MAPS OF CONFINEMENT
Adriane Garcia
A poet, she was born and lives in Belo Horizonte. She published Fábulas para adulto perder o sono (awarded the Prémio Paraná de Literatura 2013, Biblioteca do Paraná), O nome do mundo (Armazém da Cultura, 2014), Só, com peixes (Confraria do Vento, 2015), Embrulhado para viagem (col. Leve um Livro, 2016), Garrafas ao mar (Penalux, 2018), Arraial do Curral del Rei – a desmemória dos bois (Conceito Editorial, 2019) and Eva-proto-poeta (Caos & Letras, 2020).
Afonso Cruz
He's a writer and illustrator. Since 2008, the year he began writing, he has published more than thirty books, including novels, plays, works of non-fiction, essays and picture books. He’s a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines. His work has been translated into 20 languages. Prizes and awards: Prémio Literário Maria Rosa Colaço, Grande Prémio de Conto Camilo Castelo Branco, European Union Prize for Literature, Prémio Autores para Melhor Ficção Narrativa SPA, Prémio Fernando Namora, Prémio da Fundação Nacional do Livro Infantil e Juvenil do Brasil (FNLIJ), Grande Prémio de Literatura de Viagens Maria Ondina Braga / Associação Portuguesa de Escritores and Prémio Nacional de Ilustração.
Agnaldo Bata
He was born in Chamanculo, suburbs of Maputo. He graduated in Sociology, and writes chronicles, prose and theatre. In 2015 he won the literary contest for the 40th anniversary of Banco de Moçambique (novel category) with the book Na Terra dos Sonhos (Alcance Editores, 2017). In 2018 he was distinguished with an honorable mention in the 2nd edition of the literary contest INCM Eugénio Lisboa with the book Sonhos Manchados Sonhos Vividos. He writes for newspapers, magazines and contributed to the anthology Contos para ler em casa (revista Literatas, 2020). He studies at the University of Paris-8, in France.
Aida Gomes
She was born in Angola, studied Sociology and Development Studies in Netherlands. In 2011, she published the novel Os Pretos de Pousaflores (D. Quixote/Leya, Lisboa). She has contributed to the magazines InComunidade and Buala; to the Development Workshop (Luanda); Occasional Papers Series, University of Nijmegen (Netherlands); Revue Noire (Paris); Journal DEMOS, (Maputo); Furies Thema (Nijmegen, Netherlands).
Alê Motta
She was born in São Fidélis, inland state of Rio de Janeiro. She's an architect and graduated from UFRJ. She contributed to the anthology 14 new Brazilian writers, organised by author Adriana Lisboa. She wrote Interrompidos (Editora Reformatório, 2017) and Velhos (Editora Reformatório, 2020).
Alex Andrade
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, he’s a writer and art-educator. He published the short story collections “A suspeita da imperfeição”, “Poema”, “Amores, truques e outras versões” and “As horas”; the children’s stories “O pequeno Hamlet”, “A galinha malcriada”, “A história do menino”, “A menina e a sapatilha e o menino e a chuteira”and “O gigante”; and the nolvels “Longe dos olhos”, the praised “Antes que Deus me esqueça” and “Para os que ficam”. He contributed to the social project “Praça da leitura”, aimed to create reading habits, and was curator of the literary prize for basic education at Rio de Janeiro. His short stories have been translated into several languages.
Alexandre Beluco
PhD in Engineering, university professor and renewable energy researcher, he pioneered the approach to energy complementarity, paving the way for the emergence of several research groups around the world dedicated to this subject. He is the author of dozens of scientific articles and guest editor of the book Complementarity of Variable Renewable Energy Sources, published by Academic Press in 2022. During the recent period of social confinement due to the pandemic, he began organising non-fiction texts written in previous years and writing regularly. In November 2021, he published a book of chronicles and, in November 2022, his first work of fiction, a book of short stories. He is currently working on some new short stories and a long narrative and considers this transition to literature irreversible. His Instagram profile, @alexandrefbeluco, and his personal website, alexandrefbeluco.net, are updated frequently.
Almeida Cumbane
He was born in Maputo. He wrote the novel Ilusão à Primeira Vista (Prémio Literário TDM 2016). He organised and contributed to the collections Fique em casa amor (poetry) and 19 cartas para a covid-19, both published by Associação Cultural Xitende. Os assassinos também choram was one of the 12 selected to the collection Olhos Deslumbrados: Histórias de Maputo, by Fundação Fernando Leite Couto. He's co-author of theatre scripts and radio-novels. He writes for magazines and blogs.
Amilcar Bettega
He was born in São Gabriel, Brasil, and wrote O voo da trapezista (Prêmio Açorianos), Deixe o quarto como está (Prêmio Açorianos and Menção especial do Prémio Casa de las Américas, in Cuba), Os lados do círculo (Prêmio Portugal Telecom), Barreira (shortlisted for the Prêmio São Paulo) and Prosa pequena. In 2010, he was writer-in-residence at the International Writing Program from the University of Iowa, United States. His books have been published in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, USA, Luxembourg, Sweden and Bulgaria. He has a PhD from the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, and is also a translator and teacher of Creative Writing..
Amosse Mucavele
He was born in Maputo, Mozambique, where he lives. A poet and a cultural journalist, he coordinates the literary project Esculpindo a Palavra com a Língua. He has been chief editor of Literatas – Revista de Literatura Moçambicana e Lusófona, editorial director of the newspaper O Telégrafo, chief editor of the cultural newspaper Debate, cultural editor of the newspaper ExpressoMoz, contributor to the newspaper Cultura de Angola and Palavra Comum da Galiza – Spain. He's a member of the editorial panel of Revista Mallarmargens (Brazil), of Academia de Letras de Teófilo Otoni (Brazil) and of Internacional Writers Association (Ohio – USA). He published the books A Arqueologia da Palavra e a Anatomia da Língua – Antologia Poética and Geografia do Olhar: Ensaio Fotográfico Sobre a Cidade.
