"Say I bend, I love, I stretch, I break. // Say I bend language translation, I love language translation, I stretch language translation, I break language translation," writes poet/translator Sawako Nakayasu in her treatise Say Translation Is Art. What's the connection between writing and translating? When is writing translating, and translating writing? What happens when you do both? How can reading about translation, and reading and writing translations, inform your own original writing?

Each week we will be discussing assigned readings, as well as engaging in various exercises and activities, to help us think more deeply about the shapes, sounds, and textures of our own storytelling and language usage. Participants will have the opportunity to select literary texts of any genre/language to translate into English, and to workshop their for-practice, for-play translations two times, each time submitting up to two pages of work. In advance of workshopping, you will be asked to read your fellow classmates’ submitted translations carefully and curiously, and be prepared to engage in a respectful and open-minded group discussion with the translator about their intentions, desires, difficulties, and questions.

This 8-week course will meet on Thursdays at 6:30 PM–9:00 PM ET, from January 20th–March 10th. This workshop is open to all writers of color with a scholarship spot available. There’s limited space to enroll; see the the class page for more information!

To see all of our fall and spring classes , visit kundiman.org/online-classes.