Application

T-YARD
WRITERS RESIDENCY

Hosted by T-Michael in Bergen, Norway Apply here

City Center Lodging

Our apartment, located in the heart of the city, offers a comfortable and convenient stay. It is fully equipped to meet all your needs, ensuring a seamless urban living experience in the vibrant center of Bergen.

Expense Stipend

We provide a stipend to cover essential costs such as text production, travel, and diet expenses. This financial support is designed to allow you to focus fully on your creative endeavors and engagements in Bergen.

Cultural Integration

Our program facilitates your cultural immersion in Bergen by connecting you with local creatives and networks.



All images of the apartment is taken by Bent René Synnevåg
About Us

T-YARD
Writers Residency

Welcome to T-YARD Writers Residency, a unique creative haven where the worlds of literature, design, and art converge. Initiated by the renowned designer and tailor T-Michael, in collaboration with Entrée, a leading contemporary art gallery, and Tekstallianse, a prominent network for the literary field in Western Norway, our residency program stands as a beacon of cultural and creative exchange.

At T-YARD, we are dedicated to fostering a dynamic exchange between international writers and the local literary scene in Bergen. Our program offers a carefully curated experience, blending professional opportunities with cultural immersion. Residents are provided with a comfortable apartment in the city center, ensuring a stay that is both inspiring and convenient. The residency spans a period of two weeks, during which we facilitate meaningful introductions to influential figures, creatives, and networks in Bergen's rich cultural landscape.

For more information about our residency program or to apply, please contact us at info@t-yard.com. We are excited to welcome you to T-YARD Writers Residency, where your creative journey is embraced, nurtured, and celebrated.

T-YARD Writers Residency is brought to you by:

t-michael logo entree logo tekstallianse logo
t-michael logo entree logo tekstallianse logo

The project is made possible thanks to our sponsors:

bergen municipality logo Arts Council Norway logo
bergen municipality logo Arts Council Norway logo
Apply now
Previous Residents

Hall of Fame

Eric Otieno Sumba headshot Photo taken by L. Kolloge
Writer in residence April 2024

Eric Otieno Sumba

T-YARD Writers Residency welcomes Eric Otieno Sumba as our fourth writer in residence in April 2024. Eric Otieno Sumba (Nairobi, 1989) is a writer and editor with a background in social theory, political economy, postcolonial studies and art criticism. His art and non-fiction writing has been published in Contemporary And, Griot, frieze, Sleek, Monopol, Gropius Bau Journal, Texte zur Kunst and Camera Austria, as well as in African Artists, from 1922 to now (Phaidon, 2021), among others. A shorter version of his Pushcart-Prize-nominated essay ‘Deep Afield’ (2022), first published on Lolwe, was subsequently published by The Guardian. He has also edited books including the O Quilombismo Album (Haus der Kulturen der Welt/Archive Books, 2023), and the poetry collection Rage and Desire (Spazio Griot, 2022). He lives and works in Berlin.

Isabel Baboun Garib headshot
Writer in residence October 2023

Isabel Baboun Garib

T-YARD Writers Residency looks forward to welcoming Isabel Baboun Garib as our third writer in residence during October 2023. Isabel Baboun Garib (Santiago, Chile 1984) is an actress and writer, she currently lives in Santiago, Chile, where she teaches Literature and a Screenwriting Workshop. She began writing stories to have a deeper understanding of the characters she performed. She left Chile to pursue Creative Writing at New York University with the support of a Chile’s Government Scholarship. Afterwards, she earned a Phd in Latin American Literature with an emphasis in Performance Studies at UC, Davis. In New York she published a book of poems "Un cuarto un nombre" (New York, Pen Press 2011). Her work as a narrator grew in parallel. Her story "Yalaá" appeared in the magazine “Buensalvaje” in Spain (2016). "El Pablo" became a finalist in the short story competition by “Paula” magazine (Santiago, 2012) and was published in an anthology. Isabel’s short story "De Interior" was anthologized in the book “Abuelas Hispanas, desde la memoria y el recuerdo” under the Spanish publishing house Torremozas, and her book of poems “Todos los árboles” was published by Libros del Amanecer (Santiago, 2015). Isabel’s non-published novel “Thread Bodies” won a special recognition in Juegos Literarios Gabriela Mistral (2019). Additionally, her short story “Deberíamos estar todos muertos” won the first place in the short story contest Teresa Hamel (2020). The short story book “Un hermano muerto” appeared in 2018 under publisher Cuarto Propio. "La Tailandesa" is her first novel published by Tusquets Editor (2023).

Yara Nakahanda Monteiro headshot Photo taken by Dirk Skiba
Writer in residence October 2022

Yara Nakahanda Monteiro

We are excited to introduce the luso-angolan writer, social critic, and speaker Yara Nakahanda Monteiro as our second writer for T-Yard Writers Residency. Yara Nakahanda Monteiro was born in Angola in 1979, but grew up in Portugal, due to the Angolan civil war. She has temporarily lived in several cities, such as Rio de Janeiro, Luanda, London, Copenhagen, and Athens. She has a background from studying screenwriting, contemporary art and graduated in human resources. Monteiro writes poetry and fiction and has also collaborated in the creation of scripts and screenplays for audiovisual arts. Her stories and poetry have been published in various magazines such as Granta and Revista Pessoa. She has become a regular guest speaker at universities on topics like feminism and Afro-European identities and narratives. In her own words: she is a great-great-granddaughter of slavery, a great-granddaughter of racial intermarriage, a granddaughter of independence and a daughter of the diaspora. Her poetry collection “ Memories Apparitions and Arrhythmias” won the 2022 International Poetry Prize Glória de Sant’Anna. Her debut novel “Essa dama bate bué!” (2018) is translated in several languages. Monteiro is additionally a certified Shivananda Yoga teacher, Ayurveda therapist and a practitioner of the Marina Abramovic method. During her time in Bergen Monteiro will share her insights in African literature in Portuguese language, and connect with Norwegian contemporary writers, publishers, and artists.

Kalaf Epalanga headshot
Writer in residence September 2022

Kalaf Epalanga

T-YARD Writers Residency looks forward to welcoming Kalaf Epalanga as our first writer in residence during September 2022. Kalaf Epalanga is a writer and musician born in Benguela, Angola, in 1978, currently based in Berlin. Some people know him from the Europe Music Award-winning band, Buraka Som Sistema (on hiatus since 2016), and through the columns he wrote for the Portuguese newspaper O Público, GQ Magazine (Portugal), the independent Angolan online magazine REDE Angola and the Brazilian literary magazine Quatro Cinco Um. He has released Love Stories for Coloured Children (2011), The Angolan who bought Lisbon (for halfprice) (2014), and Whites Can Dance Too (2017), his debut novel will be translated to English by Daniel Hahn and published by Faber in spring 2023.

Apply to our residency

Become our new resident

Apply here