Upcoming Translation Events (Virtual & In-Person): May 2025

Friday, May 2:

Translation Slam | The Translation Slam showcases multiple translations of the same text, inviting translators, authors, and audience members into a lively debate about the creative decisions behind each version. This edition features a previously untranslated text by German author Daniel Kehlmann (The Director), with translations by Geoffrey C. Howes, Paul David Young, and ChatGPT. The event will be hosted by Annelise Finegan, a member of the PEN America Translation Committee, and will conclude with a brief Q&A. In-person. Hosted by PEN America. More info here. 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (ET)

Jonas Elbousty with Qussay Al-Attabi: Tales of Tangier by Mohamed Choukri | Join the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith for a virtual event with translator Jonas Elbousty to celebrate the release of Tales of Tangier by Mohamed Choukri. Elbousty will be in conversation with writer, translator, and scholar Qussay Al-Attabi. This complete collection of Choukri’s short stories, translated into English for the first time in a single volume, captures the vibrant and gritty life of Tangier’s streets and its overlooked denizens. Choukri’s writing, which he describes as protest rather than parade, gives voice to the abused, abandoned, and addicted, offering vivid vignettes and reflections on life in the margins. Virtual. Hosted by Brookline Booksmith's Transnational Literature Series.More info here. 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (ET)

Dialogues: Poetry in Conversation | From the moment pen meets paper, literature is in dialogue—with its influences, its peers, and its readers. Join poets Dunya Mikhail (Tablets: Secrets of the Clay) and Radu Vancu for a conversation on how poetry engages with other texts, artists, and forms. Moderated by poet and translator Nancy Naomi Carlson (When We Only Have the Earth), the discussion will explore the role of translation in poetic practice, from meditative dialogues with ancient Sumerian tablets to ekphrastic reflection. In-person. Hosted by PEN America. Free event. More info here. 8:00 p.m. - 9:15 p.m. (ET)

Saturday, May 3:

Translation on the Line: Censorship, Power, and the Politics of Language | From governments to cultural gatekeepers, institutions to translators themselves, many forces shape which stories get told—and how. Join translators Michael Eskin, Sawad Hussain, and Monica Cure in conversation with award-winning translator and moderator Sandra Smith as they explore what happens when translation challenges the status quo. This discussion will examine the pressures translators face under political regimes, cultural sensitivities, and institutional demands, and how censorship—whether overt or subtle—has influenced translation throughout history. In-person. Hosted by the PEN America Translation Committee. More info here. 12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. (ET)

Sunday, May 4:

Between Worlds, Between Words – poets in conversation with Irena Klepfisz | The Polish Cultural Institute New York and exquisites queer and trans reading series are excited to announce “Between Worlds, Between Words,” an afternoon of poetry and conversation celebrating the work of Irena Klepfisz at The Bureau General Services—Queer Division. Irena Klepsfisz is the author of several poetry collections including her newest publication, Her Birth and Later Years: Poems New and Collected 1971-2021, translated in English and Polish. The afternoon at The Bureau will feature cross-generational readings by queer Jewish poets Ariel Goldberg, Clairette Atri Mizrahi, Ayaz O. Muratoglu, and Irena Klepfisz. Following the readings there will be a conversation moderated by danilo machado and Em Marie Kohl of exquisites, touching upon themes of diaspora, identity, and translation. Hybrid (In-person and Virtual). Hosted by The Polish Cultural Institute New York. More info here. 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (ET)

Jennifer Shyue: Poems Full of Pebbles and Bones | Join translator Jennifer Shyue for a study session and conversation on recent translations of Peruvian poets Julia Wong Kcomt, Rodrigo Quijano, and Victoria Guerrero Peirano. These writers, whose work emerged from the volatile political and literary landscape of 1990s–2000s Peru, explore themes of erasure, subjectivity, and resistance. The session will examine their poetics and politics in relation to decolonial thought, life writing, and Peru’s “conversational” poetic tradition. In-person. Hosted by Wendy’s Subway and Deep Vellum. More info here. 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (ET)

