Muhamed ABDELNABI (fiction writer, translator; Egypt) is the author of the short story collections [A Rose For Who Betrays] (2003) and [The Ghost of Anton Chekhov] (2012), and of the novel [The Return of the Sheikh] (2012), long-listed for the 2013 Arabic Booker Prize. His stories and essays have appeared in many Arabic-language publications in print and on-line. Said’s translations into Arabic include among others work by Hisham Matar, Joe Sacco, the Dalai Lama, and Tariq Ali. He participates courtesy of the William B. Quarton Foundation.
Ali AL SAEED (poet, fiction writer, performer; Bahrain) is the author of the poetry collection Sad Man Dancing (2009), the short story collection Moments (2006), the essay collection The Randomist (2013), and the winner of the 2005 Bahrain Outstanding Book of the Year Award for the novel QuixotiQ. His work has been published in Rolling Stone (Middle East edition) and the Arabesques Review, among other publications. In 2006, Al Saeed, who also works in music and photography, founded the arts collective and festival Elham to develop and showcase multimedia in Bahrain. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Sawsan AL-AREEQE (poet, filmmaker; Yemen) is the author of three poetry collections [The Square of Pain] (2007), [More Than Necessary] (2004), and [What if My Blood Turned Into Chocolate] (2011); English translations of her poems have appeared in the journal Banipal. She is the winner of the British Council’s 2010 Zoom Film Contest for her short Prohibited, and of the Special Jury Prize at the 2012 Meknes International Film Festival for her short Photo.
ALAI / 阿来 (fiction writer, poet; China) won the prestigious 2000 Mao Dun literary prize for his first novel, Chen ‘ai luoding, which appeared in the U.S. as Red Poppies (2003, trans. Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Lin). His other novels include [The Silversmith Beneath the Moonlight] (2001), [Empty Mountain] (2005), [Ladder of the Earth] (2008) and, most recently, [King Gesar]. A Lai, who is of Tibetan ethnicity, has also published volumes of essays and interviews, and produced a number of scripts for television. He participates courtesy of The Paul and Hualing Engle Fund.
Karim ALRAWI (playwright, fiction writer; Canada/UK/Egypt) writes stage plays in both Arabic and English. He is also the author of several radio and TV plays, and children’s books. He was resident writer at the Royal Court Theatre and the Theatre Royal Stratford East (England), has held writing residencies in the US and Canada, and teaching positions at universities in all three countries. His national and international honors include the John Whiting Award and the Samuel Becket Award. Karim participates courtesy of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Arts Council of British Columbia.
Mark ANGELES (poet, fiction writer, essayist; Philippines) is the author of three poetry volumes and a fiction collection, all independently published. He has anthologized progressive writers in the Philippines in zines including KaMAO (Comrade Mao/fist), translations of poems by Mao Zedong. His forthcoming books include one novel and three children’s books. His poetry, short stories and essays have appeared in magazines, journals, newspapers, and anthologies. He has conducted creative writing workshops for organizations and universities across the Philippines. He participates courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
Rodrigo BLANCO CALDERÓN (fiction writer; Venezuela) is the author of three collections of short stories: Una larga fila de hombres [Men in a Long Line] (2005), Los invencibles (2007) and most recently Las rayas [Scratches] (2011), anthologized in many Latin American publications. Blanco Calderón participated in the 2007 Hay Festival Bogota as one of ‘Latin America’s 39 Most Exciting Authors Under 39.’ He is the founder the publishing house and bookstore Lugar Común, and teaches literature at the Universidad Central de Venezuela. His participation is made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Craig CLIFF(fiction writer, poet; New Zealand) is the author of the short story collection A Man Melting, which won Best First Book in the 2011 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. His stories, poems, and non-fiction have appeared in print and online in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK. He writes a column for The Dominion Post about his double life as a writer and public servant in Wellington, where he works as a policy analyst for the Ministry of Education. The Mannequin Makers (2013) is his first novel. He participates courtesy of Creative New Zealand.
