Five Emerging Novelists Selected from a 50-to-1 Competition Begin Five-Month Residency Together

Millie's Library Opens Literary Residency "Millie Writers' House"
Private Rooms and Up to 10 Million Won in Support for Each Writer
Jeong Serang Joins as Mentor

Five emerging novelists will live together in one house for five months to write their works. Each writer is provided with an independent room that serves as both a bedroom and writing studio, along with financial support for living expenses and creative activities. The novelist Jeong Serang will participate from the selection process to the creative period, mentoring the residents throughout.

KT Millie's Library established the new writer literary residency "Millie Writers' House" in Seoul. Five first-generation writers, selected through a competition with a 50-to-1 acceptance ratio, will write their works here until January next year. KT Millie's Library

On August 25, KT Millie's Library announced it has opened a literary residency called "Millie Writers' House" for emerging novelists. Located in a single-family co-living space in Seoul, the residency provides each writer with a private bedroom that also functions as a writing studio, plus a shared workspace. Each resident will receive up to 10 million won in total, combining living support and a creative grant.

The selection process for the first group of residents recorded a 50-to-1 acceptance rate. The call for applications was open to novelists with less than ten years of experience, resulting in the selection of five writers: Kim Hyebin, Seo Kangbeom, Oh Hyunhoo, Lee Seo, and Chae Kiseong. The judging panel included novelist Jeong Serang and literary critic Heo Hee, among others. Jeong Serang will also mentor the residents during their creative process at the residency.

Kim Hyebin debuted in the 2023 Dong-A Ilbo New Year's Literary Contest and has published works such as "Carrier." Seo Kangbeom, who majored in film, wrote "The Dooms We Expect," while Oh Hyunhoo received the grand prize at the K-Story Contest for "Confession Booth of Evil." Lee Seo is preparing to publish her first novel "Vagrant," and Chae Kiseong has won the World Literature Award and the Four Seasons Literature Award with works including "Unmanned" and "Buam-dong Rendezvous Art Museum." All five writers moved in and began their work on August 4.

The support extends beyond living space and financial aid. Works written during the residency may be pre-serialized on Millie's Library's creative platform "Millie Road" before official publication, and additional marketing support is provided. Monthly gatherings, professional profile photo shoots, writer branding content production, and workshops on publishing and copyright are also offered.

Recently, the publishing industry has increasingly adopted residency-type support that guarantees both living expenses and dedicated writing time for a set period, in addition to direct project funding, as a way to foster creative work. "Millie Writers' House" has adopted a model that allows new writers to temporarily escape the burdens of daily life and finding space in order to focus on their writing, while also connecting their work to serialization and publication after the residency period.

The first residency term runs for five months, until January next year. KT Millie's Library plans to begin accepting applications for the second group of residents around mid-September.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.