never knowingly without a pen
My review of My Mother’s Language/La langue de ma mère by Abdellatif Laâbi, translated and introduced by André Naffis-Sahely (Poetry Translation Centre, 2021), is online at MPT magazine. This is a generous selection of poems (in a neat, pocket-sized French/English edition - perfect to carry with me on a recent train journey) from a poet widely… Continue reading My review of a new selection of poems by Abdellatif Laâbi
I've made a 30 second film poem for the MPT Haiku in translation workshop which I mentioned in my previous post. As my starting point, I've taken the haiku by Yosa Buson which Alan Cummings has 'literally' translated as follows: spring rain – beach’s small shells to moisten enough In my version of the poem,… Continue reading Spring Rain
The always wonderful Modern Poetry in Translation magazine is running a free online Haiku translation workshop. I have made a collage poem in response to the haiku by Enomoto Seifu which Alan Cummings has translated 'literally' as follows: Falling blossoms Beneath, lying happily A skull Here is my collage poem which I've made by cutting… Continue reading Spring is unfolding before my eyes
Today is World Poetry Day but if you're involved in poetry in any way, every day is a poetry day, isn't it? My social media feeds are mostly jammed with posts about Brexit but some poetry has seeped through, sometimes about Brexit. I like this poem by Laxinx actor and writer Guido Garcia Luechas which… Continue reading World Poetry Day
Day Two of Winchester Poetry Festival started in the Children's Library at Winchester Discovery Centre. MPT Editor Sasha Dugdale and Access consultant Shelley Boden ran a session which introduced children to poetry (for children) in translation, "Poems from different countries can tell you things in a different way," Sasha told the young participants. "When you read… Continue reading Winchester Poetry Festival Diary: What isn’t translation?
I had an amazing day at the Queen's College, Oxford on Saturday, 14th May, taking part in Modern Poetry in Translation's Study Day to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the magazine. In the morning participants could choose two, from eight, workshops, then there was a break for lunch (and delicious it was, too). It was extremely… Continue reading Translation Study Day with MPT
I really enjoyed reading this post by Paul Stephenson about how he approached translating lines from a Jacques Brel song and incorporating them into a new poem 'The Disposal.' This is one of four wonderful poems Paul wrote about being in Paris last November during the terrorist attacks, published at The Compass an excellent online magazine. I… Continue reading Translating poetry
I absolutely loved my day at Winchester Poetry Festival on Saturday, 13th September. I snapped photos and tweeted, encouraged by the organisers' requests to audiences to help spread the word about this inaugural festival. But, as Michael Longley said before his stunning reading to a packed auditorium on Saturday evening, "I knew this was going to be a… Continue reading Saturday at Winchester Poetry Festival 2014
Josephine Corcoran 