CELA connects 165 literary artists across 11 European countries. Together, the partners and participants of the project are bridging the gaps between each other, the publishing industry and the European public.

The project

CELA unites 66 emerging writers, and 99 emerging translators across 11 European countries and mentors them during a 4-year period. By building a growing network of literary artists across Europe through translating and promoting literary works in non-native languages, CELA aims to break through uneven literary infrastructures in different countries, and to open possibilities to reach European audiences beyond borders.

The project is filled with assignments, writing and translation workshops, residencies, specialisation courses, performances and collaborations. The results of this collective journey will be presented during a festival tour and international publishing campaign, to broaden the artists’ professional practices and open up new networking possibilities. CELA exists to maintain diversity in European literature, and offer smaller languages a bigger opportunity in the publishing industry. Through working together and sharing their work, the partners and participants of CELA are bridging the gaps between each other, the publishing industry and the European public.

CELA has finished two succesful editions since 2017. Again supported by Creative Europe of the European Union, its third edition will run from 2024 to 2028.

Open calls for translators and writers from all participating countries will be announced throughout the upcoming months! Please check our 'news' page or sign up to our newsletter to stay in the loop.

Our partners

Vlaams-Nederlands Huis deBuren

Vlaams-Nederlands Huis deBuren (Brussels, Belgium) presents, produces, inspires and connects. It offers a platform for culture and debate in the Low Countries and abroad. They focus on talent development of young and emerging writers, radio makers, photographers and moderators, mainly within the literary field, and through the implementation of several acclaimed (residency) programmes. deBuren organizes 200-220 events per year and has reached over 10,000,000 downloads with the international literary residency project citybook.eu.​

Passa Porta

Passa Porta (Brussels, Belgium) is the international house of literature in the heart of Brussels. They focus on talent development of writers and translators, with their international literary festival and residencies, events and assignments for young and emerging talents.

České Literární Centrum

České literární centrum (Prague, Czech Republic) is the Czech Literary Centre. Czech Lit focuses on promoting Czech literature abroad through cooperating with literary agencies, publishers and cultural organisations abroad, organising literary events, and acting as an informational and cultural centre for literary experts and professionals

Scuola Holden

Scuola Holden (Turin, Italy) founded by internationally renowned Italian writer Alessandro Baricco in 1994, is considered an authority in the field of fiction writing and storytelling. The school regularly hosts prestigious international guest lecturers for its students, its main activity being the two-year full-time Course in Writing and Storytelling. Holden also organizes readings, and other activities on a national and international level.

Wintertuin

​Wintertuin (Nijmegen, The Netherlands) is a literary production house. It yearly organises 3 literary festivals and 150 literary events. Wintertuin runs a talent development programme for emerging Dutch writers, and is involved in writing projects with elderly and refugees. Wintertuin is founder of the BA Creative Writing at ArtEZ University of the Arts. Wintertuin is part of De Nieuwe Oost.

​​Krakowskie Biuro Festiwalowe

​​Krakowskie Biuro Festiwalowe (Krakow, Poland) is a municipal cultural institution. The participation of this organisation is important for the project as it has served as a platform for cooperation between the cultural, creative, academic and innovation sectors in the city and beyond. Krakow Festival Office is also the operator of the UNESCO City of Literature programme in Krakow

Asociatia Editorilor din Romania

Asociatia Editorilor din Romania (Bucharest, Romania) is the Romanian Publishers Association and the main professional association for book publishers in Romania. AER is the organizer of Bookfest and focuses on promoting reading and writing, thus contributing to the free circulation of ideas, as well as integrating the Romanian culture in the global circuit of values.

Association KROKODIL

Association KROKODIL (Belgrade, Serbia) is a literary production house. They are dedicated to the production of literary, cultural and socio-political projects with the aim of developing literary audiences, promotion of the culture of dialogue, reconstruction of the broken links in the Balkans, but also to deepening the mutual understanding and acceptance of differences in Europe. KROKODIL is one of the most active agents of change in culture not only in Serbia, but throughout the Western Balkans and wider Europe.

Goga

Goga (Novo Mesto, Slovenia) is a Slovenian residency and publishing house. Aside from publishing, Goga focuses on international cooperation in the field of literature. Goga organises between 50 and 100 events every year and co-creates projects connecting literature with other art forms.

Next Page

Next Page Foundation (Sofia, Bulgaria) aims to encourage international literature communication by supporting the empowerment of underprivileged groups, languages and countries for equal participation in the global dialogue of ideas. Next Page develops cultural programs and projects in the field of books, reading and translations.

Escuela de Escritores

Escuela de Escritores (Madrid, Spain) is a creative writing academy in Madrid. It's a well-known writing programme, with over 2,000 students per year, and a founding member of the European Association of Creative Writing Programmes (EACWP).

Book Arsenal

Mystetskyi Arsenal (Kyiv, Ukraine) is a public, state-funded cultural institution that incorporates a variety of artistic disciplines into its institutional activity. The mission of Mystetskyi Arsenal is to foster modernization of Ukrainian society and Ukraine’s integration into the global context based on the axiological potential of culture.

FILIT

FILIT (Iași, Romania) is a project that brings together professionals in the field of books, both from Romania and from abroad. The participation of this organisation is important for the project, as it combines an audience of writers, translators, publishers, festival organisers, literary critics, booksellers, book distributors, managers and cultural journalists.

ARTLIT

ARTLIT (Bucharest, Romania) has as its goal to defend the Romanian literary translators’ moral and its legal and economic rights and interests, to promote the enforcement of Romanian an European legislation in this field, as well as to support the quality level in literary translation, thus contributing to written culture and the book market development.