Ana Cristina Silva
She's a university teacher at ISPA-IU and has a PhD in Educational Psychology. Published books: Mariana, Todas as Cartas (2002), A Mulher Transparente (2003), Bela (2005), À Meia-luz (2006), As Fogueiras da Inquisição (2008), A Dama Negra da Ilha dos Escravos (2009), Crónica do Rei-Poeta Al-Mu’Tamid (2010), Cartas Vermelhas (2011, distinguished as Book of the Year by newspaper Expresso and shortlisted for Prémio Literário Fernando Namora), O Rei do Monte Brasil (2012, shortlisted for Prémio SPA/RTP and Prémio Literário Fernando Namora, and winner of prémio Urbano Tavares Rodrigues), A Segunda Morte de Anna Karénina (2013, shortlisted for Prémio Literário Fernando Namora), A Noite não É Eterna (winner of Prémio Fernando Namora 2017), Salvação (Parsifal, 2018), As longas noites de Caxias (Planeta, 2019), Rimbaud, o Viajante e o seu Inferno (Exclamação, 2020) and Bela (republished by Bertrand, 2020).Some of her books have been published in Brazil and Germany.
Ana Gilbert
She was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She's a psychotherapist, researcher and photographer. She's one of the founder members of Minimalista Editora, together with other fellow writers in Portugal. Her work with images, words and imagination led her to a mix of literature and photography, exploring images as narratives. After many years of academic writing, she now dedicates herself to fictional writing. Her constant creative purpose is to transform words into photography and photography into words. She works in partnership with writers and photographers: she photographs words (her own and others') and writes photographies. She manages the blog Sutilezas do Olhar and contributes to the collective blog Fotografar Palavras. www.anagilbertphotography.blog
Ana Luísa Amaral
She has written over twenty works of poetry, fiction and theatre, as well as books for children. Translated into several languages, her work has brought her many prizes, including the 2008 Grande Prémio from the Portuguese Writers’ Association and the PEN Prize for Fiction. She is also a translator, notably of the poetry of John Updike, Emily Dickinson and William Shakespeare. A collection of her poetry, What’s in a Name, was published by New Directions in 2019.
Ana Moderno
She was born in Pombal, Portugal. She graduated in Cultural Communication, Museology and Artistic Intervention and Animation, and she's a Museum curator since 2005. She also has a passion for performative arts: she acts in the group Nariz – Teatro de Grupo, Leiria; for writing: she's a member of the collective publisher Minimalista, together with 11 authors; and photography, on which she contributes to a number of projects.
Ana Pessoa
She writes books for children and young people, all of them published by Planeta Tangerina. Her books are also published in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Servia, Chile and Netherlands, and have been distinguished by institutions like FNLIJ (Brazil), Banco del Libro (Venezuela), Munich International Library (Germany), including others. In 2020, together with Bernardo P. Carvalho, she published her debut graphic novel Desvio.
André Timm
He was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and lives in Chapecó, SC, Brazil, since 2004. He wrote Insônia (2011) and Modos Inacabados de Morrer, a novel shortlisted for the Prêmio São Paulo de Literatura (2017) and published in Italy. In 2018, he won the Prêmio Off Flip, from Festa Literária Internacional de Paraty. In 2020, he launched his second novel, Morte Sul Peste Oeste.
António Ladeira
He’s Associate Professor of Lusophone Literatures at Texas Tech University (U.S.A.), holds a Licenciatura in Portuguese Studies from Universidade Nova de Lisboa and a PhD in Hispanic Languages and Literatures from the University of California. He has taught at Middlebury College and Yale University and worked as a researcher at the Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil (Fulbright Grant). He published two short story collections in Portugal: Os Monociclistas e outras histórias do ano 2045 (On y Va) and Seis Drones: novas histórias do ano 2045 (On y Va). He published a collection of short stories in Brazil, Estás Livre no Sábado? (Realejo, 2018). A Spanish language collection of his short stories was published in Colombia (Vestigio, 2019) under the title Território. He writes lyrics for American jazz singer Stacey Kent. His debut novel Montanha Distante (On y va) was published in 2020.
Carla Bessa
She’s a translator and writer, and has translated some of the most prominent names in the contemporary German literature. She published “Aí eu fiquei sem esse filho” (short stories, 2017, Oito e meio), “Urubus” (short stories, 2019, Confraria do vento), and “Minha Murilo” (novella, 2021, Urutau). She has contributed to short stories anthologies and writes reviews for Jornal Rascunho and Capitolina Revista. In 2020 “Urubus” was awarded the Prêmio Jabuti and the second place in Prêmio Biblioteca Nacional. It will be launched in Germany by Transit Verlag. “Aí eu fiquei sem esse filho” will be launched in Greece by Skarifima Editions.
Catarina Gomes
She was born in Lisbon and wrote three non-fiction books. In Coisas de Loucos she tells the stories of eight psychiatric patients, based on a few objects they left behind in the old Bombarda Mental Hospice. Furriel Não é Nome de Pai reveals the unknown stories of children born from African women and soldiers during the colonial war, who were abandoned by their fathers. Pai, Tiveste Medo? approaches the ways the experience of war reached the generation of descendants of Portuguese ex-soldiers. A journalist for the newspaper Público for almost 20 years, her pieces were awarded some of the most important national prizes for journalism. She was shortlisted twice for the Journalism Prize Gabriel García Márquez and winner of the International Prize for Journalism King of Spain.
Claudia Nina
She's a journalist and has a PhD in Literarure from the University of Utrecht, Netherlands, with a thesis on Clarice Lispector. She worked as a visiting professor of literary theory at Uerj. She published over a dozen of books, including novels, children's books, reviews and biographies. Her novel Paisagem de porcelana (Rocco) was shortlisted for Prémio Rio de Literatura 2015. She's a columnist for Reader´s Digest, where she signs the column Histórias que a vida conta.
