Crossing Borders Bearing Witness

Discussion panel “”Crossing borders, Bearing witness.”

What borders, real or imagined, do poets have to cross and what, in her own life or in that of others, should a poet bear witness?

Be part of a discussion with Reel Festival poets from Scotland, Syria and Lebanon about these questions and ideas.

Reel Festivals 2011 features a touring poetry event, beginning in Syria, moving to Lebanon and winding up in Scotland. Over the course of this tour there will be translation workshops, poetry readings, panel discussions and more. These events will be presented in conjunction with the British Council, Scottish Poetry Library, Etana Library and Literature Across Frontiers.

Poets:

– Emily Ballou, Scotland
Emily Ballou is a Glasgow-based Australian-American poet, screenwriter and novelist. She is the author of the novels Father Lands and Aphelion (Picador), and the recent verse-portrait of Charles Darwin The Darwin Poems (UWA Publishing). She lives in Glasgow, Scotland.

-William Letford, Scotland
William Letford lives in Stirling, Scotland and works as a roofer. In 2008 he received a New Writer’s Award from the Scottish Book Trust, and an SQA Star Award. He has been published in various magazines and anthologies including Poetry Scotland and New Writing Scotland.

– Tom Pow, Scotland
Tom Pow was the first Writer in Residence at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, 2001, 2002 and 2003. He was StAnza’s Poet in Residence in 2005. Dear Alice – Narratives of Madness (Salt) won the poetry category in the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book Awards in 2009. In the Becoming, New and Selected Poems (Polygon), was published in 2009.

– Ryan Van Winkle, Scotland
Ryan Van Winkle is ‘Reader in Residence’ at the Scottish Poetry Library. His work has appeared in New Writing Scotland, The American Poetry Review, AGNI and Northwords Now. His first collection, ‘Tomorrow, We Will Live Here’, was published by Salt at the end of last year. He lives in Edinburgh.

– Golan Haji, Syria
Golan Haji is a Syrian poet, with a postgraduate degree in pathology. He has published a number of books including Called in Darkness (2004) which won the ‘Al-Maghut’ prize in poetry; and Someone Sees You as a Monster (2008). His next collection My Cold Faraway Home will be published in Autumn 2011. He has also translated various works into Arabic including the Scottish classic – Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He lives in Damascus.

– Rasha Omran, Syrian
Rasha Omran is a Syrian poet with a degree in Arabic literature from Damascus University. Since 1997 she has published four collections of poetry: Rajaa Lahu Shakal al-Haya; Ka’ana Manfay Jasady; Thilak al-Mumatad Fi Aqsa Hanini and Ma’atif Ahmar Faragh as well as compiling an anthology of Syrian Poetry. She is the director of the annual Al-Sindiyana festival of culture.

– Mazen Maarouf, Lebanon
Mazen Maarouf is a Palestinian poet and journalist, living as a refugee in Beirut. He has published a number of books including Kaan Hoznona Khobz/It Was Our Sadness as Bread (2000) and Camera La Taltaket Al Aasafir/The Camera Does Not Frame Birds (2004). His most recent collection of poetry is currently in press and he is also translating the poems of William Blake into Arabic.

– Yehia Jaber, Lebanon
Yehia Jaber is a Lebanese poet, playwright, communist, journalist and actor. Amongst other literary and political works, he has published six collections of poetry: A Pool of Serum (1988); The Rascals (1991); Take The Book By Force (1994); Like If I Was A Divorced Woman (2007); For Adults Only (2008); and Love In A Washing Machine (2010). In 2010 he performed his previous poetry collection as a theatrical work entitled O Yahya Jaber, Take The Book By Force (Stand Up Poetry). He lives in Beirut.