From July 28 to August 24, 2026
Egana Djabbarova (Azerbaijan) Poetry, fiction
Poet, writer, doctor, Egana Djabbarova was born and raised in Russia in an Azerbaijani family. Author of four poetry collections: ‘Bosphorus’, ‘Romberg's Pose’, ‘Red Alarm Button’ and ‘Rus Bala’. She has published three novels: The Hands of the Women in My Family Were Not for Writing (No Kidding Press, 2023), Dua for the Unfaithful (NLO, 2024) and Terra Nullius (NLO, 2025). She received the Hamburg Literary Prize for Book of the Year (2025). Since 2024, she has been living in exile in Germany.
This residency is supported by S. Fischer Stiftung
Baptiste Gaillard (Switzerland) Poetry, fiction
Baptiste Gaillard (1982) is a writer, artist and cultural mediator. He has exhibited in galleries and art spaces in Switzerland and Germany. He has published his writings in magazines, as well as several books, including Un domaine des corpuscules (Hippocampe éditions, 2017 – Swiss Literature Prize in 2018), Ombres blanches sur fond presque blanc (Héros-Limite/L’Ours Blanc, 2020), Un test de fragilité (Héros-Limite, 2024) and Baleinoïde (Askip, 2025). He also runs a micro-publishing project (serpula.li) and his texts have been translated into several languages, including a book in American English (In the realm of motes, Roof Books, 2025 – translated by Aditi Machado).
This residency is supported by the Canton of Vaud.
Vydia Gastaldon (Switzerland) Fiction
Vidya Gastaldon is a French-Swiss artist born in Besançon in 1974. She lives and works in Geneva, where she teaches at HEAD. Over the years, Vidya Gastaldon has developed a style reminiscent of hippie and psychedelic aesthetics, New Age and abstract minimalism. In the 1990s, she graduated from the Beaux-Arts in Grenoble, discovered raves and techno, and was taught meditation techniques. All these elements come together in her artistic practice. Her aesthetic displays representations of states of consciousness. Writing allows her to express her mystical understanding of the world.
This residency is supported by the Canton of Geneva.
Alaa Hassanian (Egypt) Poetry
The poet Alaa Hassanien was born in Saudi Arabia in 1996 to Egyptian parents. At the age of 22, she moved to Egypt, where she earned a degree from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts. Her poetry explores everyday settings, the predictability of the body, love, and desire. In 2015, she won the UNESCO Prize for Classical Poetry. Her poetry collections include He Emerges Trembling from His Depths (Méditerranée, 2018), The Brand-New Testament (Takween, 2019), Love That Doubles Solitude (Waziz, 2019), and a collection of short stories titled Tales of Boredom (2021). Alaa Hassanien is also a journalist and filmmaker.
This residency is supported by Pro Helvetia Cairo
Jordi puntí (Catalonia/Spain) Fiction
Jordi Puntí (1967) is a fiction writer, and a regular contributor to the Spanish and Catalan press. He has published three books of short stories. His first novel, Maletes perdudes (2010), won numerous prizes and has been translated into sixteen languages. He’s also the author Els castellans, an autobiographical fiction, and Tot Messi. Exercicis d’estil, a literary and sentimental portrait of the best football player of all times. In 2023 he published Confeti, a novel that explores the limits of biography and fiction, and won the prestigious Sant Jordi prize.
This residency is supported by Ramon Llull Institute