Cristina Drios
She was born in Lisbon and graduated in Law. In 2021 her short story collection Histórias Indianas was awarded the Prémio Literário Cadernos do Campo Alegre from Fundação Ciência e Desenvolvimento, Câmara Municipal do Porto, and published by Editora Objectiva. In the same year, Os Olhos de Tirésias, her debut novel, was shortlisted for Prémio LeYa and winner of Selecção Portuguesa da 27ª Edição do Festival do Primeiro Romance de Chambéry. In 2016, the short story A Mãe was selected to the short story anthology O País Invisível, by Centro Mário Cláudio. Adoração (Teorema/Leya), finished in 2016 in a literary residency at Translator’s and Writer’s House in Ventspils, Letonia, is her second novel.
Cristina Vicente
She was born in Venezuela and lives in Estarreja, a city located in a region of privileged landscapes at Ria de Aveiro. Her passion for photography and writing led to her contributing to the blog Fotografar Palavras. She has developed her own project since April, Do pó dos dias infindáveis. She will publish her first novel in 2022 in Minimalista Editora.
Daísa Rizzotto Rossetto
Born in Brazil, she graduated in Law and has a dissertation on The animal and the space between Law and Literature. She currently studies Literature in Portugal, where she does research on animals and ways to save the world. She’s a vegan, feminist and traveller. She has contributed to a number of anthologies and books, and publishes in the blog www.daisarossetto.com.br
Decio Zylbersztajn
A writer, he lives in S. Paulo, Brazil, and studied at the universities of S. Paulo, North Carolina and Berkeley, in California. He’s a Senior Titular Professor at the University of S. Paulo. He published the books Como são Cativantes os Jardins de Berlim, Acerba Dor and O Filho de Osum. He writes essays on literature and arts and is a curator at the Literary Festival Além da Letra. He’s a member of the Polígono Sul-Mineiro do Livro and the creator of the Book Club of Gonçalves-MG. He received a medal for scientific merit at S. Paulo. He believes that art and education are the foundations of a balanced society.
Deusa d'África
She was born in Mozambique and has an MA in Accountancy and Auditory. She teaches at the Universidade Pedagógica and Universidade Politécnica, and she's a financial manager for the Global Project Fund – Malária. She's represented by the literary agency 'Capítulo Oriental'. She contributed to a number of newspapers and magazines, is a regular contributor to the Portuguese magazine InComunidade and is a columnist for the newspaper Correio da Palavra. She organised and contributed to a number of anthologies. She's the general coordinator of the Cultural Association Xitende and curator at International Festivals of Poetry. She wrote A voz das minhas entranhas (poetry, Fundac, 2014), Ao encontro da vida ou da morte (poetry, Letras de Angola, 2016) and Equidade no Reino Celestial (novel, Letras de Angola, 2016). Some of her work has been translated into Swedish.
Dirce Waltrick do Amarante
A writer, translator and essayist, she’s also a professor at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), in the course of Scenic Arts and Post-graduation Programme in Translation Studies. She’s the author of Para ler Finnegans Wake de James Joyce (which includes a translation of chapter VIII of the book), James Joyce e seus tradutores and As antenas do caracol: notas sobre a literatura infantojuvenil. She published two fiction books: Ascensão: contos dramáticos and Cem encontros Ilustrados. She has translated works by Edward Lear, Eugène Ionesco, Gertrude Stein, Edgar Allan Poe e Leonora Carrington.
Domingos Lobo
He moved from school to school in Lisbon, in a kind of soft rebellion of the 1960s, and then between the Faculties of Law and Literature, and the Conservatório Nacional (National School of Arts and Music). He clings on to an MA in Administration and Cultural Economics, which he has so far found very little use for. He has 22 published books (poetry, theatre, fiction, essay) with others in the works, as well as several literary awards and medals to polish his ego.
Dora Nunes Gago
She has a PhD in Comparative Romanic Literatures and an MA in Comparative Literary Studies from the University Nova in Lisboa. She graduated in Portuguese-French (University of Évora). She has been teaching at the University of Macau (China) since 2012, first as an Assistant Professor and later as an Associate Professor of Literature. She has been vice-director and director of the Portuguese Department, as well as coordinator of the post-graduation course. Before, she was a secondary school teacher, lecturer at the Camões Institute in the University of Eastern Republic of Uruguay, researcher for the post-PhD at the University of Aveiro and post-PhD visitor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States. She authors publications on Comparative Literature, as well as poetry and fiction.
Edmilson Mavie
He's from Moçambique and wrote the short story collection O Homem que Comeu o Hospital. He has an interest in narrative writing (chronicles, short stories and novels), participates in workshops organised by Fundação Fernando Leite Couto, and is a columnist for the online newspaper Boletim Informativo do HCM. He graduated in Social Psychology.
Eduardo Duarte
He was born in Monchique. He graduated in Geography and Regional Planning, in Lisbon. He then moved to Alentejo, came back to Monchique, returned to Lisbon and went to Viseu, where he lives and works. He says he doesn't know the whereabouts of the future's coordinates and has no idea of where he'll be in a year time; only knows that he'll always come back to his roots at Serra Algarvia. He has published short stories in anthologies, in the Portuguese edition of Le Monde Diplomatique, and in the Monchique local newspaper. In 2017 he published Montanário and in 2018 Uma Coruja nas Ruínas, a short story collection. In 2019 he published the poetry book O Intervalo entre o Raio e o Trovão.
