Mongrel International Inc.
Literary Services
Summer 2026
Xu Xi leads writing workshops for transnationals
TO REGISTER OR APPLY contact mongrelintl@gmail.com
JULY in Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature: Xu Xi is part of The Rogue Workshops in partnership with Authors at Large. Week-long in-person workshops and classes offered by six writers, including readings & group meals.
Xu: “Writing Transnationally: a generative workshop in fiction”
July 20 to 24 at Porchlight Literary Arts Center 109 E Washington Street, Iowa City
Anyone who traverses nations, cultures or languages embraces the betwixt-and-between of a transnational reality. But how do you write that transnational life into fiction— whether trans-national, -cultural, -lingual, -religious or -societal without bumbling into stereotypes, or worse, way TMI (too much information)? In this workshop, you'll explore writing your transnational fiction in the form and genre that best suits what you most need to write. Through a series of in class reading and writing exercises you'll produce work to be continued outside of workshop. The goal is to produce at least the start of a new piece of fiction that can be submitted to me for individual written comments.
Five daily 2-hour workshop sessions 10 am to 12 noon + private conference + post workshop individual written manuscript review
LIMITED TO 10 WRITERS
Fee US$950 (does not include airfare/accommodation); early bird 10% discount if registered by April 15
Registration deadline Sunday July 12
Group room rates are available at the Graduate Hotel to all participants on a first-come, first-served basis for July 19 to 26. Use code 93K or go to this link
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AUGUST Online – weekend manuscript workshop (by Zoom)
August 28 to 30 “Writing Between Languages in Creative Prose”
Do you have more than one “mother tongue”? Does “mother tongue” to describe the language(s) that spill into your creative work even make sense anymore in this globalized and linguistically fractured world? If you write in English (as so many of us do, regardless of country of origin, ethnicity or even our first languages or mother tongues), isn't there a problem with the dominance of English in the literary world that doesn't always recognize the fluidity of English in the real world? In this workshop, writing that disrupts our literary English language are most welcome. In particular, writing out of Asia or that leans into Asian languages & cultures is especially suited to this workshop. Some pre-workshop readings of published fiction &/or literary nonfiction will be assigned.
Three 2.5-hour sessions + post-workshop individual written manuscript review
LIMITED TO 5 WRITERS by application only
Fee: US$600
Schedule accommodates US time zones mornings + NE & SE Asian time zones evenings
Fri/Sat/Sun EDT 08:00 to 10:30 hrs. OR Hong Kong/Singapore time 20:00 to 22:30 hrs.
To apply, write mongrelintl@gmail.com stating why you want to participate in this workshop + a brief description of your creative writing & workshopping experience. Please attach a creative prose (fiction/literary nonfiction or hybrid) writing sample (approx. 2,500 to 3,000 words)
Application deadline Friday July 31 (Xu's editorial clients or MA/MFA students email to waive application)
Manuscript deadline workshop manuscripts of creative prose of up to 5,000 words max., plus a short statement of your creative language challenges (max. 250 words) must be submitted by no later than Friday August 7
Literary Services
Please pay invoices from Mongrel International Inc. via credit card or Paypal at this link. If you have a Paypal account you can pay mongrelintl@gmail.com and quote your invoice #.
Out-of-print books available for sale
(in US$ inclusive of tax)
Paperback (plus postage/shipping)
Chinese Walls & Daughters of Hui, compendium edition $10
Overleaf Hong Kong: stories & essays of the Chinese, overseas $10
Evansecent Isles: from my city-village $10
History's Fiction: stories from the city of Hong Kong, 1st ed. $10
Hong Kong Rose, 2nd ed. $5.50
The Unwalled City $12.50
EBooks
Habit of a Foreign Sky $6
Access: Thirteen Tales $7
Insignificance: Hong Kong Stories $7
Monkey in Residence & Other Speculations $7
To order, please email mongrelintl@gmail.com. For paperback orders, please provide mailing address and preferred shipping method: media mail/book rate (within the US only), first class mail, express mail or Fedex/UPS.