2019 Resident Participants

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

CHAN Ping-chiu 陳炳釗 (drama; Hong Kong) is the founder the experimental theater group Sand & Bricks for young artists, the artistic director of the On & On Theatre Workshop, an educator, and a widely awarded veteran stage director and playwright. In 2013, he was selected by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council as the Year’s Best Artist (Drama). He participates courtesy of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation.

 

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.  

Shadreck CHIKOTI (fiction; Malawi) co-directs Pan African Publishers, and is the founder of The Story Club Malawi. He is also the founder of the Kenyenyeva ministries, which serves vulnerable children, and of the Feminart Arts and Book Festival. Writing in English and Chichewa, he participated in the 2011 Caine Prize Writers’ Workshop. He is the author of nine books of speculative fiction; the novel Azotus the Kingdom won the 2013 Peer Gynt Literary Award. He participates courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Lilongwe.

Clara CHOW  赵燕芬 (fiction, nonfiction, drama; Singapore) is a short story writer, editor, columnist, co-founder of the arts and literature magazine WeAreAWebsite.com, and author of two short story collections. Named among Singapore’s Top 12 Writers to Watch, she won the 2018 Jane Geske Award for her story “Siren (Redux).” Chow participates courtesy of National Arts Council Singapore. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

KIM Jaehoon  김재훈  (drama; South Korea), the president and artistic director of the theater company TOC, received his BA from the Theater Arts Department at the University of Iowa. His plays [To Heaven; Our Mental Hospital; Again] have been influenced by the Theater of the Absurd. A translator and lecturer, Kim Jaehoon participates in the IWP Fall Residency courtesy of Arts Council Korea.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Playwright YU Nick Rongjun  喻荣军 (drama; People’s Republic of China), artistic director of the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, the Shanghai International Comedy Festival, and co-director of the Shanghai Performing Arts Group, has had over 60 plays produced in China and abroad. He also works in film, TV, and radio. His writing has won him the Cao Yu Script Award and an Outstanding Social Achievement Award at the Cairo International Experimental Theater Festival. His participation is courtesy of the Paul and Hualing Engle Fund.

 

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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