CHOW Hon-Fai (Bohemia) 周漢輝 (prose writer, poet; Hong Kong) received the 2014 Award for Creative Writing in Chinese for poetry, the 35th Youth Literary Award for Poetry in Hong Kong, the Lee Shing Wah Prize, and the Young Artist Award from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, recognizing his experiments with form, sound, and image. His first book was the poetry collection [Long Takes] (2010); a second volume is forthcoming. His participation is made possible by the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation.
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.
2018 Resident
journalist, non-fiction writer, poet
Bejan MATUR (poet, non-fiction writer; Turkey), of Kurdish origin, lives in İstanbul. Her first collection of poetry, Rüzgar dolu konaklar [Winds Howl through the Mansions] (1996), won several literary prizes. Since then she has published eight other poetry collections, most recently Aşk olmayan [Love/less] (2016); her poems are widely translated. In addition to her years as a columnist, she has worked with NGOs on conflict resolution. Her participation is made possible by an anonymous gift to IWP.
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, 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
poet
Madara GRUNTMANE (poetry; Latvia) has a background in cultural management. A recipient of 2015 Latvian Literature Readers’ Choice Award for her book Narkozes (Narcoses; 2015) and the 2019 Public Broadcasting Award for her second poetry volume Dzērājmeitiņa [Drunk Daddy’s Girl], she often presents at international literary festivals; she also works with creative collectives to produce cultural arts events throughout Latvia. Her participation has been made possible by 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
activist, editor, filmmaker, non-fiction writer, performance artist, poet, translator
Roy Chicky ARAD רועי צ'יקי ארד (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, performance; Israel) is an activist, musician/performer and writer, with eight published volumes of poetry and prose. He edits the poetry magazine Ma'ayan, translates, largely poetry, and writes for the daily Ha’aretz. The Culture Guerilla group, which he co-founded, takes poetry into Israeli streets. He participates courtesy of Fulbright Israel.
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
poet, translator
Tautvyda MARCINKEVIČIŪTĖ (poetry, translation; Lithuania) has published 15 books of poetry, and three books of children’s poetry. Among her many national awards is the Poezijos Pavasaris National Poet Laureateship. A prolific translator from the English, she has had her own work translated into more than ten languages; the bilingual Lithuanian-English volume Terribly in Love appeared in 2018. She participates courtesy of the Paul and Hualing Engle Fund.
2019 Resident
poet, scholar, translator
Tade IPADEOLA (poetry, translation, prose; Nigeria) received the 2013 Nigeria Prize for Literature for his poetry collection The Sahara Testaments, which has been translated into four languages; in 2009 he won the Delphic Laurel for his poem “Songbird.” A Bellagio Rockefeller Fellow and a juror for the Nigeria Prize for Literature, he also translates poetry into Yoruba. He participates thanks to a grant from 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.
2019 Resident
fiction writer, non-fiction writer, poet
The Atayal writer and activist WALIS Nokan 瓦歷斯‧諾幹 (poetry, nonfiction, fiction; Taiwan) founded the Hunter Culture Magazine (獵人文化雜誌), which developed into the Research Center for Humanities of Taiwan’s Aboriginal Peoples. An author of two dozen books, most recently a volume of flash fiction [Path of Dreams], he has received awards that include the United Daily News critics’ top honors for prose, and Ministry of Education’s Award for Literary Creation. He participates courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan.
2019 Resident
activist, editor, filmmaker, poet
ARAI Takako 新井 高子 (poetry; Japan) has published three poetry collections, including Tamashii dansu [Soul Dance] which won the 2008 Oguma Hideo Prize. Since 1998, she has been an editor for the poetry journal Mi’Te; she has also edited a volume of poems about, and is producing a film connected to, the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan. The poetry volume Factory Girls is forthcoming in English. Arai teaches Japanese and poetry at Saitama University. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
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
poet, scholar, translator
Efe DUYAN (poetry, translation; architecture; Turkey) teaches architectural history and theory at Mimar Sinan Arts University. He has authored three poetry collections, most recently Sıkça sorulan sorular [Frequently Asked Questions] (2016), and publishes academic work on space in architecture and poetry. His debut novel [Other] is forthcoming. A co-director of the Gaziantep Poetry Festival, he has read at poetry festivals world wide; his work has been translated into 29 languages. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. State Department.
2019 Resident
poet
Manuel BECERRA (poetry; Mexico) is the author of five books of poetry, including Instrucciones para matar un caballo [Instructions for Killing a Horse] (2013). A winner of six national poetry awards, he has had fellowships from the Foundation for Mexican Letters, the Mexico City Institute of Culture, and Art Omi in upstate New York. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State.
2021 Resident
activist, fiction writer, poet, scholar
Diana DEL ÁNGEL (fiction writer, journalist, poet, scholar, activist; Mexico) is the author of Vasija [Vessel] (2013), Procesos de la noche [Processes of the night] (2017) and Barranca [Ravine] (2018), as well as of critical writing in print and digital media; she has also translated poetry from the Nahuatl. A regular participant in contemporary poetry workshops in Mexico, she has been the recipient of fellowships and residencies in Mexico, USA, and Canada. Her participation is made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State.
2021 Resident
editor, non-fiction writer, playwright, poet, translator
Habib TENGOUR (poet, essayist, playwright, translator, scholar, editor; Algeria) has published over twenty volumes of writing, most recently the poetry volume La Sandale d'Empédocle (2021). His poetry has been translated into English, German, Italian, Arabic, and many other languages; in turn, he translates poetry from the Arabic and the English. In 2016, that work garnered him a Prix européen de poésie Dante. He also directs the series “Poèmes du monde” for the Algerian publisher APIC. His participation was made possible by the Paul and Hualing Nieh Engle Fund.
2021 Resident
performance artist, playwright, poet, scholar
Gabrielė LABANAUSKAITĖ (poetry, drama, fiction; Lithuania) teaches drama theory and creative writing at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater. A “text producer,” she works across media, often in collective forms, also organizing poetry and stage events. She has published three poetry collections in CD/DVD format as well as a theory of drama narratives, Dramatika; a number of her plays have been staged in Lithuania and abroad. Her participation was made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Find Us Online