, a widely read young Indonesian prose writer, has had her 2005 short story collection, Laluba, named Best Literary Work of the Year by Tempo magazine, and her novel Cala Ibi (2003) shortlisted for the Khatulistiwa Literary Award. She is the co-translator for, and editor of several anthologies of poetry in translation. At present, she serves on the Committee of Literature at the Jakarta Arts Council. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
, among the most prolific of the new generation of Bengali-language poets, has published eight poetry collections, including Flying Jokers (2004), which won two literary awards, and The Story of Katiusha (2006). His poems appear in numerous magazines in West Bengal. He lives in Kolkata, where he edits the literary journal Jaruri Abastha [State of Emergency]. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
was raised in the Xinghua province of Jiangsu, China. After early years as a journalist in Nanjing, he went on to publish more than 20 novels and short story collections, several of which have been awarded prizes, including two Lu Xun prizes (1995-6; 2002-2005). In 2004, he was named Most Favorite Chinese Writer in France. Among his film work is the screenplay for Shanghai Triad (1995), directed by Zhang Yimou. His novels have been translated and published in France and Germany. He participates courtesy of The Ramon and Victoria Lim Fund, the Freeman Fund, Dr. Shiliang Sun, and Hualing Engle.
(pen name of Mariètou Mbaye Biléoma) is the Senegalese-born writer whose pen name means “one who is unwanted.” Her first novel, Le baobab fou [The Abandoned Baobab: The Autobiography of a Senegalese Woman], investigated post-colonial identity for a young African woman in Belgium. Bugul has headed the African region section of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, as well as convening writing workshops in underprivileged areas, and organizing other cultural outreach. In 1999 her novel Riwan ou le chemin de sable ['Riwan or the Sandy Track'] was awarded the Grand Prix Littéraire de l'Afrique Noire. La pièce d'or (2006) is her seventh novel. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
was the youngest writer ever to receive the Russian Booker Prize in 1999 for his novel Freedom. His short stories, literary reviews, and other work have appeared in numerous Russian-language journals. In 2004, his short story “Relic” was anthologized in Five Russian Stories (USA). For the past ten years, he has served as Assistant to the Editor at Russia's main literary journal, Novi Mir. He consults for a number of Russian literary prizes, including the Bolshaia Kniga Award [Big Book], given for the most significant prose book of the year, and the Iu Kazakov Award for the year’s best story. He participates courtesy of the Open World Program.
(Jeongrye) has published four books of poetry, most notably Tigers in the Sunlight, which received the Kimdaljin Literary Prize in 1999, and Red Dry Field, which won the Isu Literary Prize in 2003. She holds a PhD in Korean modern poetry from Korea University, where she has recently lectured. She has also served as a research professor at Jeonju University, located in Jeollabuk-do. She participates courtesy of the Korean Literature Translation Institute.
has published one novel, Thorsten Madsen’s Ego (2004), and Disorder of Things (2005), a collection of short stories. She was awarded the 2005 Discovery of the Year in Literature by Carlsbergfonden, and a major grant in 2006 from the Danish Art Foundation. She lives in Copenhagen, where she is a featured columnist and TV critic. She participates courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen.
has published three collections of poetry, most recently Human Soil (2006). He has translated several contemporary American poets, and won a prize for his translation of Seamus Heaney. In 2001 his Circumference of Ash was selected a Best Poetry Book of the Year by the Ministry of Culture. The founder of the literary journal Aleph Review and of the publishing house Aleph Publishing, he currently heads the Culture and Art Department in Albania's Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
is one of Uruguay’s leading writers, with work published in the U.S., Latin America, and Europe. The author of three novels, sixteen volumes of poetry, and a prolific essayist, he has won both his country's National Prize in Narrative for his first novel A Dog’s Life (1997), and the National Prize in Poetry for his 2002 collection Frontiers of Umbria. He teaches screenwriting at the Escuela de Cine del Uruguay in Montevideo. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
is a correspondent accredited to the United Nations, frequent contributor to the Kyrgyz and European press and the editor-in-chief of the journal Meerim. From 2000 to 2003, she served as an official at Kyrgystan's Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
is a physician and senior lecturer at Zawia Teaching Hospital. In his literary career, he has translated the poems of W.B. Yeats, as well as collections of American, Lithuanian, and Canadian modern poetry. Since 1993, he has published four collections of poems, most recently A Box of the Old Laughs (2005). His work is widely anthologized in the Arab-speaking world and Europe, including the Anthology of Modern Arabic Poetry (France). In 2001, he ventured into prose with his first novel, Dardaneen. He participates courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli.
has published the poetry collection Persona, the travelogue The Serbian Parable and the novel, Wishes Granted. She contributes essays on life in contemporary Russia to several newspapers and journals, including Logos, a philosophical magazine. She holds a MA from Moscow University, where she recently taught a special course on poets and power. She participates courtesy of the Open World Program.
