Participants by Genre

Participants: Fiction writer

Sara BAUME
2015 Resident
fiction writer

Sara BAUME (fiction writer; Ireland) writes stories and essays. “Solesearcher1” won the 2014 Davy Byrnes Short Story Award and appeared in the anthology Davy Byrnes Stories; “Dancing, or Beginning to Dance” won the 2014 Hennessy Literary Award for Emerging Fiction. Her debut novel Spill Simmer Falter Wither (2015) was shortlisted for the Edinburgh First Book Award, longlisted for The Guardian's first book award and won the 2015 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. Baume was named the Hennessy New Irish Writer for 2015. Her participation is made possible by the William B. Quarton Fund through the Cedar Rapids Community Foundation.

 

 

Raed AL-JISHI
2015 Resident
activist, fiction writer, translator

Raed Anis Al-JISHI (poet, translator; Saudi Arabia) has published one novel, seven volumes of poems in Arabic and one, Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly, in English. Alongside a career as a writer, he teaches high school chemistry in his native city of Qateef. He is a feminist and human rights activist, and works on issues involving children and literacy. His participation is made possible by the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh.

 

 

Rochelle POTKAR
2015 Resident
fiction writer, poet

Rochelle POTKAR (fiction writer, poet; India) is the author of The Arithmetic of Breasts and Other Stories, and has three works in progress—a novel, a book of prose, and a book of poetry. Widely published online and in print, Rochelle is the co-editor of Neesah magazine, and an active member of Poetry Couture, which hosts poetry readings at cafes across India. Her participation is made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Anas ATAKORA
2015 Resident
fiction writer, non-fiction writer, poet

Anas ATAKORA (poet, fiction writer, nonfiction writer; Togo), currently a PhD candidate at Dalhousie University in Canada, has had his third poetry collection, En attendant le poème, appear in early 2015. The upcoming Tante Béa will be his first short story collection. In 2008, Atakora received the ‘Plumes émergentes’ award from the University of Lomé. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Anete KRUUSMӒGI
2015 Resident
fiction writer, poet

Anete KRUUSMӒGI (fiction writer, poet; Estonia) is currently studying traditional dance in Indonesia, and working on several novel projects. A regular contributor to Öhtuleht, a major Estonian daily, she also teaches creative writing in Indonesia. Her participation is made possible by CEC ArtsLink.

Antônio XERXENESKY
2015 Resident
fiction writer, translator

Antônio XERXENESKY (fiction writer, translator; Brazil), currently completing a PhD in literary theory at Universidade de São Paulo, is the author of two novels, most recently F (2014), two short story collections, including A Página assombrada por fantasmas (2011) and several books of translation; his own work has been translated into English, French, German and Spanish. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Villeda
2015 Resident
fiction writer, poet, translator

VILLEDA (poet, translator, fiction writer; Mexico) is the author of four books of poetry, most recently Dodo (2014). Her work in poetry and multimedia, widely anthologized and translated, has received recognition through several awards, including the 2014 National Fine Arts Prize for Children’s Fiction and the 2013 Elías Nandino National Award for Youth Poetry. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Margarita MATEO PALMER
2015 Resident
critic, fiction writer, scholar

Margarita MATEO PALMER (critic, essayist, novelist; Cuba) has her extensive critical work collected in seven volumes of essays; she is also the author of the novel Desde los blancos manicomios (2008). Her writing on Caribbean literatures has earned her fellowships at Harvard and Tulane, six iterations of Premio Nacional de la Crítica, and many other literary awards. Mateo Palmer is a member of the Cuban Academy of Language. Her participation is made possible by the U.S. Embassy in Havana and the Ludwig Foundation.

Nael ELTOUKHY
2015 Resident
fiction writer, translator

Nael ELTOUKHY (fiction writer, translator; Egypt) has published five books of fiction and two books of translation from the Hebrew. His novels include the critically acclaimed Nisaa Al Karantina [Women of Karantina] (2013) and Al Alfen wa seta [Two Thousand and Six] (2009). He is a staff journalist at a number of regional newspapers. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State

Birgül OĞUZ
2015 Resident
fiction writer, non-fiction writer

Birgül OĞUZ (fiction writer, non-fiction writer; Turkey) was among the winners of the 2014 European Union Prize for Literature for her latest short fiction collection Hah (2012), now being translated into thirteen European languages. A PhD candidate in English Literature at Bosphorus University, she lectures on literature at independent academic institutions and theater houses in Istanbul. Her participation is made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Samuel Kolawole
2015 Resident
fiction writer, non-fiction writer

Samuel KOLAWOLE (fiction and nonfiction writer; Nigeria) is the author of the story collection The Book of M (2011), and other stories, widely anthologized. He has had grants and fellowships from the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development, the Norman Mailer Centre and the Edward F. Albee Foundation, among others. Currently working on his second book, he directs a writing school in Ibadan. His participation is made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
2015 Resident
fiction writer, non-fiction writer

Yu-Mei BALASINGAMCHOW (fiction and nonfiction writer; Singapore) has had stories appear in the anthologies From the Belly of the Cat (2009) and Let’s Tell This Story Properly: Commonwealth Short Story Prize Anthology (2015), as well as in the journal Mänoa. Her nonfiction work includes Singapore:A Biography (2009; co-authored with Mark Ravinder Frost), commissioned by the National Museum of Singapore. In 2014 she was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. She participates courtesy of the Singapore National Arts Council.

