Upcoming Translation Events May 2023

Monday, May 1:

Days of 2023: A Poetic Symposium on C.P. Cavafy: Translation as a Poetic Act | As a part of the Onassis Foundation's citywide Archive of Desire: A Festival Inspired by the Poet C.P. Cavafy, join us for a symposium for poets from New York, Egypt, and Greece led by professors Stathis Gourgouris (Columbia) and Karen Emmerich (Princeton), both members of the Cavafy Academic Committee. Days of 2023 references Cavafy’s many works named “Days of...” with the year of their writing or a date of reflection as titles. Join us for the panel, “Translation as a Poetic Act,” featuring Susan Bernofsky (translator, Columbia University), Karen Emmerich (translator, Princeton University), Brent Edwards (critic and translator, Columbia University), and Iman Mersal (poet, critic, translator, University of Alberta). In-person. Organized by the Onassis Foundation, co-sponsored by the Society of Fellows and Heyman Center for the Humanities, the Columbia University Office of the President, the Program in Hellenic Studies, the Department of Classics, and the Columbia University School of the Arts. More info here. 11:30 - 12:45 p.m. (ET)

Translating Brazil - Brazilian Literature in English: A Conversation with Translators, Writers, and Editors | Ines Rodrigues will mediate a translation event at Casa Hispanica on Monday, April 3rd, at 6:00 p.m. Katrina Dodson, Bruna Dantas Lobato, and Flora Thomson DeVeux will be in conversation with Brazilian author, Stênio Gardel, translated by Dantas Lobato, on Zoom. The event will be in English. Hybrid (in-person and virtual). Hosted by the Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures at Columbia University. Starts at 6:00 p.m. (ET)

Thursday, May 4:

Sam Bett Presents Fuminori Nakamura’s The Rope Artist | Join translator Sam Bett at the Mysterious Bookshop to launch a translation of The Rope Artist by Fuminori Nakamura from Soho Press.Opening like a police procedural in the tradition of Columbo, Nakamura's The Rope Artist turns the detective genre on its head within the first few pages, when a homicide detective called to investigate the murder of a bondage teacher realizes that his former lover is the murderer. Delving into Tokyo's kinbaku (shibari) bondage scene, Nakamura both embraces and undermines the detective fiction genre by exploiting some of its most beloved tropes, as he prods at his characters to step into the unnerving darkness that his fiction finds behind every closed door. In-person. More info here. Starts at 6:00 p.m. (ET) 

Friday, May 5:

Us & Them: A Writer-Translator Reading Series | Katrina Dodson (Mário de Andrade, Brazil), Ross Benjamin (Franz Kafka, Bohemia), Mike Soto (Ignacio Ruiz-Pérez, Mexico), and Rena J. Mosteirin (Filtering Shakespeare, England) present original writing and new translations. In-person. Hosted by Molasses Books. More info here. Starts at 8:00 p.m. (ET)

Monday, May 8:

Epic Annette: A Heroine’s Tale: Reading and Conversation with Anne Weber and Tess Lewis | Join author Anne Weber and translator Tess Lewis for a conversation about Weber's novel Epic Annette: A Heroine's Tale. Susie Nicklin, publisher of The Indigo Press, will moderate. In-person. This event is presented by Goethe-Institut New York and co-presented by Deutsches Haus at NYU, Villa Albertine, and The Indigo Press. More info here. 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. (ET)

Tuesday, May 9:

A Poetry and Translation Reading at Hunter College | A Poetry and Translation Reading with Eugene Ostashevsky, Timmy Straw, Venya Gushchin, and Elina Alter. Four poets, writers, and translators read a combination of translated and original work, including Eugene Ostashevsky’s translations of Marianna Kiyanovsky, Timmy Straw’s translations of Grigori Dashevsky, Venya Gushchin’s translation of Yevsey Tseytlin’s Rereading Silence, and Elina Alter’s translation of Alla Gorbunova’s It’s the End of the World, My Love. In-person. Hosted by Hunter College. More info here and here. RSVP required here. Starts at 6:00 p.m. (ET)

Macunaíma + Searching for Makunaíma | Take a deep dive into the legendary Brazilian modernist novel Macunaíma in this special double-feature event with Katrina Dodson, which includes a book signing of her new translation between films! In-person. Hosted by the Brooklyn Academy of Music. More info here. Starts at 7:00 p.m. (ET)

