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The Krakow Festival Office and the Krakow UNESCO City of Literature invite you to participate in the fourth edition of the literary residency programme for women writers and literature translators. This year, we will invite one author from Ukraine or Belarus to join us in Kraków for April and May. During their two-month stay, they will receive a scholarship and the opportunity to participate in Krakow's literary life. The matron of the residency is Janina Katz (1939-2013), a Krakow-based writer, poet, and translator who was forced to leave Poland in 1969 due to anti-Semitic persecution. She spent the rest of her life in Copenhagen, where she won numerous prestigious literary awards and translated the works of Wisława Szymborska, Zbigniew Herbert, and Sławomir Mrożek, among others, into Danish.
Today, Krakow aims to be a shelter for women writers forced to leave their countries. The Janina Katz Residency Programme arose from the belief that Krakow – a city that is open, welcoming, and committed to women’s rights – has a special role to play today for women creators from beyond the eastern border. The first resident of the Janina Katz program was the Belarusian poet, translator, and novelist Hanna Jankuta. In 2024, the residents were Alena Piatrovich, a Belarusian translator from Polish, English, and Ukrainian, and Tamara Duda, a Ukrainian prose writer, journalist, and translator. Last year, Ukrainian translator and editor Larysa Andriievska and Belarusian prose writer Yulia Artemova explored literary Krakow.
The resident selected through the recruitment process will be provided with a two-month stay in an apartment in the city centre, a salary, reimbursement for travel expenses to and from Krakow, substantive and logistical support, as well as the opportunity to explore the local literary and publishing scene and establish valuable professional contacts. The resident will stay in Krakow from April to May 2026.
What we offer:
- A two-month stay for the resident in April and May in a furnished residential apartment in the city center.
- a stipend of PLN 2,500 gross per month and coverage of travel expenses to and from Krakow.
- KMLU also provides guests with the opportunity to participate in the city’s literary life and supports the promotion of their work in Poland.
We invite writers and translators from Ukraine and Belarus to apply.
Criteria:
- knowledge of Polish or English
- at least one published book (fiction or non-fiction), screenplay (film or theater), or translation
Details regarding the exact dates of the stay will be agreed individually with the resident.
Application deadline: 9.02.2026
Date of stay in Krakow: April to May 2026
How to apply?
Applications containing:
- a completed form
- a CV or bio should be sent by the deadline to: residencies@miastoliteratury.pl
Janina Katz (1939–2013) – writer, poet, translator, and literary critic. Born on March 2, 1939, to a Jewish family in Kraków, she survived the war, sheltered by Maria and Stefan Kapłański in Dobczyce. She studied Polish studies and sociology at the Jagiellonian University and published in “Życie Literackie” and “Twórczość.” Due to anti-Semitic persecution, she left Poland in 1969 and settled in Copenhagen. She wrote in Danish and published five novels, twelve volumes of poetry, and two volumes of short stories. She has translated poetry (including those by Wisława Szymborska, Zbigniew Herbert, and Ewa Lipska) and prose (Sławomir Mrożek and Tadeusz Konwicki) into Danish. She has been recognized for her translations with the Parisian “Kultura” award and has also received the Medal of Merit for Polish Culture from the Minister of Culture and Art. She has also received lifetime achievement awards from the Danish Academy of Literature and the Danish Writers’ Association. The program is part of the year-long literary residency program of Krakow, a UNESCO City of Literature.