has published thirteen poetry collections, most recently Shape of Time (2005). Her poems have been translated into fifteen languages; in 2003 her collection Mandragora was staged by Tallin City Theatre. Kareva has edited anthologies of Estonian poetry, and translated the work of Auden, Beckett, Dickinson, and Shakespeare. After winning the State Cultural Prize in 1993, she launched 'Straw Stipend,' which provides publication funding for ten young Estonian poets. She currently serves as Secretary General of the Estonian National Commission for UNESCO. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
was born in Tehran and grew up on the Isle of Wight. Her poetry collections include Mirrorwork (1995), which received an Arts Council Writers' Award, Selected Poems (2000), and The Chine (2002). Active as an actor and director in both the UK and Iran, she has founded Matrix, a women's experimental theatre group, and co-founded Theatre in Exile. She is also the founder of the Poetry School in London. She participates courtesy of the William B. Quarton International Writing Program Scholarship.
is the author of the novels Their Guns (1993) and Blooming Flowers (1997). He has taught literature and creative writing at several South Korean colleges and universities. In 2006 he published his latest short story collection, How Do Dogs Laugh? A prolific coordinator of literary activities and programs, he is at present the chief researcher of the Choi Myung-Hee Literary Museum, and an adjunct professor at the Jeonju National University of Education. He participates courtesy of The Arts Council Korea.
is a graduate of Saint-Petersburg State University of Cinema and Television. She works as a freelance journalist, specializing in modern literature and television. She has also participated in translation projects in English and Finnish. From 2000-2003, she was a correspondent for the magazine Piterbook. She lives in Helsinki, where she is actively involved in the literary community. She participates courtesy of the Open World Program.
has worked as a journalist, translator, and advertising copywriter, mainly in the Sinhala language. After his retirement from copywriting, he joined the Beach Waadiya Writers Group of Colombo 6 and began writing short stories in English. In 2004 his collection, Kider Chetty Street, was awarded the prestigious Gratiaen Prize. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
has published several books of poetry, including L’oeil bande ['Eye Patch'] (1997), and Suivantes ['The Following'] (2004). As an editor for L’Animal Revue, he has assembled critical volumes and anthologies on contemporary poetry, most recently Poésie: Variations ['Poetry: Variations'] (2005). He contributes regularly to French literary journals such as Le Matricule des Anges. He participates in the International Writing Program courtesy of the Consulate General of France and the Department of French and Italian at the University of Iowa.
rose to fame with Suzhou River (2000) which he wrote and directed, and which won major awards at film festivals in Rotterdam, Paris and Tokyo, as well as the FIPRESCI prize in Venice, and was voted by Time Magazine (Asia) as one of the best movies of 2000. In its wake Lou Ye was banned from making films in China for two years. Since then he has written and directed Purple Butterfly (2003) and Summer Palace (2006), both screened at the Cannes Film Festival to broad critical acclaim. The working title of his current science fiction project is Restorer. He participates courtesy of the Asian Cultural Council.
has published five poetry collections and several prose books on modern Afghan literature. His work has been translated into five languages, including English. An artist, scholar, journalist, and literary critic, Naderi has edited Zhwandoon Quarterly Magazine, directed the Art and Cultural Programs section for Radio Afghanistan, and reported on current affairs for BBC World Service. Currently, he is with the Afghan Civil Society Forum in Kabul. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
has published five collections of poetry, most recently Along Blueskin Road (2005), a collection of short stories, Chinese Interpreter (1994) and five novels for young adults, among them The Assassin of Gleam (2006). His writing has appeared widely in New Zealand and the U.S.; his prizes include the Lilian Ida Smith Award (1990), the Robert Burns Fellowship (2000), and the Christchurch Press Literary Liaisons Honour Award (2003). A member and officer of the NZ Society of Authors, he is currently the president of the New Zealand Poetry Society. He participates courtesy of the Arts Council of New Zealand.
has since 1994 written columns and articles on politics, film, food, classical music and literature for Tempo Magazine and elsewhere. She translated and edited Goenawan Mohamad: Selected Poems, published Jakarta Good Food Guide, and co-founded Aksara, a bilingual bookstore in Jakarta. Her first collection of poetry, Ellipsis, appeared on The Herald UK 2005 Books of the Year list. A treatise on violence and the Iliad entitled War, Heaven, and Two Women came out in 2006, along with her first collection of short stories, The Diary of R.S.: Musings on Art. She participates courtesy of the IWP Writers’ Support Fund.
has worked and studied in Hamburg, Leipzig and New York. His stories and poems have appeared in magazines such as BELLAtriste, EDIT and sprachgebunden. The short story “Bruck on the Floor Sings as Quietly as Monk Plays” won him the 2006 MDR-Literature-Prize. A Dog’s Funeral, his first novel, is scheduled for publication in 2007. He participates courtesy of the Max Kade Foundation.
