ILS - KENYA
July 7 - 22, 2024
Join us for two weeks of inspiring literary workshops, craft development, and international exchange in Nairobi and Lamu, Kenya.
The tuition for the program is $1,895 USD.
ILS awards merit-based fellowships to talented emerging writers from East Africa as well as our International Literary Seminars Fiction and Poetry Contest winners. Competition finalists will also receive partial fellowships. Read more about our fellowship opportunities.
*The tuition fee covers all activities listed above except for the optional boat excursions. It does not include travel and accommodations; however, ILS can help you secure accommodations in Nairobi and Lamu at heavily discounted rates.
APPLICATIONS FOR ILS-2024 ARE NOW OPEN.
The Program
ILS 2024 will begin on July 7th in Nairobi, where you’ll spend several days socializing with local and international writers, exploring the vibrant city, and attending readings by core faculty members and guests. Then, on July 10th, you’ll take a short flight to the spectacular island of Lamu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where you’ll attend workshops in the quiet oasis that is Jannat House, with the program ending on July 22nd.
ILS 2024 will feature:
An intensive series of craft development sessions and in situ writing exercises lead by Polina Barskova and Josip Novakovich.
Manuscript-based workshops where participants review each other’s work and receive targeted feedback from Dawn Raffel in Fiction and Mildred K. Barya in Poetry.
Lectures and discussions with prominent authors such as Mikhail Iossel, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, Idza Luhumyo, and an editor of Fence, to be announced.
Live zoom discussions with top authors, editors, and agents have included George Saunders, Deborah Treisman (fiction editor of The New Yorker), Annie Dewitt (agent at the Shipman Agency), and Fiona McCrae (former publisher of Graywolf Press). Special guests for 2024 will be announced shortly.
Optional private boat excursions to other islands in the archipelago.
Time to spend writing and exploring the many treasures that the historical town of Lamu has to offer, including its delicious Swahili gastronomy, Omani fort, labyrinthian alleyways, tadelakt courtyards, bougainvillea-laden thatch-roofed terraces, art galleries, tailors, and artisan shops, or to decide between relaxing in Jannat House’s pool and a heavenly white sandy beach.
Questions? FAQ. Contact us.
2022 Alumni:
Radhiyah Ayobami, Kelly Dignan, Sam Fishman, Alexander Hackett, Carrie Hatland, Kerry Hudson, Munira Hussein, Michael Jeffrey, Amy Kalbun, Sara Mang, Heather McShane, James Miranda, Michele Montgomery, Dennis Mugaa, Gladwell Pamba, Anne Malin Ringwalt, Stephanie Sellars, Kristin Sherman, Luke Shirock, Kyra Simone, Phylise Smith, Ajith Thangavelautham, Emma Torzs, Tracy Virgil, Kelsey Warren.
Photos by Mikhail Iossel.
