On 23 February 2026, the poem ‘Mariana Trench’ by Rozalie Hirs was published on the website Onderzees Alfabet (English: Undersea Alphabet). She wrote the poem on commission from Bureau Mail Man VZW, Ghent, Belgium. The portrait above, depicting Rozalie as her totem animal — the bottlenose dolphin — was painted by the multi-talented Lies van Gasse, poet and visual artist.
Onderzees Alfabet, a project by Bureau Mail Man, curated by Lies van Gasse, was made possible through a project grant from Literatuur Vlaanderen. The website was designed by the design studio Watson Memić. The makers warmly thank Elisabeth Debusschere and Julia Aubach (VLIZ – Flanders Marine Institute) and Reinout Verbeke and Bob Rumes (Institute of Natural Sciences) for their advice. We hope you enjoy reading — and listening!