Imagining the City is a programme of virtual residencies and digital exchanges, fostering connections between Norwich and writers and translators from around the world, including from other cities in the UNESCO Cities of Literature network. The programme includes a wide range of commissions and events.
Since 2021, we have hosted virtual residencies for writers and translators from Singapore, supported by the National Arts Council of Singapore. We also hosted a virtual residency exchange for writers in Norwich and Québec in 2022, supported by the Québec Government Office in London and l’Entente de développement culturel entre le gouvernement du Québec et la Ville de Québec. In February 2021, we welcomed five writers from Edinburgh, Reykjavík, Dunedin, Kraków and Dublin UNESCO cities of literature to Norwich for a month-long virtual residency.
‘Tombland reminds me of an elevated alley in Hong Kong I once walked through, where a chill wind blew in the height of summer’
World, Meet Norwich
Discover inspiring and thought-provoking new writing from our guests in virtual residence at the National Centre for Writing about how they imagine the city of Norwich.
‘Fledgeling, an excerpt’ by Esther Vincent Xueming
‘Norwich in Layers’ by Choo Yi Feng
‘A CASTLE FROM AFAR’ by Melanie Lee
‘Echoes of the Bridewell’ by Lisabelle Tay
‘To lose a river (and find it again)’ by Wen-yi Lee
‘Quiet Magic’ by Joyce Chua
‘Norwich: An Astral Shewing’ by Marylyn Tan
‘Portal’ by Jerrold Yam
‘Connecting Colman’s Mustard with Singapore’ by Crispin Rogrigues
‘The Creepiest Walk in Norwich’ by Akshita Nanda
‘T—’ by Daryl Qilin Yam
‘A practice in descriptive writing’ by Nuraliah Norasid
‘A virtual walk in Norwich’ by Jennifer Anne Champion
‘Exploring Norwich Museums’ by Nur-El-Hudaa Jaffar
‘The Road Taken’ by Wai-chew Sim
‘Show the City with its Signs’ by Tse Hao Guang
Incredible things often happen to me in small bookshops, as if coming from another dimension, infused with a magic I couldn’t invent if I tried.
Commissions
Read commissions by our writers reflecting on their experience of the virtual residencies and the projects they undertook.
‘Bodies of Water’ by Lisabelle Tay
‘Self-Portraits in Singaporean Mandopop’ by Jerrold Yam
‘Reimagining A World I Know’ by Joyce Chua
‘SQUANDERER’ by Marylyn Tan
Crispin Rodrigues: In the Language Slipstream
Daryl Qilin Yam: Solitude/Fortitude
Embodied in Fiction: a commission by Akshita Nanda
Jennifer Anne Champion: Stitching Stories
Becoming Extrovert: The Secret Life of Translators by Wai-chew Sim
Tse Hao Guang: My Top Five Confessions (and a Poem)
Nur-El-Hudaa Jaffar: Finding a New Audience
‘Revelation’ by Megan Bradbury
‘little river’ by Juliette Bernatchez
Megan Bradbury’s reflections on her Norwich-Québec virtual residency exchange
‘Marie Guyart and Julian of Norwich’ by Juliette Bernatchez
‘Lighthouse and Anchorage: Journal Entries’ by Vahni Capildeo
‘From the City to the Shore’ by Valur Gunnarsson
‘Nothing to see here’ by Liz Breslin
‘The Tenderness of Independent Bookshops’ by Marcin Wilk
‘Ailbhe’s Tale’ by Lynn Buckle
‘Cathedral Deferred: Walking From the Train Station’ by Vahni Capildeo
‘Walking Between Worlds on Earlham Road’
Use Caution Walking Directions May Not Always Reflect Real-World Conditions
The Global Page
Watch our virtual residents participate in The Global Page, a unique series of online global conversations featuring internationally acclaimed and emerging writers and translators.
These events celebrate the art of writing in all its forms, connecting brilliant minds across styles, languages, and cultures. Together, we explore and challenge the ideas and approaches shaping contemporary literature.
Writing tips & advice
Our residents offer tips and advice on all aspects of craft, from fictional world building to literary translation.
Browse here
Podcasts
Common ground: writing, culture and community in Singapore
Jennifer Anne Champion: Poetry and embroidery
Nuraliah Norasid: Writing Fantasy
Nazry Bahrawi & Vineet Lal: Biggest debates in translation
Virtual residencies with Nur-El-Hudaa Jaffar, Sim Wai-chew and Tse Hao Guang
Marcin Wilk talks to Joe Hedinger
Julian of Norwich & biscuits with Vahni Capildeo and Jeremy Noel-Tod
Liz Breslin talks to Tiffany Atkinson
Valur Gunnarsson & Sarah Bower on alternate histories