Elísio Miambo
He was born in Xai-Xai, Província de Gaza, southern Mozambique. He graduated in Portuguese and English Teaching from the Universidade Pedagógica, now UniSave. He has a blog, rectasletras, dedicated to literature and linguistic. He writes book reviews, with a particular emphasis on Mozambican literature. He's a teacher, writer and essayist, and a member of the Associação cultural Xitende, a cultural association that enlivens literature at Xai-Xai. He has contributed to the newspaper O País and to the anthologies Mil Poemas para Gonçalves Dias (2013, Maranhão city); Galiza-Moçambique: Numa Linguagem e Numa Sinfonia (2016, Galicia); Fique em casa, amor and 19 Cartas para Covid-19 (2020). He co-organised the poetry anthology Vozes do Hinterland (2014, Luanda). In 2020 he published his debut poetry book, Retroalimentações do Ego.
Eltânia André
She was born in Cataguases (Brazil) and is currently living in Portugal. She graduated in Administration and Psychology, and specialised in Psychopathology and Public Health. She wrote Meu nome agora é Jaque (short stories, 2007), Manhãs adiadas (short stories, 2012), Para fugir dos vivos (novel, 2015), Diolindas (novel, 2016, co-written with the author Ronaldo Cagiano), Duelos (short stories, 2018), and Terra Dividida (novel, 2020).
Emílio Tavares Lima
He's a writer, poet and communicator. He has written a number of poetry books, novels, and organised two anthologies, one of them featuring over 46 Guinean young writers. He also contributed to other anthologies. His debut novel was recommended to academic studies at the University Amílcar Cabral (UAC). He represented Guinea-Bissau throughout Europe, Africa and America, at a number of events featuring authors of Portuguese Language. He's the winner of several poetry contests in Guinea Bissau and Lisbon.
Fátima Nascimento
She's from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, lives in Germany, is a writer of children's books and a nursery nurse. She also illustrates her own stories and founded her own publishing house. Her books are: Die Seerose Alba, Alba, a vitória-régia, Gregor und das Ei, Minha Baianidade Nagô, Onde está a Magia do Natal?
Gabriela Ruivo Trindade
She graduated in Psychology and lives in London since 2004. In 2013 her debut novel Uma Outra Voz won the Prémio LeYa (LeYa, 2014, Prémio PEN Primeira Obra 2015). She published the children's book A Vaca Leitora (D. Quixote, 2016) and the poetry collection Aves Migratórias (On y va, 2019). She contributed to a number of poetry and short story anthologies. She manages the online bookshop Miúda Books, dedicated to children's books written in Portuguese. She is the mentor of this project, together with Nuno Gomes Garcia.
Gabriela Silva
She was born in São Paulo, graduated in Literature, specialised in Brazilian Literature (2003) and Lectures for Readers (2005). She has an MA (2009) and PhD (2013) in Literature Theory from PUCRS. She teaches Literature and Creative Writing (narrative and poetry). She has a post PhD from Literature Faculty, University of Lisbon,Comparative Studies Centre (new identities for Portuguese writing) and another from the Integrated Regional University of Alto Uruguai e Missões (author Almeida Faria). She has published a number of articles and essays on fictional writing, creative writing and Portuguese Literature. She's a regular contributor to the newspaper Rascunho. She participates in a number of research groups, including Figuras da Ficção, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Carlos Reis from the University of Coimbra. She wrote the poetry collection Ainda é céu (Editora Patuá), and has poems published in anthologies.
Godofredo de Oliveira Neto
He's an awarded writer, with 15 published books, including novels and short story collections. He has three books published in France, which have been featured in the newspapers Le Figaro and Le Monde as well as studied in French Universities. He's a professor of literature at the Universidade Federal of Rio de Janeiro.
Heduardo Kiesse
He was born in Angola, has an MA in Culture and Communication and graduated in Philosophy from the School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon. He's the author of the webpage Paradoxos (since 2013) and of the blog Fotomorfoses (since 2012). He has contributed to a number of newspapers and magazines as well as organised poetry readings.
Helena Machado
She was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She graduated in Social Communication from the UFRJ. She’s a writer, playwright and screenwriter. She contributed to the last issue of Revista Granta with the first chapter of her debut novel, Memória de Ninguém, still unpublished. A number of her short stories have been published in the Portuguese magazines Pessoa and InComunidade. In 2021, she contributed to the short story anthology Parapeitos, organised by Marcelino Freire, Brazilian writer. She wrote the theatre scripts Sexton and Aos Peixes, both awarded Playwright distinctions, and she was part of the script team for a number of Brazilian films and series, including Tainá e Os Guardiões da Floresta, children’s series awarded the Quirino prize for best Iberoamerican animation in 2020. She won the Toca award in 2021.
Helena Terra
She’s from Brazil and lives in Porto Alegre. She has had an interest in literature since she was a child, and that led her to attend the Literary Workshop by the writer Luiz Antonio de Assis Brasil, at PUC/RS, and also the groups of critical reading and writing by professor Lea Masina. In 2013 she published her first novel, “A condição indestrutível de ter sido”. Since then, she has contributed to a number of anthologies and has organised, with the writer Luiz Ruffato, the anthology “Uns e outros”. She’s co-author of the novel “Bem que eu gostaria de saber o que é o amor”, published in 2020 with the actor and writer Heitor Schmidt. She has just launched her second novel, “Bonequinha de Lixo”.
Henrique Rodrigues
He was born in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. He graduated in Literature and Cultural Journalism from the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, and completed an MA and PhD in Literature from the PUC-Rio. He works as a promotor of reading and writing habits in Brazil. He wrote 16 books, including poetry, short stories, chronicles, novels, children’s books. He has lectured at universities and cultural events in the UK, France, Portugal, Spain and Belgium. His novel O próximo da fila was published in France. He’s a columnist for Jornal Rascunho and PublishNews.