Teresa PRÄAUER
2015 Resident
fiction writer, poet, visual artist

Teresa PRÄAUER (fiction writer, poet, visual artist; Austria) is the author of the novels Johnny und Jean (2014) and Für den Herrscher aus Übersee [For the Emperor from Overseas], which received the Aspekte prize for best German-language prose debut of 2012, as well as of a book of poetry postcards entitled [Pigeons’ Letters] (2009). In 2015 she received a Droste and a Hölderlin promotion award, and was shortlisted for the Leipzig Book Fair Prize. She regularly publishes on the subjects of poetry, theatre, pop culture and fine arts. Her participation is made possible by the Max Kade Foundation.

Armen of Armenia
2015 Resident
fiction writer

ARMEN OF ARMENIA (fiction writer; Armenia) is the author of the story collection [The Return of Kikos] (2013), and the novel [Mommyland; Flag] (2015); a short story of his appeared in the 2015 edition of Best European Fiction. His writing is significantly influenced by his political activism. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

2015 Resident
fiction writer

CHUNG Wenyin (fiction writer; Taiwan) is the author of story collections [Two People in One Day, The Past, Diary for You, Yesterday Reemerging, Old Appearances of Young Ladies and Cities for Lovers]. Her novels include [Woman Islands] and the historical Island Trilogy, comprised of Decayed Lust, [Decayed History] and Decayed Land. Chung Wen Yin is the recipient of a dozen literary awards, including the 2003 Yunlin County Cultural Award and, in 2005, of the distinguished Wu San-Lien Literature Prize. Her participation is made possible by the Taiwan Ministry of Culture.

2016 Resident
fiction writer, non-fiction writer

Carlos PATIÑO PEREDA (fiction writer, nonfiction writer; Venezuela), a lawyer, human rights activist and former president of the national labor union "Sintrainces," has published a collection of stories, [I Will Kill You Twice]. In 2015 his [“Concentric Circles”] won El Nacional’s 70th annual story competition. He is at work on his first novel. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

2016 Resident
fiction writer

SHIBASAKI Tomoka  柴崎友香 (fiction writer; Japan) is a novelist. In 2003 her first book, Kyō no dekigoto, was made into a film. Her work appears in literary magazines; several stories have been published in English translation. Her novel Sono machi no ima wa (2006) won the MEXT Award for New Artists; in 2014 her novella Haru no niwa won the Akutagawa Prize. Her participation is made possible by the Japan Foundation.

2016 Resident
fiction writer, poet

Ruel JOHNSON (fiction writer, poet; Guyana), a journalist and editor, is the author of several collections of poetry and short stories. In 2002, his Ariadne & Other Stories won the Guyana Prize for Literature for Best First Book of Fiction; the collection Fictions won later the same award. A cultural advisor to the government of Guyana, Johnson is involved in policy development and implementation. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

2016 Resident
fiction writer, non-fiction writer, physician

zp (Priya) DALA (fiction writer, nonfiction writer; South Africa) is a physical therapist, a psychologist, and a writer. Her first novel, What About Meera, won the 2015 South African Minara Debut Prize, was shortlisted for the Etisalat Literary Prize, and made the top 15  African novels of 2015 list. A second novel, The Architecture of Loss, is forthcoming in 2017.  Her op-ed pieces have appeared in The New York Times and elsewhere. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

2016 Resident
fiction writer, poet, visual artist

CHEN Ko Hua 陳克華 (poet, fiction writer, painter; Taiwan) studied at Taipei Medical University and Harvard Medical School; he now practices as an ophthalmologist at the Taipei Veterans’ General Hospital. He is the author of more than twenty volumes of poetry; his collection [Tears of Ignorance] was recently translated into Japanese. His work often addresses LGBTQ issues. His participation is made possible by the Taiwan Ministry of Culture.

Pages

Happening Now

  • Congratulations to our colleagues Jennifer Croft and Aron Aji, who are among those serving as judges for the National Book Awards this year, in their case in the category of translated literature.

  • Ranjit Hoskote’s speech at the 2024 Goa Literary Festival addresses the current situation in Gaza.

  • In NY Times, Bina Shah worries about the state of Pakistani—and American—democracy.

  • “I went to [Ayodhya] to think about what it means to be an Indian and a Hindu... ”  A new essay by critic and novelist Chandrahas Choudhury.

  • In the January 2024 iteration of the French/English non-fiction site Frictions, T J Benson writes about “Riding Afrobeats Across the World.” Also new, a next installment in the bilingual series featuring work by students from Paris VIII’s Creative Writing program and the University of Iowa’s NFW program.

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