International Literature Exchange

The International Literature Exchange (ILX) brings together literature professionals to learn, exchange expertise and experience, devise collaborations, and build international networks.

For more than a decade, the National Centre for Writing has been working with the British Council to curate ILX, a vibrant multilateral community designed to help us work better — together.

This year, we are thrilled to collaborate with the Cities of Literature in Bucheon, Jakarta, Lviv, and Odessa to bring together literary professionals for a unique opportunity to learn, share expertise, spark collaborations, and build international networks.

We are looking for applications from literature professionals based in the UK and Ireland, as well as Ukraine, South Korea and Indonesia, to take part in ILX 2025‑6.

Successful applicants from the UK and Ireland will firstly participate in a series of three to four exchanges with fellow literary professionals from the region between September and December 2025. The dates and format (online or in-person) of these sessions will depend on the availability of the successful applicants. There is a small stipend available to support applicants who are freelancers.

These sessions will then culminate in an online international symposium in January 2026, bringing together the UK and Irish delegates and their international counterparts. Throughout the programme, participants will explore the key challenges and opportunities shaping the global literary landscape today.

We invite expressions of interest from all those who work in and with words, books, and literature; this includes for instance publishers, literary event organisers and agents.

Please note:

we are only able to select writers who also hold another role within the wider literature ecosystem.