THE M RESTAURANT GROUP PROUDLY ANNOUNCES NOT ONE BUT THREE RECIPIENTS FOR THE 2019 M LITERARY RESIDENCY!

(Shanghai, June 3rd 2019 ) In 2019 the M Restaurant Group is thrilled to be celebrating 20 years at M on the Bund in Shanghai, 10 years of awarding the M Literary Residency, 18 years since the inception of the Shanghai International Literary Festival and 30, yes, 30 years since it started the M Restaurant Group in Hong Kong. 

When the M Literary Residency was launched 18 years ago, its aim was to encourage a true exchange of ideas between cultures. The Programme  sponsored one writer’s residency in China and one in India. 

To Celebrate 10 years of the M Literary Residency, we are delighted to announce that for 2019/2020 not one but three residencies will be awarded to some excellent projects in Shanghai. 

The final decision for this year’s 20+ judges was not an easy one: there was an outstanding selection of submissions covering a wide and fascinating range of subjects to choose from.  

Here is the list of recipients of the 2019/20 M Literary Residency:

JULIET PETRUS is a classical singer and Chinese music specialist. She will use her time in Shanghai to complete the manuscript of the upcoming release, SINGING IN MANDARIN, the next edition in the 'Singing in' Vocal Diction Series for the American publisher, Rowman and Littlefield. The M Literary Residency will allow Juliet close collaboration with her co-writer Katherine Chu, who is based in Suzhou, and give her  access to the resources unique to the classical vocal music scene in Shanghai and China.

STEVEN SCHWANKERT’s book project is to solve the mystery of one of China's forgotten maritime disasters, one that claimed more lives than the Titanic, and which is unexplained to this day, more than 70 years later. It's the story of one of the world's great, shipwrecks, whose victims could have been observed boarding and setting off from where M on the Bund and M Glam now stand.

The third project will be announced shortly. 

For more information please contact Jane Chen at jane@m-onthebund.com

The M Literary Residency 2019-2020

Opening date: January 1, 2019. Closing date: March 31, 2019 midnight GMT. Late applications will not be accepted. Results will be announced on May 31st, 2019. 

The M Residency allows writers with an interest in China to deepen their understanding of this vital and fascinating place. Established in 2009 and fully funded by the M Restaurant Group, the residency has its roots in M's Shanghai and Beijing Literary Festivals, and aims to foster artistic, cultural and intellectual links between individuals and communities. From 2009 to 2016 the residency included one resident in Shanghai and one in India. In 2017, the residency included one resident based in Shanghai and one in Beijing. As of 2018, we will be providing accomodation for one resident in Shanghai, China.

The M Literary Residency Programme is fully funded by the M Restaurant Group. The intent of the Residency is to provide space and time primarily for writing and location-specific research. It is not to be used as a base for travel for research or leisure.

M Restaurant Group

M Restaurant Group is a pioneering collection of award-winning restaurants and lounges in China. In 1989, Australian cook Michelle Garnaut—the signature 'M'—opened M at the Fringe in Hong Kong, a gorgeous restaurant with a new take on contemporary fine dining. It was a runaway hit, and ten years later she took a daring step and opened M on the Bund in Shanghai, at a time when the historic waterfront was known mainly for dilapidated offices rather than the lively nightlife scene it has since developed. She tested the waters first with a stint cooking at the landmark Peace Hotel, and in the end the gamble paid off. Now restaurants and bars of all kinds have sprouted up in the shadow of the Art Deco Nissin Shipping Building where M on the Bund presides, still going strong after nearly 20 years.
Today, the M Restaurant Group includes two venues: M on the Bund and Glam dining lounge and bar in Shanghai. Delicious food in a chic, comfortable environment are ideals embodied by all three restaurants, with classics like M’s Crispy Suckling Pig and M's Very Famous Pavlova always greeting diners, along with seasonal specialities, fresh, homemade bread and signature cocktails, all made from scratch. And perhaps most meaningfully, the restaurants are a part of the communities they serve. M has spearheaded the sourcing of sustainable and organic foods in China, working with local producers to set standards. A focus on the arts has yielded the Shanghai and Capital Literary Festivals, the M Residency and a vibrant series of talks and salons, all of them in the comfortable confines of M venues.

Unfortunately, due to the large volume of submissions, we won't be able to contact all applicants individually. Please note that the judges' decision is final.