Hirondina Joshua
She was born in Maputo, Mozambique, and is a member of the Mozambican Writers Association (AEMO). She wrote Os Ângulos da Casa (prefaced by Mia Couto), published by Fundação Fernando Leite Couto in 2016. She has contributed to a number of magazines, newspapers, blogs, anthologies, festivals, national and international seminars. Co-editor of the Portuguese magazine inComunidade, she also contributes to the platform Mbenga in Mozambique. She's a columnist for the Galician magazine Palavra Comum.
Hugo Mezena
He's the author of Gente Séria (novel) and As Velhas (short narrative). He has written opera librettos, as well as two melodramas for narrator and piano, A cidade, o gato, and A praça, o tambor. Some of his works have resulted in pieces of visual art and music. He lives in Lisbon.
João Anzanello Carrascoza
A Brazilian writer, he’s the author of the novels Elegia do irmão and Trilogia do adeus, and of a number of short story collections, including A estação das pequenas coisas and Catálogo de perdas. His work has been translated into Bengali, Croatian, Spanish, French, English, Italian, Swedish and Tamil. He participated in the Writers-in-Residence programmes from the Ledig House (USA), Château de Lavigny (Switzerland) and Sangam House (India). He was awarded the national prizes Jabuti, Fundação Nacional do Livro Infantil e Juvenil, Fundação Biblioteca Nacional and Associação Paulista dos Críticos de Arte, as well as the international prizes Radio France (Paris) and White Ravens (Munich).
©Marcos Vilas Boas
©Wladia Drummond
João Batista Melo
A writer, film-maker and composer, he was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and graduated in Social Comunication and has an MA in Multimedia. He published the novels ‘Patagônia’ (1998, Cruz e Sousa Award) and ‘Malditas Fronteiras’ (2014, Cidade de Belo Horizonte Award), the short story collections ‘O inventor de estrelas’ (1989, Guimarães Rosa Award), ‘As baleias do Saguenay’ (1994, Paraná and Cidade de Belo Horizonte Awards), ‘Um pouco mais de swing’ (1999), ‘O colecionador de sombras’ (2008) and ‘Descobrimentos’ (2011), and the essay ‘Lanterna mágica: infância e cinema infantil’ (2020, shortlisted for Jabuti). He directed six short films.
João da Silva
He was born in Cascais, Portugal, where he currently lives. He graduated in Social Communication from the Portuguese Catholic University and began his career as a journalist in 1999 at the newspaper A Bola. In 2016 he published his debut book, O sofrimento pode esperar (Porto Editora), followed by Quantas vidas temos? (Porto Editora) in 2019. He’s also a columnist and lecturer. His work focuses mostly on themes such as the meaning of life, acceptance and resilience.
João Nuno Azambuja
He was born in Braga and graduated in History and Social Sciences. His debut novel, Era uma vez um homem, was awarded the Prémio Literário UCCLA (União das Cidades Capitais de Língua Portuguesa) in 2016. He published Os Provocadores de Naufrágios (Guerra & Paz, 2018), and the novel Autópsia (Guerra & Paz, 2019). He's a member of the jury for the National Literary Award Lions de Portugal.
José Alberto Postiga
A poet and a writer, born in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal, he currently lives in Switzerland since 2005. He published his debut Palavras Sem Preço in 2014, followed by regular poetry publications: O Inventário Do Sal, 2016, A Litania Da Cinza, 2018, Fevereiros Doutrinários, 2020.
José Luís Mendonça
He was born in Angola and published a number of poetry and prose books, from which the last one is the novel Se os Ministros Morassem no Musseque (2019). In 2015, he won the Culture and Arts National Prize in the literature category. His book Lenda da Mãe África e do Filho que Vendeu o Coração won the 2019 edition of the literary award Jardim do Livro Infantil. He's a professor of Portuguese Language at Social Sciences Faculty, University Agostinho Neto.
Juliana Berlim
She’s a teacher of Portuguese Language and Literature at Pedro II College (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). A story teller, she has contributed to anthologies and has been published by Metanoia, Aliás, Hueber, Venas abiertas, Lendari, Selo Off FLIP, UFRR Publishers, Bazar do Tempo, among others. She has contributed to the e-magazines Gueto, Germina and Mirada. She co-organised “Transliteraturas”. She contributes to the Festa Literária das Periferias at Rio de Janeiro since 2016. She’s interested in fantastic literature, gender and ethnical and racial relations.
©Emi Takahashi
Juliana Monteiro Carrascoza
She was born in Rio de Janeiro and lives in São Paulo, Brazil, where she studied Literature and works as a teacher. In 2017, as a photographer, she launched the book ‘Catálogo de perdas’ (40 short stories and 40 photographies), a co-authorship with the writer João Anzanello Carrascoza. This book was selected by the Festival ZUM, shortlisted for the prize Jabuti and winner of the prize FNLIJ. She has contributed to a number of collective exhibitions, Festivals of Photography and to the MIS-SP, and published Pandora (2020) and Aprendiz (2021), both author’s editions.
Julieta Massossote
Born in Mozambique, she's a writer, screenwriter and economist. She writes short stories and movie scripts. She participated in a workshop organised by Fundação Fernando Leite Couto, that led to the publication of an anthology, Os Olhos Deslumbrantes, where she had the opportunity to publish the short story A Viagem de Ada.
Kalaf Epalanga
He was born in Angola. He’s a writer and musician based in Berlin. He published the books Também os Brancos Sabem Dançar and O Angolano que Comprou Lisboa (Por Metade do Preço). Member of the band Buraka Som Sistema.
Kátia Borges
She's from Bahia, Salvador. She has a PhD in Literature and Culture, she's a journalist, poet and chronicler. She wrote the books De volta à caixa de abelhas (As letras da Bahia, 2002), Uma balada para Janis (P55, 2009), Ticket Zen (Escrituras, 2010), Escorpião Amarelo (P55, 2012), São Selvagem (P55, 2014) and O exercício da distração (Penalux, 2017). She's a columnist for the newspaper Correio since 2018. A teoria da felicidade (Patuá, 2020) is her seventh book.
