Ale Oseguera wins Tartu literary residency
Thursday 17th September 2026 on 15:30 in
Estonia
Mexican-born writer and performance poet Ale Oseguera has been selected for Tartu’s autumn literary residency after more than 100 applications, ERR reported. Oseguera has lived in Barcelona for around 20 years.
Oseguera is active in Barcelona’s literary scene and works in cultural journalism and communications. She leads book clubs and creative writing workshops, publishes literary criticism and performs at spoken-word events.
Since 2019, she has coordinated the poetry segment of Todos Somos Sospechosos, a programme on Radio 3, a station of Spain’s national broadcaster.
Oseguera has published three poetry collections and two novels. Her work often explores memory, identity and living abroad, and is marked by genre diversity. Her novel Dugongo, published this year, combines travel writing, diary entries and essayistic fiction.
In her poetry, Oseguera focuses on taking texts beyond the page and conveying them through voice and the body. She has performed her work in Spain, Mexico, Belgium and England.
During her stay in Tartu, Oseguera plans to work on a new novel and learn about Estonian culture and literature. She will also perform at the Hullunud Tartu festival, held from November 5 to 7. Her residency will run from mid-October to mid-December.
The residency competition, open to writers from around the world, was announced in August, with applications accepted until September 1. The decision was made by a four-member panel comprising Berk Vaher of the Tartu Literary House Foundation, Krista Ojasaar of the Estonian Literary Museum, Janika Kronberg of the Tartu branch of the Estonian Writers’ Union and Marja Unt of the Estonian Literary Society.
Tartu’s international literary residency programme began in 2017 and is intended for writers and translators of Estonian literature into other languages. Each residency lasts two months, and the competition is held twice a year.
Previous participants have included writers and poets from Slovenia, Ireland, Hungary, the United States, England, Ukraine, Canada, Denmark, Brazil and Poland.