It's my great pleasure to invite you to the 8th annual Symposium on Poetry and Translation, which will take place from August 2 - 9, 2011 at The European Cultural Center of Delphi http://www.eccd.eu/  in Delphi, Greece.

This is the same symposium that was formerly called the "Paros Symposium" but as we are no longer meeting on Paros Island we've dropped that part of the name.

The Paros Symposium was founded by Susan Gevirtz and Siarita Kouka in 2004, to foster translation and exchange between Greek and anglophone poets/translators. We meet to translate each other's work, discuss the cultural circumstances in which we work, and give readings. Up until last year we were sponsored by the European Center for the Translation of Literature and the Human Sciences (EKEMEL) (http://www.ekemel.gr/index2.html and met at the "House of Literature," their residence for writers on Paros island. Last year we met for the first time at The European Cultural Center of Delphi where we will again meet in 2011. This year I am organizing for the anglophones. In previous years Eleni Stecopoulos has been integral to solo and co-organizing the Symposium. And one year the poet john Sakkis co-organized. This year Siarita Kouka (poet and restorer of maritime antiquities for the Greek Cultural Ministry) and Socrates Kouvaroupolous (poet and director at EKEVI   http://www.ekebi.gr/frontoffice/portal.asp?cpage=NODE&cnode=138) will invite the participants and organize in Greece.

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 creative 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. Though we Americans 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. We would be honored to work together with all of you.

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 swimming/lunch/siesta, and reconvene in the evening for talks and readings, before adjourning to dinner and more discussion. We will ask that each participant e-mail several items in advance to the group:

1)      Poems you wish to suggest for translation (roughly 3-5 pages).

2)      A bio.

3)      A brief statement of your poetics/politics/ethics, etc. of translation. This can be as  discursive or performative as you like. In the evenings, we plan to have informal talks and/or roundtable discussions in addition to readings. These discussions might begin with elaborations of our statements or take off from problems of translation, idiomatic issues, cultural differences, etc.,  illuminated by the morning's work.

In my next communication, I will let you know the dates by which you should e-mail these items to the group.

Readings will include one or two group events, and on the last night we will have bilingual readings of translations accomplished during our stay. All evening events are open to the public.

To give you an idea of work by past participants, here are just a few locations: Liana Sakelliou 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 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. Also look at http://www.e-poema.eu/index_gr.php?pid=22 Issue 9 and New American Writing No. 28. Tiff Dressen began, and Joseph Mosconi finished editing a section on poetry from the symposium for the online journal little Red Leaves ((http://littleredleaves.com/LRL5/5home.html)

Our work sessions, talks, and readings will all take place at The Cultural Center of Delphi where we will also be staying. Please see their website (http://www.eccd.eu/) to get a more detailed sense of the beautiful place and conditions for working.

Please let me know as soon as possible if you plan to attend. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions. I will check in with you at the beginning of March, and will need to know if you are definitely attending by that time.  Details, schedule, logistics, exchange of work to come, as we move closer to the event. If you know of anyone else who you think might be interested in participating please pass their e-mail on to me.

Thank you, and we hope to see you in Delphi!

Susan

(Gevirtz)