Tom CROSSHILL (fiction writer; Latvia) is the author of the short story collection Dubultnieki un citi stāsti (2011). His fiction has won the Writers of the Future contest, and was twice shortlisted for the Nebula Award, given out by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. His work has been featured in Finnish, Cuban, Chinese, Polish, English, and Latvian publications. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Martin DYAR (poet, playwright; Ireland) is the author of the poetry collection Maiden Names (2012; Arlen/Syracuse U P), winner of the 2009 Patrick Kavanagh Award. His play ‘Tom Loves a Lord’ was staged at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in Dublin in 2011. Among his projects are collaborations with musicians, broadcasters, medical practitioners and patients. Presently, Dyar teaches in the Medical Humanities Program in the School of Medicine of Trinity College, Dublin. He participates courtesy of the Arts Council of Ireland, Culture Ireland, and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature.
Nada FARIS (fiction writer, poet; Kuwait) is the author of the collections Before Young Adult Fiction and Artemis and Other Poems. Her short stories, poems and articles are featured in Kuwaiti magazines and newspapers, and have been anthologized in the Norton Anthology of Hint Fiction. She is completing her MA in Comparative Literature at Kuwait University. She participates courtesy of Kuwait Ministry of Youth.
Dmitry GOLYNKO (poet; Russia) has five books of poems: Homo Scribens (1994), Директория [The Directory] (2001), Бетонные голубки [Concrete Doves] (2003), As it Turned Out (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2008) and most recently Что это было и другие обоснования [What It Was and the Other Arguments] (2013). His poetry has been widely translated, and appears in numerous magazines, journals, and anthologies, including Graywolf Press’ New European Poets (2008). A researcher at the Russian Institute of Art History, faculty at St- Petersburg University of Cinema and TV, and a contributing editor at Moscow Art Magazine, he publishes extensively on contemporary art and cinema. His participation was made possible by The Paul and Hualing Engle Fund.[
Whiti HEREAKA (playwright, novelist, screenwriter; New Zealand) has written and produced eight plays for stage and radio, as well as the short film Unclaimed Luggage. Her debut novel The Graphologist’s Apprentice was shortlisted for the 2011 First Book in the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Asia/Pacific region); her second novel, Bugs, will be published later this year. She is a two-time winner of the Best New Play by a Maori Playwright. Her participation is made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
KIM Seoryung (fiction writer; South Korea) has since her debut in 2003 published seven books, including the novels [The Chop Waltz] (2010) and [Humming on the Bicycle] (2012), and the award-winning story collection [Where Do I Go] (2012). Her most recent work is the collection of prose [We Need Sundays; 2013]; the novel [Nana] is being serialized in the daily Hankyoreh. She is an editor of the [Quarterly Literature Magazine] and an administrator in the literature division of the Asia Culture Network. She participates courtesy of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea.
KIM Kyung Uk (fiction writer; South Korea) is the award-winning author of six short story collections including [Is Leslie Chung Dead?] (2005), [Risky Reading] (2008) and [God Has No Grandchild] (2011), and six novels, among them [The Golden Apple] (2002), [Kingdom of Thousand Years] (2007), [Like a Fairy Tale] (2010) and [What is Baseball?] (2012). He teaches creative writing at Korea National University of Arts. He participates courtesy of the Arts Council Korea.
Amanda Lee KOE (fiction writer; Singapore) edits fiction at Esquire (Singapore) and the literary journal Ceriph, creative nonfiction for the magazine POSKOD, and is a co-editor of Eastern Heathens, an anthology revisiting Asian folktales. Her first book, Ministry of Moral Panic, will appear later this year. A communications director at studioKALEIDO, she also teaches creative writing workshops and curates arts exhibitions. Her co-directed documentary, Post-Love, about older people’s sexuality, was screened at festivals in Singapore, Canada, and China; Koe’s work has appeared in Singapore, Germany, Hong Kong, the U.K., and the U.S. She participates courtesy of the Singapore National Arts Council.
