Iva PEZUASHVILI (novelist, screenwriter, filmmaker; Georgia) is the author of two story collections, most recently [The Book of Tbilisi] (2017). A filmmaker by training, he has written and/or directed a number of short films, animated series, and season-long TV dramas. The recipient of several awards, most recently he was the “best nominee” for the Tsinandali Best Prose Prize. His participation was made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. State Department.
2018 Resident
fiction writer, poet
Dan COMAN (fiction writer, poet; Romania) has published four books of poems and three novels. Winner of the 2004 Mihai Eminescu Award for the poetry collection anul cârtiței galbene [The Year of the Yellow Mole], Coman has also received the 2004 Romanian Writers Union Prize, the 2011 Crystal Vilenica Prize, and Radio Romania’s Cultural Awards for 2011 and 2017. His work has been anthologized, and translated into seven languages, English included. His participation was made possible by the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest.
2018 Resident
fiction writer, non-fiction writer
Amara Nicole OKOLO (fiction writer, non-fiction writer; Nigeria) is the author of the novel Black Sparkle Romance (2014) and the story collection Son of Man (2016). A participant in Chimamanda Adichie’s Farafina Creative Writing Workshop (2015) and the Invisible Borders TransAfrican Project (2017), she often speaks at book events and festivals. She is also a practicing lawyer. Her participation was made possible by a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
2018 Resident
critic, fiction writer
Alisa GANIEVA Алиса Ганиева (fiction writer, editor, critic, journalist; Russia) is the author of three books, including the novels Жених и невеста (2015), shortlisted for the Russian Booker, which appeared in English as Bride and Groom, and Праздничная гора (2012) shortlisted for the Yasnaya Polyana literary prize (the English version is The Mountain and the Wall ). Her story collection Салам тебе, Далгат! [Salaam, Dalgat!] won the 2009 Debut Prize, to controversy and acclaim. In 2017, Ganieva was a juror for the Neustadt International Prize for Literature. A 2012 IWP Resident, she returns to UI courtesy of Grinnell College.
2018 Resident
fiction writer, poet
Tehila HAKIMI תהילה חכימי (poet, fiction writer; Israel) writes poetry, fiction and graphic novels. Her poetry volume מחר נעבוד [We’ll Work Tomorrow] (2014) received the 2015 Bernstein Prize for Literature, and, alongside her graphic novel במים [In the Water], the Yehoshua Rabinowitz Foundation Prize for Literature. Hakimi received the 2014 Israeli Ministry of Culture Prize for Emerging Poets. She works as a mechanical engineer. Her participation is made possible by the United States-Israel Educational Foundation.
2019 Resident
critic, fiction writer, screenwriter, translator
Carlos GAMERRO (fiction, translation, nonfiction; Argentina) has authored six novels, most recently Cardenio (2016), a collection of short stories, and a body of literary criticism, as well as translations of seminal English-language literary works including Shakespeare, W. H. Auden, and Harold Bloom. His own work has been translated into German, English, Turkish and French. Gamerro’s script for Tres de corazones [Three of Hearts] was made into a feature film in 2007. A 2008 IWP alum, he returns for a teaching residency at Grinnell College.
2019 Resident
fiction writer, filmmaker, poet, screenwriter
Soukaina HABIBALLAH (poetry, fiction, screenwriting; Morocco) has four poetry collections and one novel [The Barracks] (2016), with a second novel forthcoming in 2019. Habiballah has received many awards including, in 2015, the Buland Al Haidari Prize for Arabic poetry, and the 2019 Nadine Shames Prize for Arab Screenwriters for her short film [Who Left the Door Open?]. Her poetry has been translated into seven languages (including English). Ms. Habiballah participates courtesy the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State
2019 Resident
fiction writer, non-fiction writer, publisher
Yamkela TYWAKADI (fiction, nonfiction, South Africa) is a novelist, publisher, performer, and the founder of Blank Page Edu, a company that develops mobile apps and board games. Often working in South Africa’s native languages, she has published 15 books; her first, Andingombala Ndingumntu: IsiXhosa novel, is used in isiXhosa classes throughout the country. Ms. Tywakadi is on Mail & Guardian’s list of 200 Young South African Leaders for 2019. She participates courtesy of the U.S. Consulate General in Johannesburg.
2019 Resident
activist, fiction writer, journalist, non-fiction writer
Martha MUKAIWA (nonfiction, fiction, journalism; Namibia) is an arts and travel journalist, and activist for black Namibians, women, and the LGBTQIA+ community. She has written for The Namibian, Quartz, Matador Network, and The Africa Report, among other publications. She has also served as film juror for the Namibian Theatre and Film Awards, on panels providing grants to Namibia’s upcoming voices in the arts, and on UNESCO’s #JournalistsToo campaign. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
2019 Resident
fiction writer, playwright, poet, screenwriter
BUDDHISAGAR बुद्धिसागर (fiction, poetry, drama; Nepal) authored the bestselling novel कर्नाली ब्लुज [Karnali Blues], which won the 2010 Rastriya Pratibha Puraskar award; an English translation is forthcoming. He has three other novels and one poetry collection; his radio scripts appear on Nepali broadcasts as well as on BBC; a feature film based on his screenplay will be released in 2020. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Department of State.
