Nana ABULADZE ნანა აბულაძე (fiction writer, scholar; Georgia) is the author of two books: the novel აკუმი (Akumi) which received two awards for the Best Literary Debut of the Year, and მესა სოლისტი ქალებისა და შერეული გუნდისათვის [The New Perception (A Mass for Women Soloists and a Mixed Choir)], a collection of stories about female biblical characters. She is working on a study of gender and authorship in Georgian literature. Her participation is made possible by an anonymous gift to IWP.
Mashiul ALAM মশিউল আলম (journalist, fiction writer, translator; Bangladesh) has published 12 novels and novellas, and eight collections of short stories; among the titles are Tanusreer Songey Dwitiyo Raat [Second Night with Tanusree] (2000), Mangsher Karbar [The Meat Market] (2002), Abedalir Mrittur Por [After Abedali's Death] (2004), and Pakistan (2011). Among his many published stories, “Milk” was awarded the 2019 Himal South Asian Short Story Prize; a collection of his stories, in Shabnam Nadiya's translation, won a 2020 PEN/Heim Translation Fund grant. He has translated Russian classics into Bengali. In 2019, he was awarded the debut Sylhet Mirror Prize for Literature. His participation was made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State
Ghayath ALMADHOUN غياث المدهون (poet, filmmaker; Sweden) is a Palestinian poet born in Damascus, immigrated to Sweden in 2008, now living between Berlin and Stockholm. He is the author of four volumes of poetry in Arabic, translated widely. His latest collection is Adrenalin (2017), longlisted for a 2018 Best Translated Book Award; his Évian won the 2020 Zebra Best Poetry Film Award. He participates thanks to a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
David ANUAR (poet, essayist, editor, translator; Mexico) teaches courses in creative writing and academic subjects at Colegio Universitario Angloamericano in Mérida. An award-winning author of five volumes of poetry, most recently Alguien hunde mi cabeza [Someone plunge my head down] (2021) and of two collections—one of stories, one of essays—he also translates Anglo-Caribbean poetry. A grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State funds his residency.
Yahya ASHOUR يحيى عاشور (fiction, poetry; Palestinian Territories) has authored a children’s book and, in 2018, a collection of poetry entitled [You Are a Window, They Are Clouds]. His poems and award-winning stories have been anthologized and appeared in newspapers and magazines in Palestinian Territories and internationally. He has taught creative writing and literacy skills to both children and adults at various community organizations in Gaza. He participates through a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affair at the U.S. Department of State.
Carey BARAKA (nonfiction; fiction; editor; Kenya) has had his nonfiction published in Foreign Policy, The Guardian Longreads, Johannesburg Review of Books, Serious Eats, Guernica and elsewhere; his fiction has appeared, among other places, in Slice Magazine, The Common, and Gay Magazine. His work has received support from The Pulitzer Centre for Global Reporting and the Silvers Foundation; he is at work on his first novel. A grant from the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi has made possible his participation.
CHU He-Chih 朱和之 (fiction; Taiwan). The author of eight novels, largely concerned with history and Taiwan's colonial legacies, Chu He-Chih is the first recipient of the Romain Rolland Prize for his novel 南光 [Aura of the South] (2021), given by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture. He has also been twice awarded the Hsing Yun Award for Global Chinese Literature, for 樂土 [The Land of Paradise] (2016) and for 風神的玩笑 [Chiang Wen-Ye, the Singer of No Homeland] (2020). He participates courtesy of the Ministry of Culture of Taiwan.
CHUN Sue 春树 (fiction writer, poet; PRC/Germany) became widely known with her iconic 2002 novel Beijing Doll, translated into many languages. She has since published five additional novels—most recently the autobiographical [Milk Teeth] (2019)—three poetry collections, and books of essays. A frequent presence at literary festivals and arts residencies in Europe, she also publishes in Chinese literary magazines. Her participation is courtesy of the Paul and Hualing Engle Fund.
Krystyna DĄBROWSKA (poet, essayist, translator; Poland) is the author of five poetry volumes, most recently Miasto z indu [City of Indium] (2022). The recipient of the Wisława Szymborska, the Kościelski, and the Capital City of Warsaw literary awards, she has had her poems translated into twenty languages. In the U.S., they have appeared in Harper’s, Ploughshares, POETRY and elsewhere; in 2022, a poetry volume in English translation, Tideline, appeared from Zephyr Press. Dąmbrowska herself translates Louise Glück, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Charles Simic and many other Anglophone poets. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State has funded her residency.
