The poetry group has moved! Tara and Chris closed 'The 90 Day Cafe' to pursue further studies, I will always be grateful to their support and wish them well with everything.
I had considered not running the group anymore...until the owner, Dav, of Six Eight Kafe offered us their space...and we held our first meet-up on the last Thursday of September! The theme of 'International Poetry in Translation' was apt, considering the multi-lingual, multi talented staff; both Dav and Craig - a skilled barista and photographer - speak German and the manager, Liz, is from Peru and studies translation.
The group enjoyed reading through the following poems. Between silent sips of delicious coffee, conversation seemed to be peppered with references to foxes; issues surrounding translation; the significance of shoes in Kurdistan, the female voice and the beauty of the cardamom pods in the spiced tea.
The next meet-up is EARLY - on Thursday 20th October at 6.30pm - due to half term holidays. Hope to see some new faces there as well!
9 Poems: International poems in translation
1. Poland – A poor Christian looks at the ghetto by Czeslaw Milosz
2. Sudan – Small Fox by Al Saadiq Al Raddi
3. Mexico – Thread In A Spider’s Web by Coral Bracho
4. Kurdistan – Directions by Kajal Ahmad
5. India – Ants ; Every Love by Gagan Gill
6. China – Wintering by Bei Dao
7. Indonesia – A Woman’s Portrait 1938 by Toeti Heraty
8. Afghanistan – My voice by Partaw Naderi
9. Tajikistan – Spring is coming by Farzaneh Khojandi
A number of the poems were taken from publications by 'The Poetry Translation Centre'.
"The Poetry Translation Centre was established by the poet Sarah Maguire in 2004 to translate contemporary poetry from Africa, Asia and Latin America to a high literary standard.
Poetry thrives on translation: it’s impossible to imagine English poetry without it. From Chaucer, via Wyatt, Dryden and Pope, to Ezra Pound’s Cathay, translation has been its life-blood.
But English poetry has yet to engage with the rich poetic traditions of the many languages now spoken in the UK; for Islamic communities in particular, poetry is a particularly significant art form. Our work aims to redress that deficiency.
By making their poetry at home in English, we aim to celebrate the cultures of communities that are frequently neglected and abused in the UK, inviting them to play a vital role in British cultural life."