2019 Resident
fiction writer
Amanda MICHALOPOULOU Αμάντα Μιχαλοπούλου (fiction; Greece) is the author of eight novels, three story collections and children’s fiction, and a contributing editor to Greek and German dailies. Her debut novel Yantes won the 1997 Diavazo Award; I’d Like (2005), in Karen Emmerich’s translation, received National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) International Literature Prize. Her work has been translated into 20 languages; she has had fellowships and literary residencies in Germany, China, the U.S., and elsewhere. She teaches creative writing in Athens, and participates courtesy of an anonymous gift to the IWP.
2019 Resident
fiction writer, playwright, poet
Gabriela ROMÁN (poetry, fiction, translation, drama; Mexico) is a playwright, stage director, and actor, whose plays have been staged throughout Mexico. In 2018, Román won the Theater Exhibition of Morelos State and was a finalist for the National Young Drama Prize for her play Iridescentes; Cósmica was a finalist for the 2015 ASSITEJ-Spain Theatre for Young Audiences International Prize. Her work has been translated into English and Portuguese, and anthologized. Román participates courtesy of an endowed gift from William B. Quarton.
2019 Resident
critic, editor, fiction writer, performance artist, publisher
Róbert GÁL (poetry, fiction; Czech Republic), a literary editor and publisher, works at intersections of genres and media. His six volumes of philosophical prose have been translated from his native Slovak into English and Czech; he has collaborated with composers, dancers, filmmakers, and visual artists in performance and installation work in Europe and the U.S. His participation was made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
2019 Resident
fiction writer, filmmaker, non-fiction writer, playwright
Amira-Géhanne KHALFALLAH (fiction, nonfiction, drama; Algeria) is a journalist, novelist, filmmaker, and playwright. Her plays Les draps [Sheets] and Shams et les poissons du désert [Shams and the Desert Fish] have been published; her debut novel Le naufrage de la lune [The Wreck of the Moon] appeared in 2018; her short film Essebat [The Shoe] screened at several international festivals; a feature film is in development. She participates through a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
2019 Resident
fiction writer, poet, visual artist
CHAN Lai-kuen 陳麗娟 (poetry, essays; Hong Kong), whose blog handle is “Dead Cat,” is a poet, a public speaker, and teacher. Her three books include [There Were Cats Singing], the winner of the Recommendation Prize at the 11th Hong Kong Biennial Awards for Chinese Literature, a prose collection, and a bilingual Chinese-English volume of poetry. Chan’s work has been translated and published internationally. She participates courtesy of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation.
2019 Resident
fiction writer, non-fiction writer
Ben SOHIB (fiction, nonfiction; Indonesia) is known for his popular novels The Da Peci Code (2006) and Rosid dan Delia [Rosid and Delia] (2008); adapted to film as Tiga hati, dua dunia, dan satu cinta [Three Hearts, Two Worlds, and One Love], which garnered Best Film at the 2010 Indonesian Film Festival. Author of five books, including two story collections, he has represented Indonesia at international arts festivals. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Department of State.
2019 Resident
activist, fiction writer, non-fiction writer, poet
Samuel MENGHESTEAB ሳሙኤል መንግስትኣብ (fiction, nonfiction, drama, poetry; Eritrea) is the author of the Tigrigna story anthology Seb ziseanet seb, and a regular contributor to Tigrigna-language magazines. He teaches adult and youth theater and literary programs, and writes pop song lyrics. His participation is courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Department of State.
2019 Resident
activist, fiction writer, journalist, non-fiction writer
THAWDA AYE LEI (fiction, nonfiction; Myanmar), a graduate of the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, is a journalist-turned-advocate. She is also the author of three novels and a story collection [The Borderless Cloud], and the founder of the online magazine Myat shu. Thawda Aye Lei's participation was made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
2019 Resident
fiction writer, filmmaker, playwright
Santiago LOZA (drama, fiction; Argentina) is author of over 20 plays, collected in three volumes, and of two novels. His first feature, Extraño [Stranger], won Best Picture at the 2003 Rotterdam Film Festival, and was followed by seven features and documentaries; most recently, Breve historia del planeta verde [Brief Story from the Green Planet] got the Teddy Award at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival. Loza participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
2019 Resident
fiction writer, poet
Batsirai CHIGAMA (poetry, fiction; Zimbabwe) has been a teacher of performance and creative writing workshops for over two decades. Her first poetry collection, Gather the Children, won the 2019 Outstanding First Creative Published Work from the National Arts Merits Awards in Zimbabwe. She participates courtesy the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
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