Ukrainian writer Yehorushkina becomes first laureate of Walter Fiderowicz International Fellowship
This year's festival headliners include:
As part of the festival program, Yehorushkina will read her poetry translated by Hanna Leliv. She will also participate in a discussion on documentary literature and her non-fiction book, "And Then Our House Became a Ship. Stories About the Emotional Legacy of War." Senior New York Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Kevin Sack will serve as her conversation partner during the discussion.
In addition, the writer will conduct three workshop presentations for the book "Our World: Ukraine," which already has two editions in the US.
To receive the fellowship, Yehorushkina passed a competitive selection process. According to the writer, the selection involved several stages, including the committee reviewing chapters of her non-fiction book and English translations of her poetry.
In the notification, the organizers informed the writer of her selection as the fellowship laureate and explained the grounds for their decision:
"You have been selected as the laureate of our Walter Fiderowicz International Fellowship—a prestigious award presented annually to one writer working outside the United States. This recognition honors your outstanding artistic achievements and talent in the field of literature.
Our conversation with you deeply moved Executive Director Sarah Moriarty and me, and I am genuinely thrilled at the opportunity to help bring your work to a wider audience. We feel that your work carries immense impact—not only for Ukrainians, but for a broad audience, helping to better grasp that deep and often unnoticed humanity amid the ongoing conflict."
A dedicated event featuring the Ukrainian writer will be an open meeting of the festival's fellows. As Chytomo reported, citing the Charleston Literary Festival organizers, it will take place on November 10. During the meeting, participants will discuss the role of literature in times of war.
The Charleston Literary Festival will run from November 6 to November 15, 2026, in Charleston, South Carolina, US. This year, the organizers established the international fellowship for writers working outside the United States for the first time. Going forward, they will award it annually to one author from another country.
Yehorushkina also shared how she received the opportunity to participate in the competitive selection:
The writer thanked Walter Fiderowicz for the opportunity to join the ten-day residency and festival, noting the results of her long-standing work in literature.
Background
Organizers founded the Charleston Literary Festival in 2017. Since then, it has served as a platform for meetings among writers, intellectuals, and readers. Establishing the international fellowship in 2026 marked a new direction for the festival's activities, designed to honor authors working outside the US.
Kateryna Yehorushkina is a Ukrainian writer, poet, and literary scholar, and a member of PEN Ukraine and the All-Ukrainian Art Therapy Association. She has authored over twenty books for children and adults, with rights sold to numerous countries.
Translators render Yehorushkina's works into foreign languages. In particular, her poetry, translated by Hanna Leliv, won the European contest, Poems of Liberty: Human Rights in Inhumane War, in 2023.
It should be noted that the book "Stars and Poppy Seeds" by Ukrainian artists Romana Romanyshyn and Andrii Lesiv was nominated for the 2026 Estonian Paabeli Torn literary award, which honors the best translated books for children.
Additionally, Ukrainian studio Agrafka, illustrator Vladyslav Yerko, and children's writer Halyna Malyk were named among the nominees for the 2027 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. In total, 277 candidates from 80 countries and regions worldwide are competing for the award, with 85 nominated for the first time.
Furthermore, Dutch writer of Ukrainian origin Lisa Weeda and Ukrainian illustrator Olesia Sekeresh created a children's book in Dutch about Ukraine's history, culture, cuisine, music, and traditions. The publication "Mooi boek over Oekraïne" ("A Great Book About Ukraine") was published by the Blauw Gras publishing house and is aimed at readers aged 10 and up.
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9 of November 2026