Dénes KRUSOVSZKY (poet, translator; Hungary) is the editor of the literary quarterly Ex Symposion and of the JAK World Literature Series, featuring contemporary foreign fiction and poetry in Hungarian. He has published three volumes of poetry, Az összes nevem [All My names] (2006), Elromlani milyen [How It Feels To Go Wrong] (2009), and A felesleges part [Indeed Shore] (2011), for which he was awarded the József Attila Prize. His recent translations include the work of Armitage, Ashbery, Cohen, Collins, Hall, Hughes, Kooser and O’Hara. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
LEE Chi-leung 李智良(fiction writer, essayist; Hong Kong) is the author of two books: 白瓷 [Porcelain] (1999), a Chinese & English bilingual volume of poetry and short stories, and the essay collection 房間 [A Room Without Myself] (2008), which won the Hong Kong Book Prize and the Hong Kong Biennial Award for Chinese Literature. His essays and fiction have been anthologized in 走著瞧：香港新銳作者六人合集 [Wait and See: Collected Works of Six New Hong Kong Writers] (2010). A freelance translator, editor and lecturer, he participates courtesy of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation.
Zeyar LYNN (poet, translator; Burma/Myanmar) is the author of seven poetry collections, including [Distinguishing Features] (2006), [Real/Life: Prose Poems] (2009) and [Kilimanjaro] (2010). He has translated John Ashbery, Charles Bernstein, Donald Justice, Sylvia Plath, Wisława Szymborska and Tomas Tranströmer, as well as many Chinese, Japanese, Australian, East European and Russian poets. Since 2005 he has organized and hosted the annual UNESCO World Poetry Day event in Yangon. He is also one of the editors of the quarterly Poetry World. He teaches English at a specialized language school. His participation is privately funded.
Teemu MANNINEN (poet; Finland) is a critic for Helsingin Sanomat, a columnist for the website Books from Finland, a producer of the Helsinki Poetics Conference, a frequent creative writing teacher, and a coordinator for the publishing cooperative Osuuskunta Poesia. A co-editor of Suomalaisia nykyrunoilijoita 2, an encyclopedia of contemporary Finnish poets, Manninen is the author of five poetry collections, including Säkeitä [Verses] (2010), Futurama (2010; the winner of the 2010 Tiiliskivi Prize), and most recently Paha äiti [Bad Mother] (2012). He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Lili MENDOZA (fiction writer, poet, translator; Panama) is the author of the short story collection Corazón de charol a-go-gó (2009). Her stories and poetry have been anthologized in Panama, Costa Rica, Spain, Peru, and the U.S., and showcased at literary events in Europe. An active member of the Theater Guild of Ancon, Mendoza also collaborates in musical and dance performances. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Shandana MINHAS (fiction writer; Pakistan) has been a columnist, a teacher, an actor, a screenwriter, a playwright, and more. Her novel Tunnel Vision (2007) was nominated for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book; a second title Survival Tips For Lunatics, for young readers, will be published in 2014. Minhas is currently working on a collection of short stories and another novel. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Mahsa MOHEBALI (fiction writer; Iran) is the author of the short story collections [The Voices] (1998) and [Love-making in Footnotes] (2004), the latter a winner of the Golshiri Foundation's award for best short story collection, and of two novels, [The Grey Spell] (2002) and [Don’t Worry] (2008), which won both the Golshiri Foundation’s and the Press Critics’ Best Novel award. Her work has been translated into Swedish, published widely in print and on-line, and performed on stages across Iran.
Asma NADIA (fiction/nonfiction writer; Indonesia) is the author of 49 books, of which three [Emak Longs To Take the Hajj] (2009), [House with No Windows] (2011), and Ummi (2012) have been adapted for the screen. Nadia contributes regularly to the daily Republika , which named her one of the seven most influential people in Indonesia for 2010. A co-founder of Forum Lingkar Pena, and Komunitas Bisa Menulis, which helps youth become writers, she is also a frequent campaigner in the “Indonesian Women Write” movement, and an organizer of 63 Rumah Baca, which provides free reading rooms for underserved youth. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Corinne N’GUESSAN (fiction writer; Cote D’Ivoire) is a bank manager in Abidjan. Her first novel Les vierges folles [The Mad Virgins] appeared earlier this year. She participates courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan.
