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.
2006 Resident
fiction writer, journalist, poet, translator
2006 Resident
editor, fiction writer, translator
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.
2006 Resident
fiction writer
(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.
2006 Resident
critic, editor, fiction writer, translator
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.
2006 Resident
critic, editor, fiction writer
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.
2006 Resident
fiction writer, translator
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.
2006 Visitor
fiction writer, journalist, poet
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.
2006 Visitor, 2007 Resident
editor, fiction writer, journalist, non-fiction writer, poet
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.
2006 Visitor
fiction writer, non-fiction writer
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.
1996, 2007 40th Anniversary Guest
fiction writer
is the author of nine novels, one volume of short stories, and one collection of essays. Born in Chile, he lived in Cuba, East Germany, West Germany, and Sweden before coming to the United States in 2000. He was an IWP fellow in 1996, and earned his master’s and doctorate degrees at the University of Iowa, where he now teaches Latin American literature and creative writing and leads a Spanish-language fiction workshop. He also writes columns for La Tercera and the New York Times Syndicate. His work has been published throughout Latin America as well as in Croatia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the US. His last novel, Pasiones griegas, was voted “Best Novel Published In Spanish In 2006” by the National People’s Publishing House of China and the Association of Chinese Hispanists. Currently he is working on a novel to be released in 2008.
2007 40th Anniversary Guest
fiction writer, poet
Ersi Sotiropoulos is a Greek poet, novelist, and short story writer. Her novel, Zigzag through the Bitter Orange Trees, was awarded both the National Literature Prize and the Book Critics' Award in 2000, and was published in English in 2007 by Interlink Press. She has written scripts for film and television and participated in several exhibitions of visual and concrete poetry.
2007 40th Anniversary Guest
fiction writer, visual artist
Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez is an unrepentant border crosser, writer, painter, former DJ, and academic who has published stories in international literary journals and newspapers as well as in major anthologies on contemporary literature in the Americas. He has been invited to give readings from his work at universities and conferences in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, and the United States. Currently an assistant professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Iowa, he has also taught at Penn State, Texas A & M University, and has been a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. In 2006, as a Fulbright Senior Lecturer in Spain, he lectured at universities in Madrid and Salamanca. His academic work on US/Mexico border cultures has been published in journals and anthologies in Mexico and the United States.
2007 Resident
critic, fiction writer, playwright, screenwriter
is a widely-read bilingual author in contemporary Indian literature, working in both English and Marathi. His novels and screenplays have been well received in India, England, Germany, and the U.S., leading to a Rockefeller Fellowship, the 2000 Sahitya Akademi Award for Best Novel (Cuckold, 1997), and a City of Munich Fellowship. Nagarkar’s latest novel in English, God’s Little Soldier (2006), has been translated into German, with French, Italian and Spanish translations forthcoming. He participates courtesy of the U.R. Ananthamurthy Foundation.
2007 Resident
fiction writer, non-fiction writer, translator
is among the most prolific young prose writers on the Greek literary scene. He has authored four novels, most recently ‘Imaginary Museum,’ 2005; a volume of essays (‘The Language Box,’ 2006), a collection of short stories (‘Napolean Delastos’ Recipes,’ 1997), a novella (‘The Parthenon Bomber,’ 1996), and, with Diane Neumaier, an exhibition catalogue (Encounters, 2003) and an artist book (The black dress, 2002). His work is available in five languages and he has been awarded grants in Europe and the US. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
2007 Resident
fiction writer, playwright
is the author of the novel Master of Life Skills (2006) and several plays. Recent stage productions include Scars in My Memory; Shadows on the Wall; Weeds; The Window; and The Gloomy Rabbit, all of which he wrote, directed and/or staged. In 2005, Nair received the Charles Wallace Award from the British Council, and was Writer-in-Residence at the University of Kent, Canterbury. Current projects include a second novel, a new play, and a film script. His website is www.vijaynair.net; he participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State.
2007 Resident
fiction writer
has published two collections of short stories in English, Life Before X (2000) and White Elephants (2005). A third collection, Survivors and Other Stories, is forthcoming in 2007, along with his first novel. Lacuesta’s awards include two National Book Awards from the Manila Critics Circle, the Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award, several Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards, and Philippine Graphic Magazine Literary Awards and the NVM Gonzalez Award. He is the literary editor of the Philippines Free Press. He participates courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
2007 Resident
fiction writer, screenwriter
has written extensively for film and television and authored three novels (titled, in translation 'The Guard of Deception,' 1993; The Gypsy Notebooks, 2000; and In Praise of Hatred, 2006), published in multiple editions in the Arab world. His honors include a 2007 award from the Ismaiiliyah International Festival for Documentaries and a 2005 Award for Best Script for Bab al Maqam, from the Valencia Film Festival. Currently, he is working on his fourth novel, A Parallel Life. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
2007 Resident
critic, fiction writer, non-fiction writer
has authored three novels, most recently ‘The Lost Land’ (2005), and a number of non-fiction works. Among his awards are the Hong Kong Youth Literary Award, a Chinese Literature Creative Award, and the 7th Hong Kong Chinese Literary Biennial Award. His fiction appears regularly in journals and anthologies in Hong Kong and mainland China. He currently teaches creative writing at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He participates courtesy of the Asian Cultural Council.
2007 Resident
fiction writer, non-fiction writer
is one of Myanmar’s most active literary voices. She has published one novel (‘Wild Snowy Night,’ 1995), a volume of essays (‘Learning from My Son,’ 2001), and a collection of short stories with three other women writers (‘The Pink Before Dark,’ 1996). Her work has appeared in numerous journals and magazines, was adapted into radio plays, and a story (‘Not Novel’) was made into a short film in Japan. Currently, she works as a freelance journalist in Yangon.
2007 Resident
fiction writer
is a widely-published Czech prose writer. She received the Magnesia Litera Award in 2002 for her first novel, Zvuk slunecnich hodin (‘The Sound of the Sundial, 2001’) and went on to author a collection of short stories, Srdce na udici (‘Heart on a Hook,’ 2002). Her fiction has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies in Europe and the U.S., including World Literature Today. Currently, she works as an independent consultant in Prague. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
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