Urszula Jabłońska

I applied for the programme because I found myself at a crossroads in terms of my research and artistic activities. I am a reporter and non-fiction writer. Last year, I decided to limit the number of reports I published in the press because I was experiencing professional burnout. The way the media works no longer suited me – in fact, it made publishing long, analytical texts impossible. I therefore decided to focus on writing non-fiction books, and I am currently working on two projects. However, I was unable to obtain any grants for 2025, which made me reflect on what it means to lead a creative life without a stable income. 

I am a reporter and author of non-fiction books. My work has been published in ​​​​Duży Format, Polityka and Pismo. I won the Grand Press Award in the press reportage category in 2012, and was nominated for the international True Story Award in 2019. I was a scholarship holder on the Milena Jesenská Programme at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna in 2018, and on the international CELA (Connecting Emerging Literary Artists) programme from 2019 to 2023. I have written two books of reportage: Człowiek w przystępnej cenie. Reportaże z Tajlandii [A Man at an Affordable Price. Reports from Thailand] published in 2017 and Światy wzniesiemy nowe [We Will Build New Worlds] published in 2021. I run non-fiction writing workshops for non-governmental organisations and cultural institutions, as well as utopia workshops for all. I have worked in Japan, Thailand and Indonesia, among other places, and my heart beats in Asia. Through my writing, I explore the human condition in the context of an economy of excess, globalisation, and climate change. I am fascinated by visions of paradise, both lost and invented in the hope of a better world.