International Writing Program
Digital Collages
Ivania Cox—(playwriting, fiction; Argentina) is an actor whose writing grapples with immigration, gender roles, feminism, the relationship with otherness, and art as a mechanism of change.
Priya Hein—(fiction, nonfiction, poetry; Mauritius) is the author of several popular children’s books published in English, French, Mauritian Creole and German. She has been published in anthologies, literary journals and magazines, and has been featured on programs for Mauritian radio and tv. She has also been shortlisted for the Outstanding Young Person’s Award and Mauritian Achievers’ Award, and was nominated by the National Library of Mauritius for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. She is currently working on her debut novel, and is represented by Pontas Literary and Film Agency.
Firdous Hendricks—(fiction; South Africa) is an artist, writer, educational arts innovator, and activist focused on youth development through the arts. She has spent the past 10 years developing multi-disciplinery arts-based youth programmes in the NGO sector and is passionate about igniting creativity, imagination, curiosity and collective healing in youth through story-telling.
Firdous is a 2020 fellow of the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators for rising talents in the creative sector to drive social, economic and urban change. She has exhibited at Cape Town’s Fugard Theatre in collaboration with musician Amy Larter, and at Greatmore Studios in collaboration with the poet Toni Stuart.
Mandisa Mabuthoe—(poetry, fiction, drama; Botswana) is a narrative consultant, teacher, and cultural activist. She co-directs Gilbert’s House, Ltd, which runs reading & creative writing clubs for children and youth, children’s leadership programs, cultural events, and cultural exchange activities. She writes for Woman to Woman Magazine. Her poetry audio collection/EP “I Used to Be a Dragonfly” is available on SoundCloud. Her work can also be found in the journals Badilisha Poetry Xchange and Prairie Schooner.
Ghada Martinez—(fiction; Mexico) is a short story writer who studied Creative Writing and Literature at the Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana. She was selected to participate in the Ellipsis’ 2018 Anthology, a bilingual collection published by the British Council in collaboration with the Hay Festival Querétaro. She has also published short stories, reviews and essays in magazines such as Este País, Sin Embargo and Tierra Adentro.
Sarah Ochwada—(fiction; Kenya) is the first African woman to hold an LLM in International Sports Law. She is the Sports & Entertainment Law lecturer at Strathmore Law School, and a founding Partner of Kikao Law - a boutique firm based in Nairobi specializing in Intellectual Property, Sports Law, Media Law and Entertainment Law. She has worked as a lawyer at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) based in Switzerland, and is Legal Counsel for the National Olympic Committee of Kenya. Sarah was also appointed as an Arbitrator at Athletics Kenya and as a panel member for the Cricket Kenya Independent Committee. She is a Director at the Centre for Sports Law (CSL), and prides herself on being a retired runway model and a novice archer.
Yijhan Renteria—(fiction, poetry; Colombia) has had stories and poems published in anthologies and literary magazines in Colombia and the United States. Currently, she is writing her first novel. She has had fellowships from Caro y Cuervo Institute, and the National University of Colombia. Yijhan is a researcher and professor of Spanish language at Technological University of Chocó; she is also a member of the organizing team of the Chocó Reading and Writing Fest.
![Jimena Repetto—(fiction, poetry, drama; Argentina) has published four books of poetry and prose. She has been part of the Colombia Lab and the Raymundo Gleyzer Contest. Her script No te dejes ir], also won an award at the FLICC (México). Her play Ca…](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d3dd03e4b0a3a22e201dad/1600291363293-KKW503LQQ6020B63FJ16/Screen+Shot+2020-09-16+at+4.14.43+PM.png)
Jimena Repetto—(fiction, poetry, drama; Argentina) has published four books of poetry and prose. She has been part of the Colombia Lab and the Raymundo Gleyzer Contest. Her script No te dejes ir], also won an award at the FLICC (México). Her play Cautivos [Captives] won an Honorable Mention from the Germán Rozenmacher Drama Award, and an award from the Argentine Society of Authors. The National Fund of the Arts has awarded her a Creation Grant to develop her script Te prometo una larga amistad; the National Film Institute supported the film version. She teaches at several universities in Argentina.
Paula Silva—(fiction; Colombia) graduated cum laude from the Literature program at Universidad de Los Andes in 2003 and in 2004 went on to earn an MA in Visual Culture at Goldsmiths College (University of London). Since 2008, she has managed the arts program for the British Council in Colombia, and is a curator and critic of contemporary art. She has twice been a finalist for the National Art Criticism Award and is currently finishing her memoir. She lives in Bogotá with her son and her partner.
Mmakgosi Tau—(poetry, screenwriting; Botswana) is currently pursuing her MFA in Film at Syracuse University. She holds a BA Degree in Motion Picture Medium from AFDA College, Botswana and is the creator/director of Mmakgosi Live, a show/campaign devoted to mental health awareness in Botswana. A recipient of the 2019 British Council/Prince Claus Mobility Fund, Mmakgosi is a 2020 Yaddo Artist in Residence and a 2020 Headlands Center for the Arts AIR Fellow. In 2019 she wrote and directed Section 82, a 24-minute short film about gender-based violence and modern-day slavery that garnered a total of 7 awards.
Haddiyyah Tegally—(fiction; Mauritius) is the autor of several short stories. Passionate about languages and cultures, she largely derives her inspiration from francophone literature. In 2019, she received a Special Mention from the jury of the Prix Jean Fanchette. She is currently working on her debut novel, with the support of her mentor, Shenaz Patel. Haddiyyah holds a BA in Mass Communication, and works as a copywriter at an advertising agency.
Lupita Vega—(fiction, essay; México) studied Creative Writing and Literature at Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana. For her project L. Iluminada’s erotic ritual: Analysis of Lumpérica by Diamela Eltit, she won a Santander-UCSJ research scholarship. Her work has been published by the Mexican magazines Sin Embargo, MX and Este país. Currently, she works as an editor at the electronic magazine Tierra Adentro.
Stephanie Wanga— (fiction; Kenya) is a writer and an academic, currently teaching at the Global Challenges degree programme of the African Leadership University, drawing on her passion for and deep interest in African politics, philosophies and cultures. She has previously been longlisted for the Writivism and Black Letter Media Short Story Prizes and is working on her first novel. She is committed to lifelong learning, dreaming, and disruption.
Pilar Quintana (one of the instructors)—(novelist, fiction writer; Colombia) is the author of three novels, including Cosquillas en la lengua [Tickles in the Tongue] and Conspiración iguana [Iguana Conspiracy]; an excerpt from Coleccionistas de polvos raros [Collectors of Weird Screws] appeared in em>Gargoyle in 2011. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies across Latin America, and in Spain, and Germany. In 2007, the Hay Festival Bogotá named Quintana among the 39 most important Latin American writers under the age of 39. In 2010, she received the La Mar de Letras award.Her blog is "La Manigua."