Oscar RANZO (fiction writer; Uganda) is the author of the novel Cross-Pollination (2012) and the children’s books The Little Maid (2012), The Wise Milkboy (2013) and The Jewels of Amuria (2013). He is the coordinator of the Child Sacrifice Prevention Program, which is based on his book Saving Little Viola, and the founder, in 2012, of the Oasis Book Project, which aims to increase the profile of Ugandan literature. He participates courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Kampala.
Patrícia PORTELA (playwright, fiction writer; Portugal) has written and coordinated nearly twenty stage performances and live art works across Europe, the Middle East, China and Brazil. Widely anthologized, she is the author of the novels Para Cima e Não Para Norte (2008) and Banquete (2012). A founder of the cultural association Prado, she teaches regularly at Forum Dança in Lisbon and, recently, in the Program for Visual Criticism and Film at the University of Antwerp. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Roland RUGERO (fiction writer; Burundi) is the author of the novels Les oniriques (2007) and Baho (2012), and the editor of the literary pages of Iwacu Magazine. A contributor to Mémoire du Colloque Littéraire and the Dictionary of African Biographies (2011), Rugero is currently at work on Amaguru n’Amaboko, the second-ever feature film made in Burundi. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Sridala SWAMI (poet, fiction writer, children’s writer; India) is the author of the poetry collection A Reluctant Survivor (2007), and four children’s books. Her creative and critical work has been published and anthologized in Wasafiri, The South Asian Review, Her Kind (the VIDA blog), and The HarperCollins Book of English Poetry, among others. Swami has been a film editor and teacher, curated a radio program “The Poetry Mohalla,” is at work on an international collaborative writing project titled Chirality, and on the text/image project ‘V’ is for Valley; she is also preparing a collection of interviews with contemporary Indian poets. Her second poetry volume, Escape Artist, is forthcoming. Her participation was made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Yui TANIZAKI (fiction writer, translator; Japan) is the author of the novel Maiochiru Mura (2009), which garnered her the 2007 Bungagukai Prize for New Writers.Her stories and essays are featured in numerous literary magazines; her translations include Kiran Desai’s Inheritance of Loss and Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad. She participates courtesy of the Japan Foundation.
TONG Wei Ger (童偉格, fiction writer, playwright; Taiwan) is the author of the short story collection 王考 [Wang Kao] (2002), and the novels, 無傷時代 [The Age of No Hurt] (2005) and 西北雨 [Northwest Rain] (2010), for which he won the Taiwan Literature Prize. He lectures in the Department of Theatre Arts of the Taipei National University of the Arts. His participation was made possible by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture.
Simon URBAN (fiction writer; Germany) has turned to full-time writing after a career in advertising. He is the author of the novel Plan D (2011), translated into 11 languages. His award-winning short stories have been published in several literary journals. He participates courtesy of the Max Kade Foundation.
Erez VOLK (translator; Israel), a software engineer, linguist and chef, is an editor and a translator from the English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish into Hebrew and English. His translations range from classics (Chekhov, Hugo, Walser) to contemporary writers like Carlos Ruíz Zafón. He participates courtesy of the United States-Israel Education Foundation.
WANG Jiaxin 王家新 (poet, essayist, translator, scholar; China) is the author of five poetry collections, ten books of critical essays, and a translator of, among others, Paul Celan. Among his edited anthologies are a volume of Yeats’ works, three collections of 20th century European and American poetry, and two of contemporary Chinese poetry. His first collection of poems in English, Darkening Mirror: New and Selected Poems, is being readied for publication. Wang Jiaxin is a professor at Renmin University (Beijing) and the director of its International Writing Center. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Find Us Online