A Literary Translation Workshop led by / un atelier de traduction littéraire animé par

Simon Brown & Jo-Anne Elder

Thursday, February 16, 2023, 4 to 9 pm, at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre

info@wordfeast.ca

How do literary translators work with poetry or fiction? Is it even possible to recreate an image or a metaphor, maintain a rhythm, or do justice to regional expressions in another language? Join literary translators Simon Brown and Jo-Anne Elder on February 16 to learn more about the literary worlds of Acadie and to translate writing by Jean Babineau, Herménégilde Chiasson, Dyane Léger, and writers from Ancrages. Whether you are a language student, enjoy reading books in other languages, or are bilingual or multilingual, the Bridges between Books workshop is an opportunity to experiment with words and forms and to help build bridges between cultures.

This workshop focuses on French to English translation and takes place on February 16 from 4 to 9 pm in the Community Room at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre. An English-French workshop, De la plume au micro, will be held in Moncton on February 11 and 12. Both are offered in partnership with the Frye Festival, The Fiddlehead, Ancrages, LTAC, Fredericton Public Library, and Théâtre l’Escaouette.

Registration: $25, includes light supper. Participants register in advance at info@wordfeast.ca. Fees may be paid by EFT to the same email or by arrangement. Scholarships are available. This workshop will be conducted in English. Participants should have a reading knowledge of French and a good level of reading, writing, and speaking skills in English. A knowledge of another source or target language is welcome. Bring your laptop, assistive devices, or print dictionaries and thesaurus if you prefer. A source text in French by an Acadian writer will be sent when you register, so you can prepare ahead of time if you wish. Other materials will be provided to participants at the workshop.

We ask workshop participants to mask and distance. The building is accessible; please let us know how we can meet your individual needs.

Individual or small group follow-up sessions will be scheduled after the workshop. Participants will also be invited to meet the invited authors and take part in the Many Voices / Multiples voix reading on February 24.

For more information or to register, write to info@wordfeast.ca

Workshop Facilitators

Simon Brown sitting in a chair with a serious expression, reading a book.

Simon Brown (he/they) is a self-taught poet and translator from the traditional territory of the Peskotomuhkati Nation, in southwestern New Brunswick, Canada, now based in Wendat and Abenaki traditional territory, in the Québec City area. Simon’s French and English-language texts have been presented in media artworks, collaborative performances, and via platforms such as Lemon Hound, Estuaire, Ancrages, Poetry Is Dead, Watts, filling Station, and the Fiddlehead. As a translator, he has adapted poems by Danielle LaFrance, Lisa Jarnot, Maude Pilon, Eric Baus, Huguette Gaulin and Maude Veilleux, among others. Simon’s collections, chapbooks, and artist’s books have most recently been published by Le laps, Vanloo, squint, Moult, Frog Hollow, and above/ground press. Simon has also been poet-in-residence in various contexts, including Viva Art Action (Montreal), the Banff Centre (Banff), le Mois de la poésie (Quebec City), le Mois multi (Quebec City), and Littérature québécoise mobile’s Particules (Montreal). simonbrown.ca

Jo-Anne Elder (she/elle) is from Anishinabewaki and has raised her large family on the unsurrendered lands of the Wəlastəkwewiyik. Elder has translated over twenty books and specializes in the translation of Acadian literature. Her recent work includes poems for Gabriel Robichaud’s compilation for the stage, Diasporous Anthology and for Jérôme Blais’s composition Mouvance, surtitles for Herménégilde Chiasson’s Winslow and Chiasson’s first collection of poetry To Live and Die in Scoudouc, and a children’s book by Émilie Demers. Three of her translations were GG finalists: Beatitudes (Herménégilde Chiasson), One (Serge Patrice Thibodeau) and Tales from Dog Island (Françoise Enguehard). A writer of poetry and flash fiction, she has published Blessings (Frog Hollow) and Postcards from Ex-Lovers (Broken Jaw/the author) as well as pieces in anthologies and magazines. Étienne Boivin created a video poem from her “How I Remember You” for the Poésie Moncton Poetry series.