Fiction, essays and spoken word exploring cultural memory, forgotten women and storytelling.
PHOEBE HERstory Rising is an ongoing platform for essays, research and artistic reflection on forgotten women, cultural memory and the stories that disappear from official history.
Founded from a long-standing commitment to women’s history and representation, the platform explores how voices are erased, remembered and reimagined through storytelling, archival research and interdisciplinary practice.
The project also includes the Wendelmoet Sessions, developed through Blanka Pesja’s work in art education and mentorship, creating space for dialogue, artistic development and the exploration of women’s voices as singer-songwriters in history and culture.
Through essays, reflection and artistic inquiry, PHOEBE HERstory Rising brings together fiction, education, performance and cultural memory within one continuing practice.
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The Wendelmoet Sessions — Women’s Voices Rising
A reflection on the gathering held at Pulchri Studio, The Hague, on 20 November 2025.
The Wendelmoet Sessions brought together singer-songwriters, spoken word, historical reflection and performance in an intimate evening dedicated to women’s voices — past and present — and the courage it takes to speak publicly, artistically and autonomously.
At the centre of the evening stood Wendelmoet Claesdochter, who was executed in The Hague in 1527 for refusing to renounce her beliefs. Her voice, preserved only fragmentarily through history, became the starting point for a contemporary exploration of expression, vulnerability and resistance.
Through music, monologue, lecture and performance, the programme connected historical memory with present-day artistic voices. The participating singer-songwriters each brought personal narratives, reflections and performances exploring identity, autonomy and lived experience.
The evening formed part of PHOEBE HERstory Rising, an ongoing interdisciplinary initiative exploring forgotten women, cultural memory and storytelling through art, performance and public dialogue.
Rather than commemorating history as something distant, The Wendelmoet Sessions sought to create a living encounter between past and present — a space where silenced histories and contemporary voices could resonate together.