La Marelle

Residency brief

La Marelle is a cultural institution which is used to hold writers’ residencies and plays host to a permanent literary scene comprising festivals, lectures, series of panel discussions or meetings, retrospectives, workshops and more. The authors-in-residency are invited to develop literary writing projects (novels, poetry, theater, young adult, comic), with the option of integrating other artistic fields: writing for radio, digital media, music or the fine arts.

La Marelle thus positions itself as a space for new encounters, experiences, intersections, brainstorming and more. La Marelle offers the opportunity to undertake active and dynamic residencies that are best suited to projects which are in their infancy or already in progress.

La Marelle has two residency spaces: one located within the cultural centre “La Friche de La Belle de Mai” in Marseille and the other at the Villa Deroze in La Ciotat.

  • Thematic focus Literature & hybrid writing practices
  • Location La Ciotat
  • Dates 30 April 2026 - 28 May 2026
  • Length of stay 1 month

Our Space

The resident will be hosted at the Villa Deroze on the heights of La Ciotat, 35km from Marseille. La Ciotat is a picturesque 17th-century town with a fishing port, beautiful coastal scenery and easy access to the beach. It is located close to the Parc National des Calanques, known for its rocky landscapes and white sand beaches.

The Villa Deroze used to be the home of pharmacist Gilbert Deroze, who spent the last years of his life practicing sculptures and hosting artists at his home. His daughter, Danielle Deroze, decided to turn it into a residency space to keep this spirit alive.

Parismita Singh

Author and illustrator

My current project ‘Beast, Bird, Tree, Machine: Metamorphosis and the Women of Myth’ is a text and art project that has emerged from a long preoccupation with women’s narratives in folklore, contemporary weaving cultures, political reportage, feminist theory and fiction. I see the residency as a space for work and reflection, as well as a chance to share my work and engage with the literary milieu and culture of the region, and France.

Parismita Singh is a writer and artist, based in Assam, India. She is the author of Peace has Come, a collection of short stories and the graphic novel Hotel at the end of the World. Her children’s books include the graphic novel Mara and the Clay Cows and Fat King, Thin Dog. She has edited the anthology Centrepiece: New Writing and Art from Northeast India and helped conceptualise the Pao Anthology of Comics.

Other publications by Parismita include The NRC Sketchbook, a graphic reportage series for Huffington Post (India), and an illustrated column on craft and culture for Voice of Fashion.

Her community art practice includes workshops, classroom pedagogy and bookmaking that promotes diverse and inclusive forms of storytelling. She also works on a creative multi-lingual education project in rural Assam with the NGO Pratham Education Foundation.

Past Laureates

Second Edition (2024 - 2025)
Bijal Vaccharajani Writer