Kátia Gerlach
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and based in New York since 1998, she’s a writer, poet and visual artist. She published Colisões BESTIAIS (Particula)res and Jogos (Ben)ditos e Folias (Mal)ditas (Confraria do Vento, Rio de Janeiro), Forrageiras de Jade (2009) and Forasteiros (2013), both by Projeto Dulcineia Catadora. She organised the collections NOSOTROS by Oito e Meio and, with Alex Staut, "perdidas, histórias para crianças que não tem vez" by Imã. www.katiabandeirademello.com
Lahissane
Artistic name of Lucas Silvestre Maxlhaieie. Born in Maputo, Mozambique, he lives at Província de Gaza. He graduated in Law from Escola Superior de Economia e Gestão, is a jurist and primary teacher at Vila de Caniçado Guijá. In 2017, he won the literary prize for the 27th International Poetry Contest ALPAS 21, Brazil. He has contributed to the magazines Mahungo, Soletras, Xitende (nationals), Incomunidade (Portugal) and the newspaper Correio da Palavra (Brazil). He's a member of the Associação Cultural Xitende, a poet, reciter, photographer, and organises cultural soirees and poetry festivals in secondary schools at Província de Gaza.
Lelena Lucas
She was born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. She's a visual artist, a writer, a choreographer, and manages the dancing school Corpo Escola de Dança.
Leonardo Tonus
He teaches Brazilian Literarure at the University of Sorbonne (France). In 2015, he was appointed curator at the Salon du Livre de Paris by the Centre National du Livre and, in 2016, he organised the exhibition «Oswald de Andrade: passeur anthropophage» at Centre Georges Pompidou. He was distinguished Chevalier das Palmas Acadêmicas (2014) and Chevalier das Artes e das Letras (2015), has published a number of academic articles on contemporary Brazilian authors, and coordinated the publication of a number of essays and literary anthologies. He wrote two poetry collections: Agora Vai Ser Assim (Nós, 2018) and Inquietações em tempos de insônia (Editora Nós, 2019).
Lopito Feijóo
João André da Silva Feijó was born in Malanje. He studied Law in Luanda, at the University Agostinho Neto (UAN). His books have been translated into French, English and Italian, and he has contributed to a number of publications from Angola, Portugal, France, Spain, Brazil, United States, Mozambique, Cape Verde, São Tomé e Príncipe, Nigeria. He's a member of the Union of Angolan Writers (UEA) and of the Literary Society in Lisbon, and a founder member of the Angolan Academy of Literature (AAL/2016). He's a correspondent member of the Brazilian Academy of Poetry “Casa Raul de Leoni”, of the International Poetry in USA and of the Maison Internationale de la Poesie, in Brussels.
Luís Bento
He’s a ghost-writer and manages the blog bento vai para dentro, where he reflects on the contemporary Portuguese society. He has a PhD in Sciences of Comunication from the FCSH NOVA and has contributed to a number of poetry and short-stories collections and magazines. He published the poetry book Vertigens (NOVA mimosa, Portugal), and Lusitânia Online (Brasil). He was awarded the Prémio Novos Talentos FNAC da Literatura 2012, Prémio Eça Agora from jornal Expresso, Poesia from Vila de Fânzeres 2015 and 2018, Prémio de Literatura Lions 2017 with the novel Psicopatia das Pessoas de Bem. The short-story A Pintora em Festa was sellected in 2018 to the third short-story collection from Centro Mário Cláudio.
Luísa Ducla Soares
She was born in Lisbon and graduated in Germanic Philology. She initiated her career with a poetry book, but since then has dedicated herself to children’s and young people’s literature as an author, student and promotor. She has published over 180 books. In 1973, due to politic motives, she refused the prize Maria Amália Vaz de Carvalho for her debut children’s book. In 1986, she was awarded the prize for Best Children’s Book of the biennium from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and later, she was awarded the prize for all of her work from the same institution. She was nominated as Portugal’s representative for a number of international prizes.
Luísa Semedo
PhD in Philosophy from Sorbonne, teacher and activist leader. In 2017, 1st place for the Eça de Queiroz Literary and Illustration Prize with the short story “Céu de Carvão, Mar de Aço”, published in “Desafios da Europa” (2018, Livros de Ontem). In 2018 “O Arroz é Proibido” was selected for the 3rd short story anthology by the Centro Mário Cláudio. Preface “Viagens Anteriores” of the 2nd vol. “Poetas Lusófonos na Diáspora” (2018, Oxalá Editora). Novel “O Canto da Moreia” (2019, Coolbooks / Porto Editora). “Eu empresto-te a Mariá” in “Correr Mundo – Dez mulheres, dez histórias de emigração” (2020, Oxalá Editora). Children's story “Júlia no país das estrelas” (2020, CapMag Júnior).
©Rafael Motta
Marcela Dantés
She was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, graduated in Social Communication from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and has a post-graduation in Creative Processes in Words and Images from the PUC-Minas. Her debut work, the collection of short stories Sobre Pessoas Normais (Patuá) was shortlisted for the Prêmio Oceanos. In 2016 she was writer-in-residence at FOLIO - Festival Literário Internacional de Óbidos, in Portugal. In 2020 she launched her debut novel, Nem Sinal de Asas (Patuá).
Maria João Cantinho
She's a secondary school teacher and she taught at IADE (Creative University of Lisbon) between 2011 e 2015. She's a member of the PEN Portuguese Club Direction, of APE (Portuguese Writers Association) and of APCL (Portuguese Literary Critics Association). She contributes regularly to the Magazine Colóquio-Letras, Jornal de Letras, and to a number of publications. She organised Poetry Anthologies to Blanco Móvil, Lichtungen, Aujourd’hui Poème. She published collective books about Emanuel Levinas, Paul Calan, María Zambrano. She curates the collection Trás-os-Mares (Editora Circuito, Brazil), collection MU – Continente Perdido (Editora Exclamação), and the Essay collection of Azougue Editorial (Brazil). She was awarded the Prémio Glória de Sant’Anna 2017 for her book Do Ínfimo (Coisas de Ler, 2016), and shortlisted for the Prémio PEN de Poesia (2017). She has published a number of books of fiction, poetry and essay.