Colloquy: Latin American Poetry in Conversation | Brooklyn Public Library, in collaboration with World Poetry Books, Quantum Prose, and Belladonna present Colloquy #6: Latin American Poetry in Translation, an evening of readings and conversation celebrating new books by Lila Zemborain translated by Christopher Winks, Jeannette L. Clariond translated by Samantha Schnee, and Ennio Moltedo translated by Marguerite Feitlowitz. The event will be recorded for broadcast by Montez Press Radio. In-person. Hosted by World Poetry and organized by Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center. More info here. RSVP required. 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. (ET)

Thursday, May 11:

PEN America World Voices Festival: Translation Slam | The Translation Slam puts different translations of the same text side by side and invites the translators, authors, and audience members to join in a lively critical debate of how each version meets its creative challenges. New texts, previously untranslated into English will be provided by authors Kevin Chen (Ghost Town) and Maria Fernanda Ampuero (Human Sacrifices). Translating Ampuero’s work from Spanish will be Samantha Schnee and D.P. Snyder. Translating Chen’s work from Chinese are Stacy Mosher and Lin King. Translations of both Chen and Ampuero’s texts will also be provided by ChatGPT. Translations will vie for audience approval and the event will end with a brief Q&A. Hosting the Slam will be PEN America Translation Committee Co-Chair, Annelise Finegan. In-person. Hosted by PEN America. More info here. Starts at 6:00 p.m. (ET)

Saturday, May 13:

PEN America World Voices Festival: Translation Manifesto | In 1969, the PEN America Translation Committee released a manifesto ahead of the 1970 “World of Translation” conference, the first gathering of its kind in the United States. The manifesto sought to bring to light the issues faced by the translation community, focusing on the rights of the translator and translation studies. Fifty years later, in 2020, PEN held another conference titled “Translating the Future.” In conjunction with this conference, a new manifesto was drafted to address the contemporary state of translation in the United States. The new manifesto, released in 2023, takes a critical eye to the world of translation, examining the intersection of translation with other harmful trends in the publishing industry, such as under-compensation, racism, sexism, and US cultural hegemony. Now, PEN is thrilled to welcome the translation committee to the World Voices Festival stage for a round table discussion surrounding this vital document. How can we understand translation not just as a form of writing, but also as an inherently political act? How do we teach, review, and study translation in a way that honors the unique context of the practice? Understanding these questions and more is a crucial act of literary citizenship. Moderated by translator Bonnie Chau, this event will feature translators Jennifer Croft, Alexa Frank, Anton Hur and Aaron Robertson. Join us for this meaningful discussion—and urgent call to action. In-person. Hosted by PEN America. More info here. Starts at 12:00 p.m. (ET)

Sunday, May 14:

Book Launch: Mona Kareem's I Will Not Fold These Maps, Tr. Sara Elkamel | Join us for the launch of Mona Kareem's poetry collection I Will Not Fold These Maps, with Mona Kareem, translator Sara Elkamel, editor Nashwa Nasreldin, and hosted by ArabLit's M. Lynx Qualey. Co-organized by the Poetry Translation Centre and ArabLit, this will be an hour of brilliant poetry & vibrant discussion. Virtual. Hosted by the Poetry Translation Centre. More info here and here. 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. (ET)

Monday, May 15:

NYPL presents Macunaíma is Back!: Reading and Conversation with Katrina Dodson and Brent Hayes Edwards | Please join us for an evening of Brazilian Culture as we revisit this masterpiece of Brazilian literature. The PEN Award-winning translator of Clarice Lispector’s Complete Stories, Katrina Dodson, will join renowned scholar and translator Brent Hayes Edwards to discuss her long-awaited new translation of the landmark 1928 modernist epic, Macunaíma: The Hero with No Character, by Mário de Andrade, one of the founding fathers of the modernist movement in Brazil. In-person. Hosted by the NYPL. More info here. 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. (ET)

At Home with Literati: Carmen Boullosa & Samantha Schnee | We're pleased to welcome Carmen Boullosa to our At Home with Literati Series in support of The Book of Eve. She will be joined in conversation by translator Samantha Schnee. Virtual. Hosted by Literati Bookstore. More info here. Starts at 7:00 p.m. (ET) 

Tuesday, May 23:

