Poet, essayist, editor and curator Yolanda Castaño is director of the International Writer’s residence Residencia Literaria 1863 in A Coruña, Galicia. The most international name in Galician contemporary poetry, she is the winner of the last Spanish National Award for Poetry, highest honor for a poet in Spain, given by the Ministry of Culture. She has published seven poetry collections in Galician and Spanish (Depth of field, Second Tongue and Matter among the last ones), she has poems translated into more than 30 different languages, but also solo poetry volumes in English, Italian, French, Slovenian, Macedonian, Serbian, Catalan and Armenian.
She has participated in festivals and literary manifestations all over 40 countries of Europe, America, Asia and Africa. Apart from the Spanish National Award for Poetry 2023, she is two times Winner of the National Critics Award, Galician Culture Award 2023, winner of the Espiral Maior Poetry Award, the González-Garcés Poetry Award, the Fundación Novacaixagalicia Prize, the Ojo Crítico (best poetry book by a young author in Spain), the Estandarte Award (best poetry collection in Spain in 2020), the ‘Author of the Year’ 2014 by Galician Booksellers’ Association, ‘Galician of the Year’ 2023 by Prensa Ibérica and Ramón Piñeiro Award for Non-Fiction books, for her first book-length essay (on Economy and Poetry). She has been also awarded International fellowships as a writer in residence, including the IWTCR in Rhodes, Villa Waldberta (Munich), the HIP-Beijing (China), Hawthornden Castle (Scotland), Valparaíso Foundation (Andalusia), Saari (Finland), Dorland (California) or Göl Yazıevi (Turquía).
She is also the author of translations, a non-fiction book, literary editions, biographies, history of Galician Poetry and seven poetry books for children. She is a relevant and award-winning cultural activist too, regularly organizing festivals, literary and translation workshops and the only international monthly readings series in all Spain, all of them hosting local to international poets since 2009. She has mixed poetry with music, visual arts, video, architecture, film in 360º, comic, dance and even cookery, being awarded for that too.

