Song of a Blackbird 🐦‍⬛ – Literary and Arts Tour

Thursday 19 March 2026 8:30 – 19:30

Less than 10 spaces left! (as of 9 February 2026)

Join us as we step off the page and onto the pavement with our special guest author Maria van Lieshout, tracing the maps and historic architecture immortalized in her award-winning graphic novel Song of a Blackbird. By following these illustrated footsteps through Amsterdam’s Jewish Cultural Quarter, we will examine the profound power of place and memory. This journey brings to life Van Lieshout’s central theme, “Fight hate. Make art.” as we transition from the weight of history to the power of creative response.

After a scenic ferry crossing over the IJ waterfront, our journey shifts from the historical to the contemporary at the STRAAT Museum for Street Art and Graffiti. Here, we will explore how modern creators use the world’s largest street art space to transform urban canvases into voices of resistance and beauty. We will conclude our day by relaxing at the STRAAT with our international school librarian colleagues over a Dutch borrel, kicking off our conference with a memorable day of immersive discovery and shared stories.

Each pre-conference participant will receive access to an ebook copy of Song of a Blackbird via ISA Libraries’ Sora Digital Library to read prior to the pre-conference activities. Access will start 23 February and last through 23 March.

Schedule:

8:30 – 11:00 – Welcome, grab a coffee, get to know each other at our meeting point (TBA). Then we will go on our Song of a Blackbird “The Five Prints” walking tour with author Maria van Lieshout.

11:15 – 12:00 – Visit to the Hollandsche Schouwburg theater, deportation site, and memorial site. Here is a view into Song of a Blackbird:



12:00 – 13:15 – *Lunch and coffee at Café-Restaurant de Plantage (*participant expense)

13:45 – 14:45 – Group 1 Verzetsmuseum (Dutch Resistance Museum) Junior guided tour / Verzetsmuseum (Dutch Resistance Museum) The Netherlands in World War II independent exhibit exploration / Group 2 Dutch resistance neighborhood tour

14:45 – 15:00 – Break

15:00 – 16:00 – Group 2 Verzetsmuseum (Dutch Resistance Museum) Junior tour / Verzetsmuseum (Dutch Resistance Museum) The Netherlands in World War II independent exhibit exploration / Group 1 Dutch resistance neighborhood tour

16:30 – Welcome reception at STRAAT Museum with bubbles and an amuse-bouche

16:45 – 17:30 – STRAAT Museum guided tour

17:30 – 19:30 – STRAAT Museum Dutch borrel, a drinks and snacks reception in the STRAAT Museum Cafe overlooking the STRAAT graffiti and street art collection

With thanks to our Gold sponsors: