Expert translator Quynh Nguyen will share a contemporary Vietnamese poem in the original language and guide translation in English. With the help of poet-facilitator April Yee, you’ll work together to produce a collaborative translation which will be published on the Poetry Translation Centre’s website, joining hundreds of poems in an international digital archive.

If you have some experience with translation or Vietnamese - great! If not, we’ll provide you with all the tools you need to take part.

The Poetry Translation Centre is thrilled to be part of this year's Deptford Literature Festival, in our homeplace of Deptford. All are welcome to this free workshop.

About the artists:

April Yee lives in Lewisham and her poetry, fiction, and nonfiction have won or been listed for The Best American Essays, Ivan Juritz Prize, Fitzcarraldo Essay Prize, Manchester Poetry Prize, and Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award. A Harvard alumna and former journalist, she reported in more than a dozen countries before moving to London, where she has served as a Refugee Journalism Project mentor and The Georgia Review’s editor-in-residence. Her work has been supported by the National Book Critics Circle, Ledbury Poetry Critics, the Southbank Centre, and the University of East Anglia, where she is a Malcolm Bradbury Memorial Scholar.

Quynh Giao Nguyen was born and raised in Hanoi, Vietnam where she taught Vietnamese and French at the Vietnam National University, was an active participant in the Hanoi Poet Network and worked as a tour operator and guide, showcasing the beauty of Vietnamese culture to foreigners. In 1994, Quynh moved to London, England but has never forgotten her roots. Her love for Vietnam and its people led her to found and run the charity: Vietnamese Family Partnership (VFP) which supports the community with guidance during hardship, translation services, language classes and cultural events. The school has previously won the British Academy School Language Award. In addition, Quynh has been delivering corporate Vietnamese language training to young people and adults in the UK since 2000, and has extensive translation experience in both corporate and public sectors.

Useful information about this event and Deptford Literature Festival:

• All Deptford Literature Festival events will be BSL Interpreted, including this one.

• This event is wheelchair accessible, with accessible toilets.

• Deptford Lounge has Changing Place facilities, an induction loop and assistance dogs are welcome. For more information: deptfordlounge.org.uk/access

• A quiet space is available during the day at Deptford Lounge, in the Music Room, on the first floor.

• If you require additional access provision in order to attend or take part in the Festival, for example, larger print handouts at workshops, or a scribe, please get in touch before the Festival day at: access@spreadtheword.org.uk

• If you require assistance on the Festival day itself, please come to the Festival Hub in the foyer of Deptford Lounge where we will be happy to help you.

Free tickets:

This event is free to you. As far as possible, by booking a place we ask that you commit to attending, as places are limited. If you can no longer attend, please cancel your ticket so someone else can come along. There are instructions on how to do that here.

If you would like to support the future of Deptford Literature Festival, run by charity Spread the Word, you can donate here.

About Deptford Literature Festival:

Deptford Literature Festival takes place on Saturday 16 March 2024 and celebrates the diversity and creativity of Deptford and Lewisham through words, stories and performance. It is run by Spread the Word in a collaboration with independent producer Tom MacAndrew, and funded by Arts Council England, National Lottery Awards for All, and Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society. You can find out more about Deptford Literature Festival at: www.deptfordlitfest.com