d write to Juliet, De Vrouwenraad and the Vlaams Radiokoor launch an open call on people to reflect on how they experience love and to write it down in a letter to Juliet.

The open call is part of a collaboration between both organizations in the framework of the concert series The Juliet Letters (May 2023), and aims to create a dialogue about the many forms love can take: the beautiful, tender and passionate - as well as the mundane, painful or toxic.

#writetojuliet

send in your letter

“With the concerts in the Vocal Fabric series, the Vlaams Radiokoor aims to go beyond simply telling a musical story: the Vocal Fabric productions aim to connect music with choir, audience and society.”

- the vlaams radiokoor team

The Juliet Letters

The new concert series of the Vlaams Radiokoor juxtaposes the satirical and mournfully sarcastic song cycle The Juliet Letters, written by Elvis Costello and inspired by an Italian professor who replied to the fictitious letters of Juliet Capulet, with bittersweet choral works. These various stories are artistic mirrors to the social topics that are at the heart of De Vrouwenraad (The Council of Women): abuse of power, toxic relationships, stalking, emancipation, intrafamily violence, femicide.

Write your own letter to Juliet

De Vrouwenraad and the Vlaams Radiokoor want to hear your story and invite everyone to write a letter to Juliet about how they experience love in all aspects: the beautiful, sweet and loving experiences, but also the ugly, harsh and painful sides. It is an open call: there are no right or wrong stories. The aim is to touch upon everything that love can be in an unfiltered way: the frustrations, mundane, conflict, passion, tenderness...

The publication

A number of letters will be compiled in a special publication accompanied by commentary by De Vrouwenraad, made available during the concerts. It will be a book full of personal stories and - sometimes painful - tales about love, mundanity, disillusionment, seeking to bring support, empowerment and reflection.

“With this publication we mainly want to raise awareness, to show the diversity of love and to show people they are not alone. By doing that, we want to offer comfort but also a resource for those in need.”

- kim de weerdt, director de vrouwenraad

how to participate?

Anyone who would like to write a letter about his/her/their love affairs (imaginary or otherwise) can do so via the link below. The letter can be written anonymously. All letters or parts of letters can be selected for the publication. They will always be anonymized in order to protect the authors. Names and personal data will be replaced with false names and data. After the project, all letters and data will be deleted.

send in your letter

the council of women

De Vrouwenraad (The Council of Women) is an umbrella organization for associations that work on equal opportunities and rights for m/f/x within a diverse society. The council wants to ban the violence against women and girls, expose and fight stereotyping and sexism, and support the transition to a caring society. Read more about De Vrouwenraad.

In need of help?
Are you experiencing emotional distress or depression? Call the professional hotline 1813 or chat with a professional at www.zelfmoord1813.be.
Are you experiencing violence or abuse? Call the professional hotline 1712 or chat with a professional at www.1712.be.