Literature Residency

The Egyptian capital has inspired poets and writers for a long time. From Mid-June 2025 three writers from Algeria, Germany, Lebanon, Tunisia, or Yemen get the opportunity to spend six weeks in Cairo to develop their poetry or short stories further. The residency takes place in the “White Villa” in the neighbourhood of Dokki where the three writers share one apartment. As part of the residency meetings with institutions and individuals from the literary scene are organized and there is the possibility to present previous work at a public event at the Goethe-Institut in Cairo. The residents will also have ample time to explore Cairo, meet with fellow artists and foster new collaborations or strengthening existing ones. We are interested in artists who have a strong reason for spending six weeks in Cairo and who are interested in engaging in new collaborations, particularly interdisciplinary.

Literature Residency Canva

Winners of the Cairo Literary Residency – Summer 2025

We are pleased to announce the three writers selected to participate in the Cairo Literary Residency, which will take place at the “White Villa” in the Dokki district from June 15 to July 30, 2025.

Following the opening of the application period on March 20, 2025, and receiving impressive submissions from writers across various countries, with the application deadline on April 16, 2025, the final selection was made in early May 2025. Three promising literary voices were chosen to spend six weeks in Cairo developing their poetry or short story projects.

We congratulate the winners on this unique opportunity, offering them a fertile space for literary experimentation and exchange of experiences amid Cairo’s vibrant cultural scene. We look forward to the new works that will emerge during the residency and to strengthening connections between different cultures through projects that reflect diversity and artistic collaboration.

Sabrina Boukhorssa

Sabrina Boukhorssa Sabrina Boukhorssa Sabrina Boukhorssa is an Algerian creative writer and vocalist whose interdisciplinary work combines music, literature and political critique. A graduate in Political Science, she created and hosts Music of Revolutions, a podcast that explores the revolutionary histories of the Global South through their musical heritage. A fellow of the University of Iowa’s non-fiction writing programme, she blends personal and collective memory in narrative work grounded in decolonial and feminist thought. Her writing style can be described as auto-theory.

Federica Bueti

Federica Bueti Federica Bueti Federica Bueti is a writer, editor, and lecturer whose work explores feminist and decolonial methodologies in art, literature, and critical theory. She is the author of Imagination Besieged (Routledge, 2025) and Critical Poetics of Feminist Refusals (Routledge, 2022), and teaches Cultural Anthropology at the Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria. Since 2020, she has also been a Writing Tutor at the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam. Her research and writing trace resonances across feminist and decolonial literatures, Mediterranean imaginaries, the politics of voice, and the poetics of refusal.

Alongside her academic work, she has curated programs at institutions such as SAVVY Contemporary, and recently collaborated with artist Shuruq Harb on the short film Off Your Shore – Paper Trail (Busan Biennale, 2024). Her texts have appeared in numerous art magazines, critical anthologies, and artist monographs. She has worked with institutions and independent presses including Archive Books, The Greenbox, and kyklada.press, engaging interdisciplinary approaches to art, memory, and cultural resistance.

Ahmad Klij

Ahmad Klij Ahmad Klij Ahmad Klij is a Syrian-Kurdish poet and writer who was born in Damascus in 1986 and studied journalism at Damascus University. He has published in both Kurdish and Arabic and has focused on the cultural and literary sphere in his writings.

With the outbreak of the conflict in Syria, he moved between Iraqi Kurdistan and Istanbul, where he worked as a radio journalist and focused on preparing cultural programs documenting the Syrian cultural movement and collective memory.

In 2018, at the invitation of the Joan Vinzoli i Pladevall Poetry Museum, he participated with several musicians in a poetry-music reading tour entitled “The Road to Aleppo”, which covered six cities in Catalonia/Spain.

He also attended the Hamburg School of Journalism (HMS) and produced his first documentary “Roads of Steel” for Phoenix TV.

He has lived in Hamburg since 2019.

Benefits of the Residency

  • A comprehensive residency program with a flexible structure that allows for ample time for free exploration, as well as pre-planned networking and exchange activities.
  • A round Trip (Economy) and visa fees (25 USD) are covered.
  • Accommodation at our fully equipped residency space.
  • A communal workspace.
  • A grant amount of 1.200 EUR.
  • Access to the Goethe-Institut Library.
  • The opportunity to have a public reading event in Cairo

Selection Criteria

  • Writers who have the nationality of or are based in Algeria, Germany, Lebanon, Tunisia, or Yemen.
  • Innovative and compelling artistic practice and body of work.
  • Ability to work and communicate well in English.
  • Willing and eager to have cultural exchange and share experiences.
  • Commitment to the residency program in its entirety.

Contact

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact: Residenz-Kairo@goethe.de