Water & Gold: Rumi with Haleh Liza Gafori | The Public Theater welcomes acclaimed translator, vocalist, and performance artist Haleh Liza Gafori for an uplifting and transportive evening of music and recitation, immersing audiences in the imagery, rhythm, and liberating messages of Rumi’s poetry. Gafori will celebrate the release of Water, her new collection of Rumi translations and a follow-up to the widely praised Gold, both published by NYRB Classics. Performing in both Persian and English, Gafori will be joined by Grammy-nominated musician Shahzad Ismaily and friends for a dynamic blend of music, poetry, and storytelling. In-person. Hosted by The Public Theater. More info here. 8:00 p.m. - 9:15 p.m. (ET)

Monday, May 5:

Translation/Transnation 2025 Conference | Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Princeton University Press’s Translation/Transnation book series, this two-day conference brings together a wide range of authors whose works have shaped contemporary translation studies and Comparative Literature. The series, founded by literary editor Mary Murrell and professor Emily Apter, has had a lasting impact on the discipline, advancing transnational and politically engaged approaches to language, vernacularization, and untranslatability. Authors will engage in dialogue with one another and invited interlocutors on the legacies and futures of critical paradigms introduced by the series. In-person. Hosted by Emily Apter, in collaboration with Princeton University Press and NYU’s Maison Française. More info here. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (ET)

Aharon Shabtai and Peter Cole with Ange Mlinko: Requiem and Other Poems | Join renowned Israeli poet Aharon Shabtai, “one of the most exciting writers working in Hebrew today” (Ha’aretz) for a virtual reading and conversation with his translator, Peter Cole, and acclaimed poet Ange Mlinko. Virtual. Hosted by 92NY. More info here. Starts at 6:30 p.m. (ET)

Wednesday, May 7:

Reading: Kit Schluter & Judah Rubin at The Poetry Project | The Poetry Project celebrates two recent translations of experimental Latin American poetry: An Inherent Tear by Peruvian poet and art researcher Rodrigo Quijano (translated by Judah Rubin, Wendy’s Subway, 2024), and Lantana, or The Indissoluble Exhalation by Mexican poet bruno darío (translated by Kit Schluter, Ugly Duckling Presse, 2025). In their dynamic, caustic verse, Quijano and darío meditate on premature death and an unlivable world. In-person. Hosted by The Poetry Project. More info here. 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. (ET)

Friday, May 9:

Book launch of OVID VOID: Eugene Ostashevsky with Inna Krasnoper, Elina Alter, and Ernesto Estrella | Join us for the launch of OVID VOID, Eugene Ostashevsky’s experimental translations of Maria Stepanova’s poems of exile from the winter of the pandemic, published as a special edition chapbook by World Poetry. Eugene will be joined by Berlin-based multilingual poet Inna Krasnoper, as well as Russian literary translator Elina Alter, editor of Circumference magazine, and Ernesto Estrella, for a night exploring different modalities of literary translation and cross-linguistic performance. In-person. Hosted by MyBiblioteka. More info here. 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (ET)

Monday, May 12:

Lit Translation Lab reading | Please join us for the Lit Translation Lab reading at Molasses Books in Bushwick (770 Hart St, Brooklyn). Owned by TNS alum Matt Winn. In-person. 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. (ET)  

Wednesday, May 14:

Misophonia: An Evening with Dana Vowinckel, Adrian Nathan West, and Martina Wunderer | A reading by Dana Vowinckel from her acclaimed debut novel Misophonia (HarperVia, 2025), followed by a conversation with the book’s translator, Adrian Nathan West, and its German editor, Martina Wunderer (Suhrkamp Verlag). In-person. Hosted by Deutsches Haus at NYU and 1014. More info here. 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (ET)

Friday, May 16:

Richard Sieburth and Rosanna Warren discuss Wickerwork | Join translator Richard Sieburth and poet Rosanna Warren at NYU Deutsches Haus for a discussion of Wickerwork by Christian Lehnert, translated from the German by Sieburth. The event will feature a reading, conversation, and book signing to follow. In-person. Hosted by Deutsches Haus at NYU. More info here. 5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m. (ET)

Wednesday, May 21:

Eye of the Island with Daniel Hahn and Sean O’Brien | Join the Poetry Translation Centre for a virtual celebration of Eye of the Island by the late, celebrated Cape Verdean poet Corsino Fortes. Translators Daniel Hahn and Sean O’Brien will read from the book and discuss their translation process. Fortes, who wrote in Cape Verdean Creole and Portuguese, was a poet, diplomat, and activist whose vivid and hallucinatory poems offer word-scapes rooted in land, sea, and body. This launch marks the latest release in the PTC’s World Poet Series. Virtual. Hosted by Poetry Translation Centre. More info here. 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. (ET)