©Alfredo Cunha
Maria Teresa Horta
She studied at the School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon. She was part of the Portuguese Feminist Movement, together with Isabel Maria Barreno and Maria Velho da Costa, known as the Three Maries. They launched the book Novas Cartas Portuguesas, which had a great impact back in the dictatorship times. She published a number of texts in newspapers, including Diário de Lisboa, A Capital, República, O Século, Diário de Notícias and Jornal de Letras e Artes, among others. She was also editor in chief of the magazine Mulheres. She was a militant for the Portuguese Communist Party for 14 years. She published around 40 books, including poetry and fiction. She was awarded the Prémio D. Dinis 2011 from Fundação Casa de Mateus for her book "As Luzes de Leonor”, the Prémio Consagração de Carreira da Sociedade Portuguesa de Autores and the Prémio Literário Casino da Póvoa 2021, among others.
Mário Araújo
Born in Curitiba, Brazil, and living in Shanghai, Mário is the author of two collections of short stories, Restos (Bertand, 2008) and A hora extrema (7 Letras, 2005), winner of the 2006 Jabuti Prize, the most prestigious literary prize in Brazil. His first novel Breu was published in 2020 by Faria e Silva. His work has been translated into French, Spanish, German and Finnish.
Marta Barbosa Stephens
A journalist and literary critic, she has a post-graduation in Edition from the Universitat de Barcelona and an MA in literature from the PUC-SP. She was born in Recife, Brazil, and lives in England. She published Voo luminoso de alma sonhadora (short stories, 2013) and Desamores da portuguesa (novel, 2018). She contributed to the collection Feliz aniversário, Clarice (2020), and to a number of anthologies, including “A mulher perdida em narrativas” (2017) and “Perdidas, histórias para crianças que não têm vez” (2017). Desamores da portuguesa was the object of study in the post-PhD thesis of writer and researcher Débora Mutter, from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.
Mazé Torquato Chotil
A journalist, researcher, PhD in science of information and communication (Paris VIII) and post PhD (EHESS). She was born in Glória de Dourados (MS, Brazil) and lives in Paris since1985. She's the author of Maria d’Apparecida negroluminosa voz; Na rota de traficantes de obras de arte; José Ibrahim: o líder da primeira grande greve que afrontou a ditadura; Trabalhadores exilados: a saga de brasileiros forçados a partir (1964-1985); Lembranças do sítio, Lembranças da Vila; Minha aventura na colonização do Oeste and Minha Paris brasileira. In French, she wrote L’Exil ouvrier and Ouvrières chez Bidermann: une histoire, des vies.
Mélio Tinga
He writes fiction books and teaches Publishing workshops. He published two collections of short stories: «a engenharia da morte» (Author's edition, 2020) and «O Voo dos Fantasmas» (Ethale Publishing, 2018). He won the Prémio Literário INCM/ Eugénio Lisboa 2020 with his novel «Marizza». In 2019 he was shortlisted for the Prémio 10 de Novembro with the book «Outro Dia a Nuvem Evapora» (stories) and he won the lyrics prize SensaSons in 2012. He's a permanent contributor to the magazine Literatas and a member of the Movimento Literário Kuphaluxa since 2013.
Mónia Camacho
She was born in Luanda and is a jurist. In 2013 she published the novel A Mulher do Primeiro-Ministro e o Camionista Filósofo. In 2018 her short story A Festa was selected to the anthology by Centro de Estudos Mário Cláudio. She contributed to the Minimalista Anthology (Minimalista, 2020). She published Uma Só Volta do Sol (Nova Mymosa, 2019) and Um Tigre à Porta da Sé (2020).
©Louis Hallam
Nara Vidal
She was born in Minas Gerais, Brazil, graduated in Literature from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and has an MA in Arts and Culture from London Met University. She has published children's books and novels, including Sorte, which was awarded the Prémio Oceanos in 2019. She's a columnist for Caderno Dois de Cultura, a supplement of the newspaper A Tribuna de Minas, and for Jornal Rascunho. She's also the editor of Capitolina Revista, which was awarded the prémio APCA 2020. Her other awards include the Brazilian Press Award in Literature (three times) and the Maximiano de Campos award for short stories. In 2020 she published Mapas para desaparecer (short story collection by Faria e Silva). She has lived in the United Kingdom since 2001.
Natalia Timerman
She was born and lives in São Paulo, Brazil. She’s a writer and graduated in psychiatry from the Universidade Federal de São Paulo. She has an MA in Psychology and a PhD in literature from the University of São Paulo. She wrote Desterros – histórias de um hospital-prisão (Elefante, 2017, based on the eight years she spent working at the Centro Hospitalar do Sistema Penitenciário), the short story collection Rachaduras (Quelônio, 2019, shortlisted for the Prêmio Jabuti), and the novel Copo Vazio (Todavia).
Nuno Camarneiro
He was born in Figueira da Foz and is a researcher and university professor. In 2011 he published his debut novel, No Meu Peito Não Cabem Pássaros, also published in Brazil and France. He published a text in the Nouvelle Revue Française, in the column Un mot d’ailleurs, and has published a number of short stories in national and foreign magazines. In 2012 he won the Prémio LeYa with his novel Debaixo de Algum Céu, which is already translated into Italian and soon will be into French. In 2015 he published the short story collection Se Eu Fosse Chão, and Não Acordem os Pardais, his debut children's book, illustrated by Rosário Pinheiro. His last published book is O Fogo Será a Tua Casa (Dom Quixote, 2018).
