Vagamon Writers Residency

Residency brief

DC Books is one of the top ten literary publishers of India. It has played a crucial role in inculcating reading, and providing opportunities to budding writers through various programs. The Vagamon Writers Residency is a programme devised by DC Kizhakemuri Foundation and Kerala Literature Festival, a non-aligned, annual literary meet for conversation and debates from areas of varied interest. The festival is supported by DC Books. DCKF launched Vagamon Writers Residency in 2020 as literacy is the backbone of Kerala and is considered to be an essential facet of its development. Kerala became the first state in January 2016 to have achieved 100 % primary education through Athulyam, its literacy program.

Nestled among beautiful rolling hills and the verdant countryside of Vagamon, the residency can lodge an intimate and select group of writers from India and abroad. It is a space that will provide a perfect environment for a writer to pursue their writing – and also engage in stimulating ideas and discussion with like-minded residents – in a picture-perfect setting.

  • Thematic focus Literature
  • LocationVagamon, Kerala
  • Dates January - February 2024
  • Length of stay 4 to 8 weeks

Our Space

Vagamon, Kerala

Kerala, a slice of tropical paradise has attracted trade, religion, and cultures from all over the world. Its sweeping coastlines, languid backwaters, lush tea gardens, primary forests and rich spices production makes it a unique ecosystem. Vagamon is a hill station situated about 100 km away from Kochi International airport. It is neatly tucked in between the three hills of Thangal, Murugan, and Kurisumala.

Our Laureates

Corinne Morel-Darleux

I know the importance of the environment for an author. I have experienced how strongly this landscape, its life and atmosphere, influence my writing. For this novel, I need a place unknown to me, an unprecedented forest to be able to populate it with beings from my imagination.

Corinne Morel-Darleux is a French writer and an eco-socialist activist. She lives in the countryside, at the foot of the Vercors mountains, and writes for various magazines and independent media. Her themes include politics and fiction, environmental and social issues, and the questioning of the modern notions of progress, competition and success. She recently published an essay Plutôt couler en beauté que flotter sans grâce (Libertalia, 2019) and two novels for young readers: Là où le feu et l'ours (Libertalia, 2021) and Le gang des chevreuils rusés (Seuil jeunesse, 2021). La Sauvagière (Dalva, 2022) is her first novel for adults. Her website: revoirleslucioles.org