Skip to content

In January 2022, the Griffin Poetry Prize launched Translation Talks, a series of conversations about translation and poetry where past longlisted, shortlisted, and winning authors are invited to discuss their craft.

D. M. Bradford and Donald Nicholson-Smith

Join us on Monday, February 26th at 12:00pm ET / 5:00pm GMT on Zoom for Translation Talks featuring D. M. Bradford in conversation with Donald Nicholson-Smith.

Darby Minott Bradford is a poet, translator, and sometimes curator. They are the author of Dream of No One but Myself (2021), which won the A.M. Klein QWF Prize for Poetry, was a finalist for the 2022 Griffin Poetry Prize, Governor General Literary Award and Gerard Lampert Memorial Award, and was longlisted for the Grand Prix du livre de Montréal. Bradford’s first translation, House Within a House (2023) by Nicholas Dawson, received the VMI Betsy Warland Between Genres Award and John Glassco Translation Prize, and was shortlisted for the Governor General Literary Awards for French-to-English translation. Their most recent book of poetry, Bottom Rail on Top (2023), works to complicate prevailing conceptions of Blackness by staging one personal present alongside American histories of antebellum Black life. Bradford lives and works in Tio’tia:ke (Montréal) on the unceded territory of the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka nation.

Donald Nicholson-Smith is a translator and freelance editor. Born in Manchester, England, he is a long-time resident of New York City. His translations include works by Thierry Jonquet, Guy Debord, Paco Ignacio Taibo II, Henri Lefebvre, Guillaume Apollinaire, Raoul Vaneigem, Antonin Artaud, Yasmina Khadra (with Alyson Waters), Jean-Patrick Manchette, and Serge Pey. His en-face translation of Abdellatif Laâbi’s In Praise of Defeat, including self-selected poems from the Moroccan author and dissident’s long career, was a finalist for the Griffin Poetry Prize in 2017. Nicholson-Smith has been dubbed Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in recognition of his services to French literature in translation.

Translation Talks will run for approximately one hour on Zoom and will be hosted by Griffin Poetry Prize editorial director Adriana Oniță and social media editor Medgine Mathurin.

You will receive the Zoom link via Eventbrite after registering. Autocaptioning will be available. If you have any questions, please contact Adriana at editorialdirector@griffinpoetryprize.com

MANOLIS ALIGIZAKIS AND SHARON DOLIN

We were thrilled to host Manolis Aligizakis in conversation with Sharon Dolin for our fifth Translation Talks. Listen to a podcast of the live event below!

Manolis Aligizakis is a Greek-Canadian poet, author, and publisher. His translation Tasos Livaditis – Poems, Volume II was longlisted for the 2023 Griffin Poetry Prize, and his translation George Seferis – Collected Poems was shortlisted for the Greek National Literary Awards.

Sharon Dolin is the author of seven books of poetry and two poetry books in translation from Catalan, Gemma Gorga’s Late to the House of Words (2021), shortlisted for the 2022 International Griffin Poetry Prize, and Book of Minutes (2019).

This event took place on Zoom on November 18, 2023. It was moderated by Griffin Poetry Prize social media director Mirene Arsanios and editorial director Adriana Oniță.

Griffin Poetry Prize · Translation Talks: Manolis Aligizakis and Sharon Dolin

Valzhyna Mort and Erín Moure

Listen to a recording of our fourth Translation Talks with renowned poet-translators Valzhyna Mort and Erín Moure on our SoundCloud.

Valzhyna Mort is the author of three poetry collections, most recently, Music for the Dead and Resurrected (FSG, 2020), winner of the 2021 International Griffin Poetry Prize and the UNT Rilke Prize, and named one of the best poetry books of 2020 by the New York Times. Born in Minsk, Belarus, Mort writes in English and Belarusian, and translates between English, Belarusian, Russian, Ukrainian, and Polish.

Erín Moure is a poet and poetry translator based in Montreal. She has published 18 books of poetry, a coauthored book of poetry, essays, articles on translation, a biopoetics and two memoirs, and is translator or co-translator of 26 books, mostly poetry, from French, Galician, Portunhol, Portuguese, Spanish, and Ukrainian (with Roman Ivashkiv) into English.

Griffin Poetry Prize · Translation Talks: Valzhyna Mort & Erín Moure

Ali Kinsella, Dzvinia Orlowsky, and Mira Rosenthal

Listen to our third iteration of Translation Talks, featuring Ali Kinsella and Dzvinia Orlowsky in conversation with Mira Rosenthal.

Ali Kinsella and Dzvinia Orlowsky were finalists for the 2022 Griffin Poetry Prize for Eccentric Days of Hope and Sorrow, translated from the Ukrainian written by Natalka Bilotserkivets (Lost Horse Press). Mira Rosenthal was a 2014 Griffin finalist for Colonies (Zephyr Press), translated from the Polish written by Tomasz Rózycki.

This event took place on Zoom on November 3, 2022. It was moderated by Griffin Poetry Prize social media director Mirene Arsanios and editorial director Adriana Oniță.

Griffin Poetry Prize · Translation Talks: Ali Kinsella, Dzvinia Orlowsky, Mira Rosenthal

Ani Gjika and Dunya Mikhail

On March 10, 2022, we hosted our second Translation Talks, featuring Ani Gjika in conversation with Dunya Mikhail. Ani Gjika was a finalist for the 2019 International Griffin Poetry Prize for her translation of Luljeta Lleshanaku‘s Negative Space (Bloodaxe Books/New Directions, 2018). Dunya MIkhail was a finalist for the 2006 International Griffin Poetry Prize for The War Works Hard (New Directions, 2005), translated by Elizabeth Winslow. Listen to a podcast of the live Zoom event below.

Griffin Poetry Prize · Translation Talks: Ani Gjika & Dunya Mikhail

Khaled Mattawa and Sarah Riggs

Our inaugural Translation Talks, featuring Khaled Mattawa in conversation with Sarah Riggs, took place on Zoom on January 27, 2022. It was moderated by Griffin Poetry Prize editorial director Adriana Oniță and social media director Mirene Arsanios.

Khaled Mattawa was a finalist for the 2017 International Griffin Poetry Prize for his translation of Adonis: Selected Poems (Yale University Press, 2016). Sarah Riggs was the 2020 International Griffin Poetry Prize winner for her translation of Etel Adnan’s Time (Nightboat Books, 2019). Listen to a podcast of the live Zoom event below.

Relive the magic of their engaging dialogue by tuning in to this podcast of the live Zoom event!

Griffin Poetry Prize · Translation Talks: Khaled Mattawa & Sarah Riggs