Nuno Gomes Garcia
He was born in Matosinhos, studied History and worked as an archeologist for over a decade. He lives in Paris, where he works as an editorial consultant and promotor of Lusophone literature in radio and written press. In 2014, he was shortlisted for the Prémio LeYa. He published four novels: Zalatune (2021), O Homem Domesticado (2017) – French translation to be launched in 2021 –, O Dia em Que o Sol Se Apagou (2015), and O Soldado Sabino (2012), which has been translated and published in France. He's the mentor of this project, together with Gabriela Ruivo Trindade
Olinda Gil
She graduated in Languages and Modern Literature and has an MA in Portuguese and Classical Languages Teaching. She first wrote for "DnJovem", a supplement of the newspaper "Diário de Notícias". She has contributed to a number of anthologies and publications, and was awarded the 3rd prize for the literary contest "Lisboa à Letra" in 2004, for prose category. In 2013 she published the author's edition Contos Breves, Sudoeste (Coolbooks, Porto Editora, 2016; 2014 as ebook) and Sobreviventes (2017, 2015 as ebook).
Ondjaki
He was born in Luanda. A prosaist and a poet, he co-directed a documentary about the city of Luanda (“Oxalá cresçam Pitangas – histórias de Luanda”, 2006). He's a member of the Angolan Writers Union and of the Association for Protection of Snipe Anonymity. Some of his books have been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, German, English, Serbian and Swedish. He was awarded the prémio José Saramago in 2013 with his novel Os Transparentes.
Otildo Justino Guido
He was born in Mozambique (Inhambane) and is a writer, poet, composer and cultural activist. He graduated in Finance, is a member and coordinator of the Book Circle at Cultural Association Xitende and co-mentor and vice-president of the Cultural Project Tindzila. He’s mentor and director of the Cultural Centre Palavra & Sol, and he represents the Encontro de Poetas da Língua Portuguesa in Mozambique. He won the literary prize Fernando Leite Couto in 2019 with the book “o silêncio da pele” and the poetry prize Judith Teixeira in 2020 with the book “o osso da água”. He has contributed to a number of anthologies and national and international magazines.
Ozias Filho
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he’s a poet, photographer and publisher. He wrote Poemas do dilúvio, Insulares, Páginas despidas and O relógio avariado de Deus. As a photographer, he has published a few books, and has contributed to a number of exhibitions, namely Ar de Arestas at the Museum of Mordern Art Murilo Mendes, Brazil. He took part in the initiative Passado e Presente – Lisboa Capital Ibero-americana da Cultura 2017 with the essay Quasinvisível. He has been living in Portugal since 1991 and is a publisher at Edições Pasárgada. He signs the column Quem eu vejo quando leio for Jornal Rascunho.
© Raquel Barata
Patrícia Lavelle
A poet, translator and professor for the Literature Department at PUC-Rio. She also has a PhD from the École de Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris. She published, translated and organised a number of essay collections in France and Brazil, including her PhD thesis: Religion et histoire: sur le concept d’experience chez Walter Benjamin (Cerf, 2008). Her debut poetry book is Bye bye Babel (7Letras, 2018, honorable distinction in the Prêmio Cidade de Belo Horizonte). In collaboration with Paulo Henriques Britto, she organised O Nervo do poema. Antologia para Orides Fontela (Relicário, 2018). She has contributed to the French magazines Po&sie and Place de La Sorbonne with her own poems, translations, and self translations.
Paulo José Costa
Born in Leiria, Portugal, where he currently lives and works as a Clinical Psychologist. He published the poetry collections Sopro da Voz (2011); Vizinhança de Olhares (2014); Casa Alta (2017), shortlisted for the prize Pen Clube Português (Poetry), Se um Dia Voltares (2019) and Nas suas Casas os Homens (2021). He has also contributed to a number of poetry anthologies in Portugal and Spain; he’s a member of CASA-NAU, a project featuring poetry and music, and has been part of the management team of the literary event RONDA – Leiria Poetry Festival. He’s co-editor of the magazine ACANTO – Revista de Poesia.
Paulo Kellerman
He has published a number of author's editions and contributions to the Portuguese press, has contributed to a number of literary anthologies (in Portugal as well in Brazil, Spain, Italy and Morocco). His work include short story collections, novels, children's books, theatre, picture books and essay. He has created a number of projects with photographers, illustrators, musicians, actors, film directors, architects, sculptors and painters. Among other distinctions, he was awarded the Grande Prémio de Conto Camilo Castelo Branco, from Associação Portuguesa de Escritores. He published the book AVIÕES DE PAPEL (Minimalista, 2020).
Paulo Landeck
Born near Moinho de Maré in Alhos Vedros, Portugal, he grew up on the outskirts of Lisbon. Post-graduate in Ecotourism. Marine species observer, guide, sailor, reservations agent. Tramp of the sea and professional dreamer. He felt forced to write in the sand on the beach, after being swept between oyster shells. He contributes to various publications. He hopes to publish his first book in 2022, by Poética Edições
© Mário Mateus Araújo
Paulo Martins
He was born in Ipiaú, Bahia, and lived in Jequié, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Pequim, Paris, Salvador, Porto Seguro, and other cities. He now lives in Lisbon. He's a poet, writes lyrics for popular songs, he's a novelist, columnist and essayist. He wrote the novels Glória Partida ao Meio (7 Letras 2010), Adeus, Fernando Pessoa (7 Letras, 2014), História de Roque Bragantim – Olhares do Campo (Cultura Editorial, 2017), and the essay Jacques Brel – A Magia da Canção Popular (7 Letras, 1998). As Diabruras de Orfeu – Cantorias sem fim, (Editora Lacre, 2020) is his most recent book.