Collaborations with UNESCO Creative Cities Residencies

Nanjing Residency for Writers from Granada 2026

23 June, 2026

3 mins read

A project by Nanjing UNESCO City of Literature in collaboration with Granada UNESCO City of Literature

As a result of the close friendship and collaboration between Nanjing UNESCO City of Literature and Granada UNESCO City of Literature, and following the signing of the Memorandum for Joint Activities by delegations from both cities at Granada City Hall on 22 September 2023, Granada once again benefits from one of Nanjing’s literary residencies, specifically designated for writers connected to our city. The selection process will be carried out by Granada UNESCO City of Literature.

Munir Hachemi (2019) and Ángel Fábregas (2023), winners of previous editions of the Nanjing Residency

In 2019, the teams from Nanjing and Granada agreed on a first literary residency programme, launched in September of that year and awarded to poet and novelist Munir Hachemi. Hachemi spent the month of November 2019 in Nanjing, working on a new literary project while actively participating in the city’s cultural and literary life.

A second edition of the programme took place in 2023. The selected writer was Ángel Fábregas, who undertook the residency in Nanjing from 18 to 30 November.

Eligibility for the 2026 Edition

The 2026 Nanjing Residency for Writers from Granada is intended for writers, both emerging and established, of any age, who were born in Granada, currently reside or have previously resided in the city, or who, while not living in Granada, can demonstrate a meaningful connection with the Granada UNESCO City of Literature programme.

The selection process will be carried out by Granada UNESCO City of Literature.

Applicants’ Requirements / Selection Criteria

Applicants must have published at least one book, regardless of genre, and possess a practical working knowledge of English and/or Chinese.

Priority will be given to:

The literary quality of the applicant’s work.
The relevance and development of their literary career.
The quality of the project they intend to undertake in Nanjing.
Their proficiency in Chinese and/or English.
Their willingness for interpersonal communication.
Their openness to cross-cultural experiences.

Dates

Application deadline: 12 July 2026.

Residency period: 12–27 September 2026 (two weeks, with the possibility of extension; exact dates may be adjusted within a two-day range).

The selected writer will be announced on the Granada UNESCO City of Literature website on 16 July 2026.

Application Documents and Submission Address

All applicants must submit a high-resolution photograph together with a Word document containing:

Personal details.
An updated biographical and bibliographical note or curriculum vitae.
A brief description of the literary project they intend to develop in Nanjing.
A short excerpt from one of their published works, both in Spanish and English.
A statement explaining their relationship with Granada UNESCO City of Literature, in the case of applicants who do not currently reside in Granada.

Failure to include any of these elements will result in the application being considered incomplete and therefore invalid.

Applications must be submitted by 23:59 (CET) on 12 July 2026 to:

talleres@granadaciudaddeliteratura.com

What Nanjing UNESCO City of Literature Offers

Travel and accommodation arrangements.
Some meals and local transportation.
Visits to literary and cultural sites of interest in Nanjing.
A programme of local literary activities.
Meetings with writers, poets, translators, literary organisations and university students.
A stipend of USD 800 for the writer from Granada selected for the residency.

What We Expect

Selected writers must be willing to engage with Nanjing’s literary community, including both emerging and established writers, and to participate in local literary activities.

At the end of the residency, they will also be required to produce a text in both Spanish and English inspired by their residency experience. The text must consist of:

At least 1,000 words if written in prose, or
At least 50 lines if written in verse.

Authors will retain full copyright of these texts, although Nanjing UNESCO City of Literature may use them for promotional purposes.

IMPORTANT: The selected participant will be responsible for arranging and covering the costs of their own health insurance for the duration of their stay in Nanjing.

Nanjing

Born from the convergence of the cultures of the Yellow River and Yangtze River regions some 2,500 years ago, Nanjing boasts a literary tradition spanning nearly two millennia, which continues to flourish today.

Now home to 8.23 million inhabitants, the city served as the capital of China for approximately 400 years under six different dynasties. The architectural heritage left by these dynasties has made Nanjing one of China’s most attractive destinations for domestic tourism.

As one of the country’s leading cultural centres, Nanjing has long been a key hub for writing, publishing and book collecting. Some of China’s most remarkable printed works were produced there, including the classic masterpiece Dream of the Red Chamber, first published in 1791 and translated into Spanish in three volumes by the University of Granada between 1988 and 2005.

Nanjing is home to approximately 800,000 university students. The city hosts five major literary awards every year, as well as countless literary events held in its hundreds of bookshops.

One of these bookshops, Avant-Garde Bookstore, has been described as the most beautiful bookstore in China by international media outlets such as the BBC and National Geographic.