Agatha Christie is known around the world as the Queen of Crime, and her novels continue to inspire millions today. In collaboration with Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, we're excited to welcome three international Writers-in-residence to Greenway in Autumn 2026.
Greenway's literary legacy
Since Greenway opened to visitors in 2009, it's attracted writers and creatives from across the globe. In recent years we took part in Writing Places, an Arts Council funded project that celebrated the South West’s literary heritage, brought together by the National Trust in partnership with Literature Works, the South West’s literature development charity.
We welcomed three Writers-in-residence throughout the three year programme, Roselle Angwin, Miriam Nash and J. R. Carpenter, who's skills and experience spanned all areas of writing from performance to zine, and poetry to scripts.
In 2019, to celebrate Greenway's 10 year anniversary, we brought over 35 writers together for the Greenway Literary Festival. For two weeks, hosted in the grounds of Agatha Christie's holiday home, visitors could listen to award winning authors as they chatted fiction and non-fiction, held workshops and storytelling sessions of childrens novels, recited poetry and ran creative workshops.
Fast forward to 2026 and we're thrilled to be partnering with Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, where a whole new chapter of Greenway's literary legacy is about to unfold.
The residency
The ‘Greenway Residency’ celebrates Devon’s rich literary legacy, and the county’s unique access to a worldwide network of writers, readers, and bookish culture, thanks to Exeter’s UNESCO City of Literature designation which it has held since 2019.
49 writers with connections to 22 UNESCO Cities of Literature from across the world applied. The 'Greenway Residency' will provide space and support for three writers to develop their practice in the inspiring literary setting of Greenway, described by Agatha as “the loveliest place in the world”.
The judging panel was made up of Exeter UNESCO City of Literature’s Executive Director Anna Cohn Orchard, author and Raw Writing’s founder Carla Jenkins, author & UNESCO residency alum Fiona Williams, and Greenway’s General Manager Gary Calland.
The residencies will run simultaneously to help foster exchange between the three writers, who in turn will share their writing specialities in Devon as part of a programme of activities to connect with Greenway and Exeter UNESCO City of Literature’s network of passionate readers, writers, and storytellers.
Aining Wen was selected from Nanjing UNESCO City of Literature in China. Aining is a Children’s book author and illustrator, who graduated from the Cambridge School of Art with a degree in Children’s Book Illustration. Since 2014, she has published over 30 picture books.
“I’m honored to have been selected as one of three participants for the Greenway Writing Residency,” said Aining. “This autumn, I will be spending some time in Devon, working in a quiet and beautiful setting where I will focus on writing and painting. I also hope to gradually develop a recent picture book project exploring story, illustrations, and music. For me, this marks the beginning of a new chapter.”
Her works have been translated into Chinese, English, Spanish, Thai and Korean, and has been distributed globally. In 2021, she was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list.
Judith Rossell, Melbourne, Australia
From the UNESCO City of Literature in Australia Judith Rossell was selected, an award-winning author-illustrator of the bestselling Stella Montgomery trilogy, the middle-grade novel, The Midwatch, and the new, junior fiction series, Spud and Snowball.
“I am so happy and excited to be selected for this residency, and to have the opportunity to spend time at Greenway House,” shared Judith. “I am looking forward to working on my new story, finding inspiration, and connecting with the other writers and the literary community of Exeter.”
Judith has written eighteen books and illustrated more than eighty, and her books have been translated into twenty languages. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, with an excellent cat called Chimney.
Dr Manjiri Prabhu from Kozhikode UNESCO City of Literature in India has been selected as the third writer.
“I am delighted to be chosen for the Exeter City of Literature UNESCO Residency. It is a huge honour, a privilege, and an incredible opportunity to stay at the holiday home of Agatha Christie,” Manjiri shared. “I am looking forward to a very enriching experience at the beautiful Greenway and in the culturally vibrant Exeter. I am positive that living in the midst of nature, writing, exploring, and soaking in the spirit of the place would bring out the best in the writer in me.”
An internationally acclaimed, award-winning author of 24 books, she is the first female mystery author from India to be published internationally. She is also a short-film-maker and the Curator & Director of two international festivals - Pune International Literary Festival and International Festival of Spiritual India.
Exeter UNESCO City of Literature
Exeter City of Literature’s Executive Director Anna Cohn Orchard says, “This residency is what the UNESCO Cities of Literature Network does best: connects extraordinary writers across borders and gives people space to create. Greenway is such a special place to spend time as a writer, and we're excited to welcome Manjiri, Judith, and Aining into Devon's literary community.”
Greenway’s General Manager, Gary Calland says, “We’re delighted that Manjiri, Judith, and Aining will be at Greenway. This is a place with a deep connection to writing, and it’s inspiring to see that tradition continue with these international writers staying on site for two weeks. Their presence brings fresh energy and new perspectives, and we can’t wait to see how Greenway’s atmosphere and history shape the work they create.”
Discover more at Greenway
Find out when Greenway is open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.
Our literary-themed podcast episodes explore how several places we care for helped to shape the work of famous authors such as T.E. Lawrence, Agatha Christie and William Wordsworth.
The places we care for have inspired some of our nation’s most loved writers and poets. Book a holiday to one of these cottages and discover the inspiration behind their works for yourself.
Agatha Christie spent time at Greenway for holidays and for time to relax as a family. Find out how she came to purchase the property and how it became requisitioned during the Second World War.
From walled gardens to riverside woodland, the garden at Greenway is very relaxed and tranquil. Find out more about the Peach House, the Fernery, the Battery, and where to find the best river views.
The family at Greenway were keen collectors and frequently added to the varied collection. Discover more about what they were interested in and put on display.
