kt Millie’s Library Opens Literary Residency “Millie Writers’ House”

[Financial News]  kt Millie’s Library has opened a literary residency, “Millie Writers’ House,” designed to support creators in their stable artistic work. 
According to Millie’s Library on the 25th, Millie Writers’ House is a project created to provide emerging novelists with a stable writing environment and uninterrupted time to focus on their work.
Millie’s Library has set up a bedroom and writing room for one person in each unit, along with a living-room-style shared workspace, at a single-family co-living residence in Seoul. It plans to provide up to 10 million won, including living support and a creative grant.
Millie’s Library selected the first group of resident writers through an open call for emerging novelists with less than 10 years since their debut in fiction. The review panel included novelist Chung Serang and critic Heo Hui, among other experts. In particular, Chung Serang will take part in the process from the selection review through the writers’ future creative work, helping support emerging authors.
Five writers were selected for the first cohort after competing against odds of 50 to 1 and began living there and writing on Aug. 4. The residents are Kim Hye-bin, whose “Carrier” debuted through the 2023 Dong-A Ilbo New Year Literary Contest; Seo Gang-beom, who expanded from film studies into fiction with “The Destructions We Expect”; Oh Hyeon-hu, who won the grand prize in the K-Story Contest for “Confession Booth of Evil”; Lee Seo, who is preparing to publish a first novel titled “Vagrancy”; and Chae Gi-seong, who has won the Segye Literature Award and the Four Seasons Literature Award for works on a wide range of themes, including “Unmanned” and “Buam-dong Rendezvous Museum.”
Millie’s Library has also prepared a range of benefits for the writers. Works written at Millie Writers’ House can be serialized first on the creative platform Mille Road before their official publication, and related marketing support will also be provided. In addition, monthly regular meetings will help residents connect with one another, and the program will offer services such as profile photo shoots, author branding content production, and education on publishing and copyright to support their future writing careers.
The first residency period for Millie Writers’ House runs for five months until January next year. Millie’s Library said it plans to continue discovering and supporting talented emerging writers, and will begin recruiting the second cohort next month so they can keep their creative work going in a stable environment.
Lee Seong-ho, head of the Reading Division at kt Millie’s Library, said, "We launched the literary residency Millie Writers’ House to provide emerging writers with an independent workspace and support their growth." He added, "We will create a creative environment where talented new writers can focus on their work, and help completed works meet readers, building a virtuous cycle in which creators and readers grow together."


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