Anna Dijk (1995) won the Hendrik de Vries stipendium 2020 in the Literature category a year ago, an incentive grant for young, talented Groningen artists and writers. What has she made with this stipend?
How did you experience the past year?
“My plan for the stipend was to make a podcast about ADHD in adults. I've wanted to make a podcast for a long time, but the threshold was always too high, if only because I didn't have the money for the right equipment. The stipend gave me exactly what I needed: a push in the back so I could just get started. I learned a lot about interviewing, building tension and what the rings on an audio jack mean. Fortunately, I had help from Jair Stein, who helped me avoid turning in a 40-hour story.
What made the year even more intense is that I myself was diagnosed with ADHD in April. While I was learning to make a podcast, I was also trying to figure out what role that diagnosis plays in my life.”
Can you give a glimpse of the work you have done with the stipend?
“In the podcast I tried to explain how I arrived at my diagnosis and what was going on in me during that period, and I also talked a lot with other ADHDers about their experiences. The podcast was eventually named How I Learned To Get Up From The Couch. It turned out to be a much more personal story than I expected. Initially, my plan was to tell a very activist story, but the longer I was on it, the less I needed it. I have only just started this journey myself. Moreover, that personal perspective is often missing in the social debate about ADHD. When ADHD is in the media, it is often about medication and whether there are not too many diagnoses. They are far too little about what it is really like to have ADHD and what impact it can have on you to get such a diagnosis.”
How do you think it will soon be possible for everyone to see your work in the exhibition?
“Unfortunately, the podcast is not yet completely finished, but you can already listen to a number of fragments in the exhibition. On January 15, 2022, it will be published on DOCS, a podcast with radio documentaries from Radio 1. ADHD is a topic that a lot of people have an opinion about, so I'm quite excited to hear what people think of the podcast. But I am also very happy that after a year I can finally show what I have made.”
UPDATE: Anna finished her podcast, that goes by the title Hoe ik leerde op te staan van de bank ('How I learned to get up from the couch') is now finished, and can be found via DOCS. Anna Dijk's production has not gone unnoticed: Parel Radio, a podcast by NPO Radio 1 that offers a bi-weekly selection of the most beautiful radio stories, quickly picked up the podcast and broadcasted it. On it's website the podcast is described as 'a stunningly beautiful and moving documentary by Anna Dijk'. Furthermore, Anna was also interviewed by Met het oog op morgen (also NPO Radio 1). You can find that item here.