The next guest of Tartu’s UNESCO City of Literature residency program is Manchester writer Quigley Cryan Brockbank (Quigley CB).

This year she published a short story collection titled God Leaks out of your Armpit with Manchester publisher Written Off Publishing, and has previously published a short story in the magazine Spellbinder (2023) and written the play Exiles, which was shortlisted for the Shelagh Delaney New Writing Award by Salford Arts Theatre.

She frequently performs at spoken word events and literary festivals, and in June this year, she appeared at our Embassy of Utopia event in Manchester, which was inspired by the program of the same name and led by Jan Teevet and Oliver Issak during the 2023 Prima Vista literary festival, and continued by Manchester writer David Hartley and Tartu artist Henri Hütt.

Quigley says, “This is my first residency and it’s a real honour to be picked! I’m so grateful to have the time and space to fully focus on writing for the first time, and hope to develop my craft in a way that is hasn’t previously been possible.”

In her work, Brockbank combines horror and elements from folk tales with an absurdist sense of humour. During her stay in Tartu, she hopes not only to work on his next short story collection but also to learn about local folktales, as well as the urban landscape and architecture. During the residency, she will also participate in Tartu’s literary scene, including performing at the Hullunud Tartu / Crazy Tartu festival, which takes place from November 7th to 9th.

The call was announced in August and received 45 applications, with candidates including writers, translators, and screenwriters from Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. The decision was made by a four-member committee consisting of Berk Vaher (Estonian Writers’ Union), Krista Ojasaar (Estonian Literary Museum), Janika Kronberg (Karl Ristikivi Society), and Marja Unt (Estonian Literary Society).

Tartu City of Literature international residency program began in 2017 and is intended for writers and translators of Estonian literature into other languages. Each residency period lasts two months, and the call for applications is announced twice a year. The residency is one of the largest global initiatives in the action plan of Tartu as a UNESCO City of Literature, helping to broaden the international dimension of local literary life and create new cultural connections. At the same time, it offers residents the opportunity to draw inspiration from the local environment and culture.

Brockbank is the eighth guest of the program; previous residents in Tartu include Slovenian writer Andrej Tomažin, Irish writer and cultural critic Darran Anderson, Hungarian writer Gabi Csutak, American poet Ron Whitehead, English writer Andy Willoughby, Ukrainian writer and journalist Olena Huseinova, and Canadian writer Christiane Vadnais.

The residency continues a strong working partnership between Tartu and Manchester Cities of Literature.