Translation offers a new perspective on language and culture. At this Bengali poetry translation workshop the group will start with a rough guide translation provided by Shamim Azad, and work towards a translation that works as a poem in English, guided by experienced poet-facilitator Helen Bowell. The process invites endless insightful questions and encourages problem-solving and playfulness as everyone works together to understand and reassemble the poem in its new, translated form.

There is no need to know the language being translated. Simply come along and share your passion for words, writing and understanding.

Shamim Azad is a British bilingual poet, storyteller and writer of Bangladeshi origin. Her work ranges from Bangladeshi to European folktales. Her performance fuses the lines between education and entertainment and her workshops are rooted in Asian folk, oral traditions and heritage. She has published books including novels, collections of short stories, essays and poems in both English and Bengali and has been included in various anthologies. Shamim also features in The Celebration Of Bengali Poetry event in the festival programme.

Helen Bowell is a London-based poet and co-director of Dead [Women] Poets Society. In 2020, she co-guest-edited an issue of Modern Poetry in Translation (focus on dead women poets). She is a Ledbury Poetry Critic and her debut pamphlet The Barman was published by Bad Betty Press in 2022. Helen will be delivering a Close Reading during the festival programme.