…this is like us building this place. And it’s completely up to us what we are doing...

Situated somewhere between the concepts of social entrepreneurship, traditional charity and close to the Hermitage Amsterdam, GIST (Dutch for yeast) is a rustic hidden food, drinks and community space in Nieuwe Herengracht that manages to stay afloat.
Julia Ijmker, core team member, volunteer coordinator and “person who pays the bills on time”, talks about volunteer-run spaces and how they differ from for-profit enterprises.

Have you ever wondered who is influential in bringing new books to the shelves? 
The answer might surprise you: It’s you, the reader!

Customer service officer and one of Bibliotheek Neude’s collection specialists, Marc Conraads, tells us about the impact of our reading habits – and about queer books and where he finds them.