Invitation to the 10th Poetry Symposium “Paros Symposium”
Dear poets, translators, and scholars,
It is our pleasure to invite you to the tenth annual Paros Translation Symposium which will take place from 16 July through 26 July, 2015 in Athens, Greece.
The Paros Symposium was founded by poets Susan Gevirtz and Siarita Kouka in 2004, to foster translation and exchange between Greek and Anglophone poets/translators. Our focus is on translation practice, working together to bring Greek poetry into English and vice versa, but we also envision a forum in which a diverse group of artists with different aesthetics and linguistic repertoires can engage in conversation. Participants range from those who actively translate between Greek and English, to those with partial or no knowledge of Greek but an interest in Greek literature and culture, to those who translate from other languages and write on cross-cultural poetics. Most if not all of the Greek participants are fluent in English. Although those of us on the American side are acutely aware of a linguistic imbalance, symptomatic of larger global inequities, we believe there is still much to learn from this dialogue, however imperfect our knowledge of the other language.
More details and a schedule will follow, but for now here is a general idea of what our days will look like. We will work in small groups for about 4 hours, break for lunch/siesta, and reconvene in the evening for talks and readings, before adjourning to dinner and more discussion. Readings will include one or two group events, and on the last day, July 26th, we will have bilingual readings of the translations accomplished at The House of Archaeology. (More info on this below.) All evening events are open to the public. We will ask that each participant e-mail several items in advance to the group. In our next communication we will send more information to those who confirm that they are coming.
Please note: because we have limited time and wish to focus on poets whose work has not yet received much attention in translation, we ask that poets who have already attended the Symposium at least two previous times participate in the translation sessions only as a translator of others, and not as a poet to be translated. This is so that poets new to the Symposium may also benefit from having their work translated. All participants in attendance, both new and returning, are invited and encouraged to read their work in the evening readings.
Location: This year the Symposium will take place at The House of Archaeology in Plaka (Ermou 134 -136, Theseion) the ancient city within modern Athens. The House of Archaeology is a three-story neoclassical house in a fantastic spot at the center of archaeological Athens. It has a huge garden and a roof garden.
Costs: Lodging at The House of Archaeology will be no more than 10 euros per night. Depending on the number of participants rooms may be shared. Some Greek participants who live in Athens have offered room in their houses as well. You will need to provide your own transportation and food. There is a kitchen we will be able to use at The House.
This year Helen Dimos will be organizing on behalf of the Anglophone poets. She guest-organized in 2014, and will do so again in 2015 as well as being the contact person for Anglophones pre-Athens for 2015. Please let her know as soon as possible if you will attend the symposium, ideally by May 1st at the latest. And feel free to e-mail (helendimos@gmail.com) with any questions.
It is not definite that Susan Gevirtz will be attending this year but there is a good chance.
We deeply regret that we have no funds to help with any expenses this year.
We look forward to seeing you in July and please tell us if you know of anyone who might be interested in the Symposium.
Additional Information:
Translation work begun at the Symposium has resulted in several publications, with more on the way. Among these are (work by past participants including) Liana Sakelliou who is co-translator of H.D.’s Trilogy into Greek (Gutenberg, 1999). Thanasis Maskaleris co-edited the Talisman Anthology of Modern Greek Poetry [with Nanos Valaoritis]. Translations of Demosthenes Agrafiotis‘s work have been published in U.S. journals by several translators, including Sakelliou and John Sakkis. J. Sakkis has also published a translation of Siarita Kouka‘s book Benthos. Agrafiotis was the first to translate American poet George Oppen into Greek and has published Louis Zukofsky in Greek translation [tr. Stella Nikoloudi] in his journal Clinamen. John Sakkis and Angelos Sakkis have translated 2 books by Agrafiotis that have been published by Post Apollo Press and Ugly Duckling Press, respectively. For more publications and edited special issues by Symposium participants look at: Poema and New American Writing No. 28. Tiff Dressen began, and Joseph Mosconi (Anglophone poets and Symposium participants) finished editing a section on poetry from the symposium for the online journal Little Red Leaves LRL5 . In addition to publications resulting from the Symposium, Greek poets have also been invited to the U.S. in order to read and participate in fora about poetry and Americans have been invited to Greek fora.
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