Shilo Kino – Shanghai 2025
Shilo Kino (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Te Ata) is an award-winning author and journalist. Her debut novel, The Pōrangi Boy, won the Young Adult Fiction Award at the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards. In 2024,…
read moreNew Zealand’s literary exchange with China is available through a partnership between the Michael King Writers Centre and the Shanghai Writers Association.
We are very happy to announce that Shilo Kino (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Te Ata), has been selected to join the 2025 Shanghai Writers’ Association’s International Writing Programme.
Shilo will join writers from eight other countries for two months in Shanghai in September and October this year. The writers receive air travel, free accommodation and a small stipend for living expenses.
An award-winning author and journalist, Shilo’s debut novel, The Pōrangi Boy, won the Young Adult Fiction Award at the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards. In 2024, she released her first adult fiction novel, All That We Know. It debuted at number one on the New Zealand fiction chart and was longlisted for the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards – Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction. Shilo is passionate about te ao Māori and speaks Mandarin, having lived in Hong Kong.
In 2024 and we welcomed Shanghai based writer Chen Danyan to MKWC for eight weeks in September. Danyan was the fifth writer from China to hold a residency at MKWC.
Following a break in the residency exchange programme due to the global pandemic, Melinda Szymanik was selected as the fourth New Zealand writer to go to China and join the 2023 Shanghai Writers’ Association’s International Writing Programme. For a glimpse into Melinda’s time in Shanghai see here.
In September 2019 we welcomed Sun Wei to the centre for her residency. Described as one of China’s most original and leading voices, Sun Wei, Shanghai born and bred, is a former journalist, documentary filmmaker, and corporate general manager.
Since the exchange began in 2013, three other Chinese writers have also enjoyed a residency at the Centre In 2013 Huo Yan, a young writing star from Beijing, took up the first Rewi Alley Fellowship, followed by acclaimed novelist Xiao Bai from Shanghai in 2015. In 2017 Yin Jian Ling held the two-month residency. Yin is a poet, essayist, novelist, literary critic, illustrator and translator; a versatile Chinese writer of children’s literature, who has covered a wide range of subjects.
In 2018 Frances Edmond was the recipient of the exchange and she wrote ‘One cannot live in a place even for a short time without it becoming a part of the psyche, leaving its imprint on the essence of who you are. The opportunity provided by the Shanghai residency, the experience of living and writing in that enormous, vibrant, hospitable city is a rare gift, one to be treasured and always remembered’.
In 2016 Heidi North Bailey was the recipient of the exchange. Heidi said at the time:
‘I’m having a marvellous, stimulating and productive time. The Shanghai Writers Programme has organised some thoughtful activities for us including visiting a writer’s home, and we have participated in several stimulating cross-cultural literary discussions. But I am also having plenty of time to put hands to keyboard and write. Being here is such a gift’. For more on Heidi’s exchange see here.
In 2014 Alison Wong was the first New Zealand writer selected to join the international writers’ programme. Alison wrote of her experience:
‘The residency was invaluable as research for my new book, but also for stimulating fresh creativity and inquiry through exposure to a completely different environment, language and culture. The connections made, whether with Chinese or other international writers were personally and professionally rewarding’
Shilo Kino (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Te Ata) is an award-winning author and journalist. Her debut novel, The Pōrangi Boy, won the Young Adult Fiction Award at the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards. In 2024,…
read moreDanyan is a renowned author known for her impactful contributions to both fiction and non-fiction, particularly focusing on youth and urban narratives in China and the overseas Chinese language community. Her works have been translated…
read moreMelinda is a Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland based, award-winning author of stories for young people including picture books, short fiction and novels. She also writes poetry for adults and children. Melinda regularly visits in schools, and teaches…
read moreShanghai born and bred, Sun Wei is a former journalist, documentary filmmaker, and corporate general manager. She has published 23 books including novels, a novella collection and two short story collections. Her novels have won…
read moreFrances was the third writer to go to Shanghai as part of our international exchange and had this to say about her experience: We were thirteen writers from around the world, a lively and diverse…
read moreYin Jian Ling held a two-month residency. Yin is a poet, essayist, novelist, literary critic, illustrator and translator.
read moreXiao Bai who held the 2015 Rewi Alley Fellowship at the Michael King Writers Centre.
read moreIn 2016 Heidi North was the recipient of the exchange. Heidi said at the time: ‘I’m having a marvellous, stimulating and productive time. The Shanghai Writers’ Programme has organised some thoughtful activities for us including…
read moreAlison Wong who took part in the 2014 Shanghai Writing Program in Shanghai. Alison says of her residency: ‘The Shanghai International Writing Programme was invaluable as research for my new book, but also for stimulating…
read moreHuo Yan, from Beijing, who held the Rewi Alley Fellowship at the Michael King Writers Centre in 2013.
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