Safinah Danish ELAHI (fiction writer, poet; Pakistan) is a lawyer by training. She is the author of the poetry collection The Unbridled Romance of Love and Pain (2019) and two novels, most recently Eye on the Prize (2020), which has since been turned into a TV film. She also contributes to Pakistani newspapers and magazines, and is the founder of Reverie Publishers, whose goal it is to guide the country’s emerging Anglophone writers. Her participation was made possible by a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Briar GRACE-SMITH (filmmaker, screenwriter, playwright, fiction writer; New Zealand) is of Ngā Puhi (Māori) descent. In 2018, she was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her contribution to stage, television, and screen; in 2017, she was recognized with Te Tohu Toi Kē a Te Waka Toi for her contribution to Māori arts. She is the author or co-author of eight stage plays, a collaborator on many TV programs and the director or co-director of six short films and features, most recently Cousins (2021). Her participation was made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Pavla HORÁKOVÁ (novelist, non-fiction writer, journalist, translator; Czech Republic) is the author of five novels, including a children’s trilogy, and two nonfiction titles. Her widely translated Teorie podivnosti [A Theory of Strangeness] won the 2019 Magnesia Litera Award for best work of Czech fiction; Srdce Evropy [The Heart of Europe] was in a national critics’ poll voted among the best books of 2021. A recipient of two awards for her literary translations, she also has a long career in radio journalism. Her participation is possible thanks to a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Edson INCOPTÉ (fiction writer, poet, journalist, activist; Guinea-Bissau) has an extensive resume as organizer and activist in the areas of youth, civic development, and equity, and is the Secretary of PEN Guinea-Bissau and the Writers Association of Guinea-Bissau. His own publications comprise a volume of poetry and one of prose; he has co-edited anthologies of new Guinea-Bissau authors and contributes columns for magazines and radio. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Cherie JONES (fiction; Barbados) was a finalist for UK’s 2021 Women’s Prize in Fiction for her first novel How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, now published in the UK, U.S., and in French and German translations. Her first story collection, The Burning Bush Women & Other Stories, appeared in 2004; other short fiction came out in Feminist Wire and elsewhere, and was broadcast on BBC. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Exeter. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State has provided the grant for her participation.
KANG Byoung Yoong 강병융, КАН БЁН ЮН (fiction writer, essayist, translator, scholar; South Korea) is currently the Korean Studies Program Chair at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; previously, he has taught in Korea and in Russia. His stories and his ten novels—most recently 나는 빅또르 최다 [I Am Victor Choi]—often engage parodically with classics of world fiction. He is also and essayist and the author of scholarly works on modern Korean and Russian fiction, and on philosophy. His participation was made possible by Arts Council Korea (ARKO).
Ainur KARIM Айнур Карим (playwright; Kazakhstan), a lawyer by training, has won national and international awards for her first play What’s Up, Class 5-B?; The Passport, about political protests in Kazakhstan, was shortlisted for the Lyubimovka Drama Festival (Russia) and its English translation won the BBC International Radio Playwriting Competition. Additionally, Karim writes for the screen, edits, and translates between Russian and Kazakh. She participates thanks to a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Endalegeta KEBEDE እንዳለጌታ ከበደ (fiction writer, poet, playwright, researcher; Ethiopia) is the author of over a dozen novels, stories, poems and staged plays. Among his titles are ከጥቁር ሰማይ ስር [Under The Dark Sky], የቃቄ ወርድወት እምቢ [The Defiant Woman], and በዓሉ ግርማ፡- ሕይወቱና ሥራዎቹ [Baalu: His Life and Works]. With a PhD in Folklore Studies, he has been an arts director at the Ethiopia Academy of Science, and the General Secretary of Ethiopian Writers Association. He is also the founder and manager of the Zagol Book Bank. He participates courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa.
Mohamed KHEIR محمد خير (fiction writer, poet, journalist, editor, lyricist; Egypt) won the Egyptian Ministry of Culture Award for his first poetry collection, Leil Khargi (2002); both his story collections Afarit Al Radio (2011) and Remsh Al Ein (2016) received The Sawiris Cultural Award. In 2021, the second of his three novels was published as Slipping by Two Lines Press. Alongside his literary work and a career in journalism, Kheir also writes lyrics for young singers from Egypt and Lebanon. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Cultural and Educational Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Jamie Marina LAU 劉劍冰 (fiction, poetry, performance; Australia) has published Pink Mountain on Locust Island (2018) and Gunk Baby (2021), which garnered her a number of awards; her stories, nonfiction and poetry have appeared in Meanjin, Cordite Poetry Review, Voiceworks and elsewhere. She also works with digital arts and music/sound composition. Her residency is supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Noa Suzanna MORAG נועה סוזנה מורג (fiction writer, editor; Israel) debuted in 2016 with the novel [User Experience], for which she received the Minister of Culture’s Hebrew Literature prize in the Young Authors category. Since then, she has been working as an editor while publishing stories in the daily Ha’aretz, the Oh!’ Magazine, on ‘The Short Story Project’ website and elsewhere. In 2021 she took part in the Mishkenot Sha’ananim’ residency for emerging writers. Her participation is courtesy of Fulbright Israel.
