Lit Crawl – So You Think You Can Translate
6:30-7:30 pm
826 Valencia | San Francisco, CA
Event admission is free.
Show off your skills and maybe learn some new ones while translating poems from all over the world. No need to be a poet. No second language required. Equipped with a glossary, guided by a local translator, and with the encouragement of friends (bring your own!), you’ll dismantle and reassemble the poem in a new language. Translation of poetry by its nature offers multiple possibilities: since there is no single “correct” rendering of a poem, be prepared to share and defend your language choices. Who knows? Maybe it will change your entire relationship with language? With collaboration? With creation? Local Italian translator Julia Nelsen will host this casual workshop as part of Litquake’s annual Lit Crawl.
Litquake, San Francisco’s Literary Festival, is celebrating 25 years! Their 2024 Festival runs from 10/10 – 10/26 with 140+ events taking place all over the Bay Area and featuring 500+ authors and performers. The full schedule is available at litquake.org(opens in a new tab).
Julia Nelsen translates from and into Italian. She holds a Laurea magistrale from the University of Milan and a PhD in comparative literature from the University of California, Berkeley. She has published essays on Italian futurism and avant-garde magazines, with interests ranging from poetry to media studies. Alongside her research, Julia has worked as an educator, translator, and copyeditor for various organizations and publications in the US and abroad.