The 2018 Professional Meetings Fellowship group in Istanbul. Image: Provided by Kalem Agency, Istanbul
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Updated Application Deadline: February 27
Applications for the Istanbul International Literature Festival “Professional Meetings Fellowship” program have opened for a three-day stint, April 18 to 20.UPDATE: Those interested will want to note that the deadline for applications has been extended since this article first was pubished, to February 27.
Industry professionals looking to apply should note that four nights’ accommodation expenses, April 17 to 20, are covered, but travel costs to and from Turkey must be handled by the fellows.
The festival—this year running April 18 to 23—is also known as the Istanbul Tanpinar Literary Festival, for the poet, essayist, parliamentarian, and novelist Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar (1901-1962). Both the festival and its fellowship program are organized by the Kalem Literary Agency, led by Nermin Mollaoğlu.
The goal of the festival itself is to raise the visibility of Turkish literature internationally, and to infuse Turkey’s domestic book market with dynamics of the world book industry.
The fellowship program was established in 2011 to complement that mission. Since then, the program has hosted more than 140 professional participants from at least 34 countries. In recent application cycles, the program has drawn more than 200 applications annually.
The fellows visit key Turkish publishing houses, attend market presentations, have matchmaking events and dinners, and engage in various networking opportunities while on the ground in Turkey. Literature exchanges are encouraged as an outcome of the fellowship program.
Over the years, the festival has become an important meeting point in Istanbul for writers, publishers, agents, translators, journalists, literary fund managers, festival coordinators, and others for whom the international literature community is meaningful.
The fellowship program allows a select number of literary professionals from many parts of the world to meet with Turkish colleagues, sharing best practices and ideas.
The 2018 Professional Meetings Fellowship group in Istanbul. Image: Provided by Kalem Agency, Istanbul
Fellows Roster 2018
Last year’s fellows group comprised:
- Andrew Kelly, BusinessWest, UK
- Anna Munoz, Quarderns Crema S.A, Spain
- Anvar Cukoski, Aufbau Verlag GmbH, Germany
- Aslı Anar, Freelance Translator, Turkey
- Beniamino Ambrosi, Maria B. Campbell Associates, USA
- Carles Masdeu, Agencia Literaria Carmen Balcells, Spain
- Carlos Gonzalez, La Cifra Editorial, Mexico
- Catharina Schilder, De Bezige Bij, Netherlands
- Charlotte Cray, HarperCollinsUK, UK
- Jennifer Royston, C. H. Beck, Germany
- Joseph Zigmond, Hachette UK, UK
- Judith Oriol, Gallimard, France
- Karam Ahmed, Al Kotob Khan, Egypt
- Lars Classen, dtv Verlagsgesellshaft, Germany
- Madeline Jones, Henry Holt & Company, USA
- Merit Kask, Hunt-Gallus Publisher, Estonia
- Misia Sert, Institut Ramon Llull, Spain
- Piotr Wawrzenczyk, Booklab, Poland
- Sadi Tekelioğlu, Freelance Translator, Denmark
- Seid Serdarevic, Fraktura, Croatia
- Sibila Serdarevic, Fraktura, Croatia
A form to use in making an application is here. It’s to be emailed to fellowship@itef.com.tr with a profile photo of the applicant. The deadline for applicationj has been updated to February 27.
The 2018 Professional Meetings Fellowship group in Istanbul. Image: Provided by Kalem Agency, Istanbul
More from Publishing Perspectives on the Turkish market is here.