Zaza MUCHEMWA (poet, playwright, arts administrator; Zimbabwe) has had her poetry appear at PEN International and Badilisha Poetry X-change and included in the anthology Zimbabwe Poets for Human Rights; author of the play The IVth Interrogation, she is also an award-winning theater director and producer. Her journalism appears in Index on Censorship Magazine, Povo Magazine and elsewhere. She participates thanks to a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
NAGAE Yūki 永方佑樹 (poet, performance artist; Japan) received the 2012 Poetry and Thought Newcomer’s Award; her 2019 poetry collection Fuzai toshi [Absentee Cities] was awarded the Rekitei Prize. Her most recent project is GeoPossession, in which 3D audio recordings of writers reading from their work in specific locations around Tokyo are made available to listeners at those locations. She has performed at the Saint-Remi Museum in Reims, France, and across Japan, and is a lecturer at Nagoya University of the Arts. Her participation is made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Mohamad NASSEREDDINE (poet, translator, journalist; Lebanon) is a regular contributor to the Al-Akhbar daily, the current vice president of Lebanon PEN, and a professor of Medical Physics at Lebanese University in Beirut. Work from his seven volumes of poetry has been widely translated and anthologized. He participates courtesy the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Marcel OKOU (fiction; Benin) published in 2021 his first novel, For So Long Now. An English teacher by profession, he is an advocate for youth literacy and the English language in Benin. His participation was made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Tunay ÖNDER (essayist, curator, performer; Germany) is the co-author of the art book migrantenstadl [migrantown] and co-editor of the anthology Urteile [ Verdicts], both 2016. Her transdisciplinary work, which merges literature, curatorial practice, and performance, has recently been supported by a grant from the German Foundation for Performing Arts (Fond Daku). She participates courtesy the Max Kade Foundation.
Joaquín ORTEGA (playwright, essayist, poet, scholar; Venezuela) works across media and institutions. The author of a volume of poetry and of plays like “Lo escuche llorar en mi boca. Tríptico de Caracas” [I Heard Him Cry in My Mouth. A Caracas Triptych], he has long been a librettist for popular radio and TV comedy shows, and has also published La cultura del milenio: ensayos sobre creatividad [The Millennium Culture: Essays on Creativity]. He teaches at Universidad Central de Venezuela, in the School of Political and Administration Studies. His residency is made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Almudena RAMÍREZ-PANTANELLA (playwright, screenwriter, director; Spain) has had plays produced in Spain, Latin America, and the UK, and new work commissioned by theatres in the UK, France, and Italy. Los amos del mundo [Masters of the Universe] won her Spain’s Premio Calderón de la Barca for new playwrights. She has screen credits for La casa de papel/Money Heist (Netflix) and has written for other film and TV productions. A PhD student at Madrid’s Universidad Complutense, she also teaches creative writing. Her participation is courtesy a gift from the estate of W.B. Quarton and the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in Washington DC.
Judith SANTOPIETRO (poet, translator, editor, scholar; Mexico) has published the poem collections Palabras de Agua and Tiawanaku. Poemas de la Madre Coqa [Tiawanaku. Poems from the Mother Coqa]. Her poems appear in many anthologies, and her translations from the Spanish and the Nahuatl have received several awards. Between 2005 and 2016, she directed Iguanazul: literature on indigenous languages, a project to revitalize native languages through oral tradition, literature, and arts. Currently, she is working on narratives about enforced disappearances in Mexico. She participates courtesy the Paul and Hualing Engle Fund.
Waterz YIDANA (playwright, essayist, publisher, activist; Ghana) is the author of two award-winning plays, “Madman and the Drunkards” and “The Mango Seed.” Nominated for the Ghanaian “40 under 40” award, he is a columnist at The Mirror and writes for GhanaWeb, ModernGhana and other media; he is also the founder of the publishing house Makola Books Limited. His participation is courtesy the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Hiền TRANG (fiction writer; critic; translator; Vietnam) is an author of two novels, two collections of stories and one of literary essays. Her most recent titles, both award-winning, are Chopin biến mất [Chopin vanishes] (2022] and Giấc mộng lang thang trên đồng cỏ úa [Dreams of wandering in withered fields] (2018). She works as a book, music, film, and pop culture critic, with columns in major newspapers and magazines, and regularly translates from English. Her participation was made possible by a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Fátima VILLALTA (fiction writer, researcher; Nicaragua) is the author of Danzaré sobre su tumba [I will dance on his grave] (2011), which won the Nicaraguan Writers Center Narrative Prize and is on its 5th edition. Currently a Mexico-based researcher, she is preparing a book of stories about fictional moments in Nicaragua’s history. Her participation is courtesy the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Qi Jin Nian七堇年 (fiction writer, non-fiction writer, translator, PRC) has published a dozen titles, ranging from travel literature to speculative fiction, most recently . 无梦之境 [The Eye Phone Age] (2018). Her 2013 novel 平生欢 [The Ember of Time] won the Peoples’ Literature Award for Best Novel; her stories have appeared in China’s top literary magazines. She has also edited literary journals and translated from the English. Her participation was made possible by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
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