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An Auckland organisation is seeking applications from experienced New Zealand writers who are interested in an opportunity to reside in Shanghai for two months.
The Michael King Writers Centre, based in Auckland's Devonport, has been running a residency programme with the Shanghai Writers' Association since 2013.
"The eight-week residency is open to mid-career or established writers with a publishing record and a current literary or screenwriting CV," said Jan McEwen, manager of the centre.
"It's an opportunity to experience everyday life in Shanghai, interact with other writers, and exchange ideas and culture."
The successful applicant would receive free return flights, accommodation and a stipend towards living expenses, McEwen said.
In return, the applicant would be required to write a contribution on a theme selected by the programme before they arrived in Shanghai, she said.
McEwen said five writers from Shanghai had experienced a residency in Devonport, and three New Zealand writers had done the same in Shanghai.
Peihua Hu, director of the external liaison department at Shanghai Writers' Association, said participants were typically inspired by the experience.
Hu said participants used the opportunity to get to know more about the city and its people.
"Writers can use their unique perspectives to observe and perceive the various ways of life, ethnic customs and historical culture in foreign countries, and create literary works with unique personal characteristics," Hu said.
New Zealand writer Melinda Szymanik, who was selected for the 2023 residency in Shanghai, said she enjoyed the art and green spaces of Shanghai.
"Writing is going pretty well, and I am able to spend a good chunk of time each day adding to the project and making use of my own experiences to breathe life into my main character," Szymanik wrote during her residency in the city in 2023.
"The other residents are all lovely people, and we are getting along well, talking books, writing, and the ups and downs of being published in our respective countries of origin," she wrote at the time.
Applications close on 31 March, with the residency taking place from the beginning of September to the end of October.
