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Eric Becker: Brazilian Authoritarianism (Translation)

MFA alum Eric Becker’s latest translation, of Lilia M. Schwarcz’s Brazilian Authoritarianism: Past and Present (Princeton University Press), is available now wherever books are sold. This book from Princeton University Press, digs beneath the mythos of the tolerant and peaceful Brazilian society, to reveal a more troubling truth.

It’s sure to be a fascinating read, made all the more poignant by Eric’s adept translation!

https://bookshop.org/p/books/brazilian-authoritarianism-past-and-present-lilia-moritz-schwarcz

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Clotheslines journal launch

Two of our alums, Marine Cornuet and Francesca Hyatt, are having a launch for their new, small-batch, hand-bound journal Clotheslines. Relations are at the center of this journal, and we aim at giving readers and ourselves many lenses for reflecting on what it means to be reaching for each other, connecting with those who came before us, and feeling the places we roam.

If you’re down for some great readings by Meghan Forbes, Leor Stylar, Miriam Atkin, and Rebecca Suzuki, you should be there at 360 Van Brunt Street in Red Hook, Brooklyn on Friday, December 16 at 7:30pm!

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Richard Prins Receives PEN/HEIM Translation Fund Grant

Now in their 20th year, the PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants promote the publication and reception of translated world literature into English. Established by a gift from Priscilla and Michael Henry Heim in response to the dismayingly low number of literary translations appearing in English, the fund has supported more than 200 projects.

Richard Prins’ translation from the Swahili of Walenisi by Katama Mkangi

From the judges’ citation: A touchstone of Kenyan literature, Katama Mkangi’s Walenisi begins with a reimagination of events from the dictatorial Kenyatta and Moi regimes. The novel’s protagonist, sentenced to death for “talking too much,” miraculously escapes his fate by piloting the space ship intended as his grave to the utopian planet Walenisi, where a journey of self-discovery begins. Blending parable and science fiction, Mkangi, who was imprisoned for his pro-democracy advocacy, satirizes global capitalism and postcolonial authoritarianism while presenting a speculative vision of an egalitarian future. Richard Prins translates this thrilling ride with humor and verve — a rare chance for English-speakers to read an Africanfuturist work originally written in an indigenous African language.

https://pen.org/literary-awards/grants-fellowships/announcing-the-2023-pen-america-literary-grant-winners/

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Open House Event (12/05, 5-6:30pm)

What goes on in a vibrant MFA Program in Creative Writing & Literary Translation?
How does our program differ from other venerable institutions
in the metropolitan area and from other programs across the U.S.?
Is this program the best match for your own creative energies?

Join us on Monday, December 5, 2022 between 5–6:30 pm EST https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81584450948

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New Visiting Professor

The MFA Program is delighted to announce that Crystal Hana Kim will be visiting professor in the program for the academic year 2022/2023.

Crystal Hana Kim is the author of If You Leave Me, which was a Booklist Editor’s Choice title and named a best book of 2018 by over a dozen publications. She is the recipient of the 2022 National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Award and is a 2017 PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize winner. Currently, Kim is the Visiting Assistant Professor at Queens College and a contributing editor at Apogee Journal. Her second novel, The Stone Home, is forthcoming from William Morrow / HarperCollins.