The Future of Publishing & Literature in Translation (Bridges – City of Asylum 2025 Creative Summit) | Join Elisabeth Jaquette (Words Without Borders), Barbara Epler (New Directions), Michelle Gil-Montero (Eulalia Books), and Chad Post (Open Letter) for a conversation on the scope, possibilities, and realities shaping the future of publishing and literature in translation. This program highlights the vital role translated works play in building bridges across cultures and literary communities. Live-streamed. Hosted by City of Asylum. More info here. 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. (ET)

Thursday, May 22:

Hebdomeros and Mr. Dudron by Giorgio de Chirico | Join us for a conversation between Ara Merjian, Professor of Italian at NYU, and Stefania Heim, an author and translator of Mr. Dudron, on the Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico’s literary pursuits and the process of translating surrealist fiction, and the connection between literature and the visual arts. In-person. Hosted by POWERHOUSE Arena. More info here. 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (ET)

Friday, May 23:

Translation Poetics Workshop with Burcu Sahin and Kira Josefsson | Celebrating the release of Embroideries (Litmus Press, 2024), and O (World Poetry Books, 2024), this generative writing workshop will bring participants into conversation with poet Burcu Sahin and translator Kira Josefsson. Burcu and Kira will share excerpts from their respective books and co-facilitate group discussions and writing activities, leading participants through their own experiments in writing, translating, and discussing poetry and poetics. Open to everyone—writers, readers, translators, educators, and those who are simply curious—this event will spark new critical conversations and inspire fresh approaches to translation as poetics. In-person. Hosted by Litmus Press at POETRY CORP. More info here. 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. (ET)

Wednesday, May 28:

This Darkness Will Never End Book Presentation | Translator Jeanne Bonner will present This Darkness Will Never End, her translation of a short story collection by Italian transnational author, Edith Bruck, which was recently published by Paul Dry Books. She will be joined in conversation by Prof. Philip Balma, Ph.D. In-person. Hosted by Instituto Italiano di Cultura di New York. More info here. Starts at 6:00 p.m. (ET)

Thursday, May 29:

Women’s Voices from the Revolution: Book Launch and Conversation with Writers from Myanmar | Join us for a conversation with writers and the publisher of Women’s Voices from the Revolution on the power of storytelling, human rights, and their experiences living under the junta’s rule. Moderated by acclaimed writer and activist Ma Thida, this conversation will include A Phyu, a writer featured in the anthology, and Debbie Stothard of ALTSEAN-Burma. The event will be introduced by Karin Deutsch Karlekar, PEN America’s director of writers at risk. A recording of the conversation will be available on YouTube. In-person. Hosted by PEN America. More info here. Starts at 11:00 a.m. (ET)

Colloquy 17: Emerging Translators | Join World Poetry Books for Colloquy: Emerging Translators, featuring readings and discussion with Marine Cornuet, Aiden Farrell, and Poorna Swami, moderated by Colloquy curator C. Francis Fisher. Colloquy offers a space for translators to engage live with audiences, presenting short readings from recently published works of poetry, prose, or essay, followed by extended conversations and audience Q&A. In-person. Hosted by World Poetry Books. More info here. 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (ET)

Friday, May 30:

Us&Them: A Writer/Translator Reading Series 2025 | Us&Them gives literary translators with parallel careers as writers a place to showcase both sides of their work. For May 2025 the reading will focus on French translations. In-person. Hosted by Molasses Books. More info here. Starts at 8:00 p.m. (ET)

Saturday, May 31:

New York Circle of Translators presents Becoming a Translator 2025 | Come enjoy the world of translation and interpretation with the NYCT and Hunter MATI Program. An afternoon of talks and interaction, as we discuss the journey of becoming a linguist in New York City and beyond, with speaker and lead panelist Regina Galasso (University of Massachusetts Amherst Director of Translation Center and Associate Professor) and facilitators Anthony Alencar (NYCT Program Director and Interpreter) and Julie Tay (Distinguished lecturer in the Department of Classical and Oriental Studies and the director of the Master of Arts in Translation and Interpreting program). In-person. Hosted by NYCT and Hunter MATI Program. More info here. 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (ET)

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