Bridging Cities
Writers and Artists from Exeter City of Literature and Jakarta City of Literature will be taking part in an international collaboration, reflecting on one another’s work and the theme of climate change.
The culminating artwork and writing will be presented at exhibitions in Exeter and Jakarta, launching on International Translation Day, Monday 30th September 2024.
Exeter and Jakarta Cities of Literature have been awarded a new grant through the British Council’s Connections Through Cultures programme for a new project - Bridging Cities: Exeter X Jakarta - which will commission local artists and writers to create new work that examines the disproportionate impacts of climate change on the Global South and how to improve conversations around the intersection of climate change and diversity & inclusion.
As UNESCO-designated Cities of Literature, this grant will enable both cities to harness their literary distinction to foster international collaboration, explore literature's role in climate action, and build lasting connections between the two Cities of Literature.
The project will see emerging writers in Exeter and Jakarta commissioned to write new work and receive short mentoring sessions with experienced writers. Each piece will be translated into English and Indonesian before artists are commissioned to respond to these original pieces, as the writers will participate in a cross-city creative exchange. The resulting artwork and writing will be published in a digital publication with excerpts selected for exhibitions in Exeter and Jakarta, launching on International Translation Day, 30th September 2024.
Writer Call Out - Deadline Friday 8th March
The deadline for this commission has now passed. Chosen contributors will be contacted by Friday 15th March.
As part of Bridging Cities: Exeter X Jakarta, Exeter City of Literature and Jakarta City of Literature are commissioning three writers from Devon and three writers from Jakarta to contribute one short piece of original previously unpublished writing each. This can be either poetry or fiction with a maximum length of 1000 words or 80 lines of poetry.
The commissioned piece should focus on the environment and climate action. You are encouraged to interpret this broad theme in your own way, but we recommend tying it back to your local area. We welcome submissions from writers and poets of all backgrounds and experiences.
A £175 commission fee (approx. 3442786.73 IDR) will be awarded for creating an original previously unpublished written work, recording a brief audio version, and a live reading of an excerpt.
To apply for this commission, you must be living in Devon or Jakarta and will need to submit the following information by Friday 8th March 16:59 GMT / 23:59 WIB:
Your name and biography - maximum 75 words.
A sample of your writing.
A 50-word proposed synopsis for an original piece of work.
Why the project appeals to you.
Devon Writers:
Send your submissions to hello@exetercityofliterature.com, with the subject line Bridging Cities Submission by Friday 8th March 16:59 GMT.
Jakarta Writers:
Submit your application via bit.ly/ExJakBC_writer by Friday 8th March 23:59 WIB.
Key Dates
Friday 8th March: Deadline for application/submission.
Friday 15th March: Chosen contributors contacted.
Monday 18th March - Friday 12th April: First draft writing period.
Monday 22nd - Friday 26th April: A virtual mentoring session with an experienced creative writer.
Monday 29th April - Thursday 16th May: Second draft writing period.
Friday 17th May: Finished written pieces delivered.
Read more about our partners below, and be sure to sign up to our newsletter and follow us on socials for all the latest news on Bridging Cities, including creative call-outs!
The British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. They support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. They do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. They work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2022-23 they reached 600 million people.
#ConnectionsThroughCulture
The Connections Through Culture grants programme is designed to nurture fresh cultural partnerships between East Asia and the UK. These grants are instrumental in supporting new ideas and collaborations from artists and cultural organisations at any stage of development. The grants supported in this round of Connections Through Culture programme have focused on two distinct areas: diversity and inclusion, and addressing climate change. The collaborative efforts across borders and artistic disciplines will lead to new thoughts and ideas created to address global challenges. The grants support new connections, exchanges and collaborations and help build long-term relationships and collaborations between artists, cultural professionals, creative practitioners and art and cultural organisations, hubs, networks and collectives.
Jakarta City of Literature
On November 8, 2021, Jakarta was chosen as the Creative City of Literature, joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) international network. Jakarta is the home of the creative industry and is recognized as a major creative center for the publishing industry in Indonesia. It serves as the hub of Indonesia’s literary scene and boasts the most productive publishing industry in Southeast Asia.
The 17000 Pulau Imaji Foundation
17000 Islands of Imagination Foundation is a non-profit organization working to improve the quality of literature and creative content in Indonesia, initiating and organizing various educative and inspiring programs that encourage the realization of a sustainable literary ecosystem, encouraging high-quality literary products, making reading materials accessible for people, as well as elevating the role of Indonesian literature in global contemporary issue, and collaborating with various actors in the book industry, the government, corporation, and communities. From 2020 until now, the foundation and Frankfurter Buchmesse are organizing the Jakarta Content Week (Jaktent) which will bring together different creative sectors, such as publishing, literature, film, IP, AI, music, culinary, and many more.