From August 25 to September 21, 2026
Alice Bottarelli (Switzerland) Fiction
Alice Bottarelli is a writer, literary scholar, and publisher from French-speaking Switzerland who lives in Bern. From medieval fairy tales to eco-futuristic novels, steampunk alternate history, and stories of family heritage, her books explore a wide range of worlds and styles. As a member of the AJAR collective, Alice engages in collaborative writing and stage performance. To mark the release of her latest novel, *Donutopia* (Verticales/Gallimard 2026), she is also venturing into audio creation with the podcast *Dans la fabrique de l’utopie*.
Raoul de Jong (Netherlands) Fiction, memoir
Raoul de Jong (Rotterdam, 1984) is a leading voice in contemporary Dutch literature, blending memoir, fiction, history, and spiritual inquiry.
At nineteen he traveled across West Africa for four months, survived New York on fifty dollars, and later walked from Rotterdam to Marseille in honor of his dog Puck — journeys that inform his adventurous literary perspective.
This residency is supported by Dutch Foundation for Literature
Tendai Huchu (Zimbabwe) Fiction
Tendai Huchu's first novel, The Hairdresser of Harare, was released in 2010 to critical acclaim. His work has appeared in 'Lightspeed', 'Interzone', 'Analog Science Fiction & Fact', 'The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021’, 'Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine', 'Mystery Weekly', 'The Year’s Best Crime and Mystery Stories 2016', and elsewhere. He is the winner of a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (2023), Alex Award (2022), the Children’s Africana Book Award (2021), a Nommo Award for African SFF (2022, 2017), and has been shortlisted for the Caine Prize (2014) and the Grand prix de l'Imaginaire (2019). The fifth and final instalment of his Edinburgh Nights fantasy series titled Secrets of the First School was released in October 2025.
This residency is supported by Fondsculturelsud.
Theo Kemp (South Africa) Fiction
Theo Kemp (born 1976, Eastern Cape, South Africa) is an Afrikaans author. He holds a Master’s degree in Afrikaans and Dutch Literature from the University of Stellenbosch, as well as a Master’s in Creative Writing. Kemp has published three acclaimed Afrikaans novels: Skool (2011), Strafjaart (2019), which earned him the prestigious Rapport/Jan Rabie Prize, and Klein konings (2025). Beyond his writing, he serves as Executive Director of the Jakes Gerwel Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to nurturing emerging literary talent in South Africa. He resides in Stellenbosch with his family.
Sandra de Vivies (Belgique) Fiction
Sandra de Vivies is a Franco-Belgian writer. Her photo-sensitive narratives lie at the intersection of visual investigation and speculative storytelling. The personal and the political, as well as the history of bodies, imaginations, the arts, and the sciences, run through her work, which straddles prose and poetry. Her second book, *La Femme du lac* (Cambourakis, 2025), a finalist for the Prix Rossel and the recipient of several awards, has been reissued in paperback as well as in Dutch (Vleugels, 2026).