has published two novels, written five plays, and worked on several films as writer and director. His most recent project, My Friend, My Enemy (2004), is a documentary about friendships between Palestinian and Israeli women. In 2004, he co-founded the Open Workshop for Culture and the Arts in Palestine, an organization that encourages cultural exchange between Palestine and the global community through art. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
has published three collections of poetry, most recently Happiness is a Warm Gun (2004). His second book, Physical Graffiti (1997) won him the International Poetry Grant from the Loewe Foundation; he also received two writing fellowships from Mexico’s Fund for Culture and Arts (FONCA), and a Young Poetry Award of Monterrey. At present, he is a member of FONCA’s National System of Creators of Art. His poems are included in Latin-American anthologies in Spain, Argentina, Cuba, Colombia and the United States. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
(novelist, fiction writer and journalist; b.1954 Bangladesh) has published ten short story collections, most recently Nirbachita Galpa (2004). Among his thirty-eight books the novel Abasvumi (1994) won the Philips Literary Award as Best Novel in 1995. In 1998, he received the Bangla Academy Literary award for overall achievement in literature. At present he is an assistant editor of Daily Amar Desh, a leading newspaper in Bangladesh. His latest novel, Plaban, was published in 2006. He lives in Dhaka, and participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
from Ivory Coast is the author of two poetry collections, five novels, and several children’s books. She attended Howard University on a Fulbright, and has a doctorate in African American Studies from the Sorbonne. For several years, she taught at the University of Abidjan in Ivory Coast. She edited and illustrated Talking Drums (2000), an anthology of African poetry. Her work has been awarded by the Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique and the UNICEF, with the novel Reine Pokou ['Queen Pokou'] receiving this year's Grand Prix Littéraire d'Afrique Noire. She lives in South Africa. She participates courtesy of a private gift to the IWP.
works in Burmese as well as in English. His translations include literary criticism and philosophy, and the Burmese poetry collections Through Life’s Perils (1983) and Sweet Odour of Padauk and Dokchampa (2002). In 1998, two of his poems were anthologized by the National Library of Poetry in Maryland. In 1999, Mr. Moe published his first book of poetry in English, Harmony of Head and Heart, and is currently working on a second volume. He teaches English language, Buddhist Philosophy, and Ethics to monks at the State Priyatti Sasana University, Yangon. He participates courtesy of the Open Society Institute.
contributes regularly to magazines and literary journals in Russia. His short novel Frunze Narratives was nominated in 1998 for the Russian Booker Prize. Twice in 2001, he won first place in the “Prose” category of the literary Internet competition “Ulov." He has published one book of poems, A Road to Uchsumabad (1995) and a collection of short stories, Nurse Angela (2005). He lives in Sankt Petersburg and participates courtesy of the Open World Program.
2006 Visitors
Román ANTOPOLSKY (poet, essayist, literary translator; b. 1976, Argentina) published his first book of poems, ádelon ('eidolon') in 2003. His translation work spans Spanish, Russian, German, and English, and an array of genres and cultures. He publishes in literary journals and periodicals in Argentina and throughout Latin America (Tsé=Tsé, Cronopios, Mnemozyne, Le Monde Diplomatique Edición Argentina, Intemperie, and others). He participates courtesy of International Programs, The International Writing Program, Cinema and Comparative Literature, Latin American Studies, and The Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Iowa.
holds a PhD in sociology from Cornell University, and teaches sociology, screenwriting, and creative writing in Colombia. He is the author of several novels about the Jewish immigrant experience there, among them El rumor del astracan (1991). The MA program in Creative Writing he started at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, the first of its kind in Latin America, will launch in 2007. He participates courtesy of International Programs, Latin American Studies, The Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and The International Writing Program.
is a graduate of the Maxim Gorky Literary Institute in Moscow. He has published six books of poetry, two collections of short stories, several non-fiction books, and three novels. In 2002, he was awarded the National Literary Award Altan Od [Golden Feather] for Durlalgui yrtontsiin blues [‘The Blues of a World Without Love’] and again in 2003 for the novel Ilbe zereglee [‘The Magic Mirage’]. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Ulziitugs LUVSANDORJ (poet, fiction writer, journalist; b. 1972, Mongolia) is the author of one novel Nudnii shilend uldsen zurguud [‘The Pictures, What Remained in the Glasses’] (2004) and four books of poetry. In 2002, her poetry collection Erh cholootei baihyn urlag buyu Shine nom [‘Art of Freedom or The New Book’] was nominated for the National Literary Award Altan Od [Golden Feather]. For the past eight years, she has worked as a freelance journalist. She participates courtesy of the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies (CAPS) at the University of Iowa.
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