Rodrigo Garcia LOPES (poet, translator; Brazil) has published five collections of poetry, including Solarium (1994), Polivox (2001) and Nômada (2004). His poems, essays and interviews have been widely published and anthologized, including in Os Cem Melhores Poemas Brasileiros do Século 20 [The Best 100 Brazilian Poems of the Twentieth Century]. His second CD, Canções do Estúdio Realidade [Songs from Reality Studio), a new book of poems and a first novel, the detective story O Trovador [The Troubadour] are forthcoming in 2012. He translates from the English (Whitman, Laura Riding, Plath) and from the French (Rimbaud, Apollinaire). A freelance journalist and translator, he co-edits the arts magazine Coyote; he also performs his poems and songs regularly around Brazil. His participation is courtesy the William B. Quarton Foundation.
Dimitris LYACOS (poet, playwright; Greece/Italy) is the author of the cross- genre trilogy Poena Damni, which includes Z213: ΕΞΟΔΟΣ [Z213: EXIT] (published in English in 2010), ΜΕ ΤΟΥΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥΣ ΑΠΟ ΤΗ ΓΕΦΥΡΑ [With the People From the Bridge], and Ο ΠΡΩΤΟΣ ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ [The First Death]. The trilogy has been translated into six languages, and staged in theatres across Europe and the U.S., inspiring works in various media including a sound and sculpture installation, paintings, and a dance adaptation. Lyacos’ participation is made possible by a grant from the Counting Art non-profit organization and Athens-based ABOUT Cultural Venue.
Gulala NOURI (poet, fiction writer, translator; Iraq) has worked as a Kurdish-language teacher and in women’s issues and human rights. Currently, she works in Kurdistan for the High Commission of Erbil Citadel Revitalization (HCECR). Nouri has published four collections of poetry, [While the Dolphin is Sleeping] (1999), [This Crowd is Not Up To You] (2001), [Calendars of Loneliness] (2005), and [Firewood] (2009). Her translations of Vladimir Vysotsky’s poetry from the Russian into Kurdish and Arabic came out in 2011. Nouri has two books forthcoming, a translation of stories on the Halabja massacre, and her first story collection. Her participation was funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Pandora (poet; Burma/Myanmar) is the editor of the forthcoming [Tuning: An Anthology of Myanmar Women Poets], due out this August. Her poems have been anthologized in Bones Will Crow: 15 Contemporary Burmese Poets (2012), and translations of her work have been published in international literary journals and magazines, including Asymptote, Poetry Review, and Sampsonia Way. She currently works for the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.
Bilal TANWEER (fiction writer, poet, translator; Pakistan) teaches creative writing at Lahore University of Management Sciences. His short stories, essays, and poetry have been published by Granta, Critical Muslim, Life’s Too Short Literary Review: New Writing From Pakistan, Vallum, Dawn, The Express Tribune, The News on Sunday, and The Caravan (India); his translations from the Urdu have appeared in Words Without Borders and The Annual of Urdu Studies. In 2010 he received the PEN Translation Fund Grant for Chakiwara Chronicles by Muhammad Khalid Akhtar; in 2011 he was selected as a Granta New Voice. He participates thanks to a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Abdullah THABIT (poet, fiction writer; Saudi Arabia) is the author of six books, including the poetry collections [Ripping - ألهتك] (2009) and [Taboo CV – cv حرام] (2012), and the novel [The 20thTerrorist – الإرهابي20] (2006). His most recent novel, [The Face of the Sleeper - ,وجه النائم] was published earlier this year. He was named one of the Beirut39 Writers Under 39 at the 2009 Hay Festival. Currently he works at the Department of Education in Jeddah. His participation is provided courtesy of Beirut39 and the William B. Quarton Foundation.
Nay Phone LATT (poet, fiction writer; Burma) is the author of the City I dropped down a collection of stories written during his four-year imprisonment. A blogger and activist, he has received the Reporters Without Borders’ Cyber-dissident Award and the PEN American Freedom to Write Award; in 2010, he was listed among Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He edits the online magazine (Thanlwinainmat), www.thanlwin.com, and is the executive director of the NGO, Myanmar ICT for Development Organization (MIDO), www.myanmarido.org. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. His blog in English is en.nayphonelatt.com.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.[
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.
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.
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.
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.
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