Forms & Features with Danielle Pieratti

For as long as translators have been grappling with literary texts, poets have used translation to refine their creative practice. Contemporary poets’ often radical translations of canonical texts have delighted and frustrated readers, not least by troubling our definitions of what translation is and can be. 

In his essay “The poet’s version; or, An ethics of translation,” translator and theorist Lawrence Venuti encourages poets’ translations of canonical works that “[challenge] the styles, genres, and discourses that have gained institutional authority.” 

What to expect in this workshop:

• We’ll examine several recent “poet’s versions” as inspiration for our own reimaginings. 
• We’ll compare contrasting translations and then borrow from among them to compose our own poet’s versions, be they divergent, subversive, or destructive. 

Additional details:

This workshop is for participants aged 18 and older, of all backgrounds and experiences with reading and writing poetry. Knowledge of a second language is not necessary, but those interested in translating may bring a text in a secondary language of their choosing.