The Office of Odesa UNESCO City of Literature announces the launch of the Odesa International Literary Residency — a new cultural exchange initiative within the framework of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Each year, one writer from a UNESCO City of Literature will be invited to spend one month in Odesa between August and October (exact dates to be confirmed).
The residency offers:
● A monthly stipend of approximately EUR 800● Round-trip travel to and from Odesa● Accommodation● Health insurance● Curated professional and cultural program

Why Odesa — and Why Now
Odesa is not only a historic port city on the Black Sea. It is a city shaped by migration, multilingualism, layered identities, humor, irony, and literary resistance. It is a crossroads of cultures — Ukrainian, Jewish, European, Mediterranean — a place where literature has long served as both mirror and refuge.
Today, Odesa exists in the context of war. Air alerts and security measures are part of daily life. And yet, the city continues to write, publish, translate, organize readings, support libraries, and hold conversations about culture and future.
Choosing Odesa as a residency destination is not an act of risk-seeking — it is an act of meaningful engagement. It is an opportunity to witness how literature functions in real time under pressure: as testimony, as solidarity, as imagination, as civic space.
We prioritize safety and provide full insurance coverage, guidance, and local support throughout the residency period. The program is organized responsibly, with attention to current conditions and in close coordination with local authorities and partners.

What Makes the Experience Unique
The residency is designed as:
● Time for writing — without excessive obligations● Deep immersion in the cultural and intellectual fabric of Odesa● Professional exchange with writers, translators, publishers, scholars, and cultural institutions● Public dialogue through selected literary events
Odesa offers not only history and architecture, but conversations, hospitality, curiosity, and emotional depth. Residents will experience the city's literary museums, independent cultural spaces, informal artistic gatherings, sea horizons, and late-night philosophical discussions that define Odesa’s spirit.
Despite the complexity of the current reality, Odesa remains open, intellectually vibrant, and welcoming.

A Memorable and Inspiring Encounter
The Odesa International Literary Residency is intended to be more than a temporary stay. It is an encounter with a city that lives through literature — and through resilience.
Residents will leave not only with pages written, but with new professional relationships, new perspectives, and a lived understanding of how culture sustains community even in times of uncertainty.
We believe that time spent in Odesa will be intellectually stimulating, emotionally meaningful, and creatively transformative.
Further details and application guidelines will be announced soon.