Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Words Across Borders: Translation and Interviews

 "Before you can learn the trees, you have to learn / The language of the trees."
--Howard Nemerov, from the poem "Learning the Trees"


Today, as it happens, I'm blogging on two other blogs. Catch my Q&A about doing radio interviews at Midge Raymond's The Writer's Block and my thoughts about translation in nonfiction writing at Lisa Carter's Intralingo: a culture of language and thought.


Hedgebrook • WLC • 2010

And while you're at it, make sure to check out the rest of Midge's and Lisa's blogs -- they are two of my favorites! One lovely quality that both their blogs share is refreshing honesty. For examples: check out Lisa's Monday-post-series on professional development for translators, which began on May 23 and has continued each Monday. And then read Midge's recent post on re-committing to writing, but not always meeting that goal.

I'm honored to work closely with both these writers. Lisa and I exchange mentoring (she offers me advice on literary translation and I offer her advice on creative nonfiction). Midge and I are about to launch a book tour together that will take us to Orca Books in Olympia this Friday, (July 15, at 6:30 in the evening) and then to the Port Townsend Writers' Conference for a week. In the fall, we'll visit a host of bookstores, writing centers, and colleges in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont in September, and read together at the storied Prairie Lights in Iowa City on October 18!

I'm a great believer in collaboration in writing, and very grateful for my collaborations with both these writers.