Write the World: A Day in Translation - The Power of Literary Awards to Expand Readership | Literary awards have long been successful in celebrating and promoting authors, but is that true when it comes to works in translation? In 2006, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award was established to bring recognition to outstanding Arabic writing and promote the translation and reading of Arabic literature around the world. In this panel discussion, the US publicist for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award and one of this year's Literature category finalists, writer and editor Reem Bassiouney, and representatives from the National Book Critics Circle and National Book Foundation will discuss the creation and impact of these awards on global and personal levels. The discussion will be moderated by journalist Olivia Snaije. Virtual. Hosted by the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) and sponsored by the Sheikh Zayed Book Award. More info here. 12:00 - 1:15 p.m. (ET)

Write the World: A Day in Translation - Partnering for Success: Translators & Agents in the Publishing Industry | Translators are essential in bringing diverse stories and voices to readers around the world. However, selling translations can be challenging without understanding how agents and editors function within the publishing industry. What is the role of literary agents? Should translators seek out partnerships with literary agents? If so, what is the best way for translators and agents to connect and work together? In this session, a translator, agent, and publisher will discuss the various ways in which an agent can help translators navigate the business side of publishing, such as pitching projects, negotiating contracts, and marketing translations, along with building relationships with publishers. Panelists include Elianna Kan, Heather Cleary, and Ethan Nosowsky. Moderated by Julia Sanches. Virtual. Hosted by the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA). More info here. 2:00 - 3:15 p.m. (ET)

Write the World: A Day in Translation - Social Media Branding and Marketing for Literary Translators | Social media can be a powerful and useful tool for literary translators to make ourselves and our work seen, particularly for emerging translators or those who are based in countries and regions away from the traditional hubs of Anglophone publishing. Creating a social media account is easy, but the choice of platform(s) to start with can be daunting. Is one platform better than the others to help you achieve your goals? Who do we want to reach out to – editors, publishers, readers? What should we post and is there really a golden time or day for maximum engagement? Anton Hur, Matthew Sciarappa, Sawad Hussain and moderator Yuki Tejima will share their experience and know-how in this panel comprising literary translators, book bloggers and social media experts in publishing. Virtual. Hosted by the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA). More info here. 4:00 - 5:15 p.m. (ET)

Write the World: A Day in Translation - Publishing Translations: A Conversation Between Translators & Editors | Before introducing our translations to the world, what does a professional relationship between translators and editors look like? What is it like to edit works in translation, and communicate intentionality that comes from considerations of style, the original language, and more? Are there differences when publishing translation as books, as shorter pieces in a literary magazine, or when translators write essays about languages? We have invited three editors (some of whom are also translators themselves) who have experiences working with translators––from publishing houses to literary magazines. We will explore elements of building a healthy relationship between both, and what it is like to introduce essays about translation, and translations themselves, to wider audiences. Panelists include Alexa Frank, Stella Cabot Wilson, and Soleil Davíd. Moderated by Jenna Tang. Virtual. Hosted by the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA). More info here. 6:00 - 7:15 p.m. (ET)

Wednesday, May 24:

A Conversation with Maureen Freely and Zain Khalid at the McNally Jackson Seaport bookstore | Join Maureen Freely and Zain Khalid for an in-person discussion of Maureen’s translation of Sevgi Soysal’s Dawn at the McNally Jackson Seaport bookstore. Dawn is a fiercely lucid examination of voices of protest in Turkey amid political turmoil. In-person. Hosted by McNally Jackson Seaport. More info here. 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. (ET)

Thursday, May 25:

V&Q Books: A Light Still Burns | V&Q Books present A Light Still Burns with author Selim Özdoğan and translators Katy Derbyshire and Ayça Türkoğlu. Virtual. Hosted by Borderless Book Club. More info here. Register for the Zoom link here. 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. (ET)

Saturday, May 27:

The Soul Conveys Itself in Shadow: A Book Celebration | Stenen Press is proud to present The Soul Conveys Itself in Shadow / El alma se mueve en la sombra—a book that rethinks language itself, and embraces the power, innovation, and diversity of poetic voices from around the globe. Join us for a conversation with some of the most dynamic and insightful poets of our time. All event attendees will receive an exclusive discount code valid towards a purchase of The Soul Conveys Itself in Shadow / El alma se mueve en la sombra. Virtual. Hosted by Stenen Press. More info here. Register here. 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. (ET)