The Banipal Visiting Writer Fellowship

St Aidan’s College of the University of Durham and Banipal magazine of modern Arab literature, with the support of the British Council, are establishing an annual writing fellowship for a published author writing in Arabic, based each year at St Aidan’s College. The Banipal Visiting Writer Fellowship will be a three-month residency.

The Fellowship is based on the three cornerstones that have formed the core of Banipal magazine: that Arab literature is an essential part of world culture and human civilisation; that dialogue between different cultures needs to be continually deepened; and that the joy and enlightenment to be gained from reading beautiful poetry and imaginative writing is an integral part of human existence.

The Fellowship will encourage dialogue with the Arab world through literature. The cultural exchange and dialogue that it will enable, and create, will open windows for non-Arab audiences in the UK onto the realities of Arab cultures in all their diversity and vibrancy, enabling fruitful discourse to develop. It is hoped that this will lead to further exchange, to mutual respect, to new writings, to deeper understanding, and to contributing to Arab literature taking its rightful place in the canon of world literature.

Each year the Fellowship will provide a unique space for a published author writing in Arabic to reflect and to write, and to also have the opportunity to share their work with British audiences.

The British Council welcomes the creation of this opportunity for a published writer in Arabic to spend a significant amount of time in the UK, form connections with the British writing, translation and publishing communities, and share their work with the British public. The Fellowship will raise the profile of Arabic writing in the UK in general and the Council looks forward to the establishment of long-lasting connections between writers in the UK and the Arabic-speaking world.

The Fellowship will provide return travel costs to St Aidan’s College from the Fellow’s home, full board and accommodation in the College for the duration of the residency, and an honorarium of £1500.
The first Fellowship will take place from 23 January 2017 to 21 April 2017.

Applicants for this first Fellowship should submit, to the Principal of St Aidan’s College, a letter of application and curriculum vitae that includes details of their published works and works in progress. Applications can be made by email or by post. The deadline for receiving applications for the first year’s Fellowship in 2017 is 5pm UK time, Wednesday 30 November 2016.

The successful applicant for the first Fellowship will be notified by email on Monday 19 December.

The selection panel:
Susan F Frenk, Principal, St Aidan’s College, University of Durham;
Fadia Faqir, Creative Writing Fellow, St Aidan’s College;
Samuel Shimon, Editor-in-chief, Banipal magazine;
Margaret Obank, Publisher, Banipal magazine
Postal address:
The Principal, St Aidan’s College, University of Durham,
Windmill Hill, Durham DH1 3LJ, UK

Email address: Banipalfellowship@gmail.com