“I was not yet born
when Mother wrapped our country
into her bundle and abandoned her own self
so that my navel would not be tied
to the rope of war . . .”
Read “Flashes” by Afghan poet Somaia Ramish (translated by Sholeh Wolpé
Using striking imagery, Afghan poet Somaia Ramish from Afghanistan grieves the loss of a homeland, its sights and scents. Read “Flashes,” translated from Persian by Sholeh Wolpé, for #NationalPoetryMonth: buff.ly/tYEodjH
"An olive tree, ancient,
rooted in Galilee,
its branches reach
for Tora, arching above
me, offering
shade where dreams
curl. Its oil
gleams, a light
no night can pinch."
Ahmed Douma
“Abad seems to know that in the best novels, the author is discovering something along the way.”
In @wwborders.bsky.social, Krista Timeus Cerezo reviews Héctor Abad’s newly translated novel, “Aside from My Heart, All Is Well” - wordswithoutborders.org/book-reviews...
A black and white image of olive trees against a blank sky, overlaid in white text it reads: from the archive: Poetry, Zaytouna By Ahmed Douma, translated from Arabic by Abdelrahman ElGendy “An olive tree, seeded by your hands, its thirst sated by longing, and longing knows no cure but reunion. We’ll return to Zaytouna, to shade our suture.”
WWB contributor Ahmed Douma has been arrested and placed in pre-trial detention in Egypt for his writing. Today, we’re republishing his poem “Zaytouna” (tr. Abdelrahman ElGendy) and joining in the calls for his immediate release. Read it here: wordswithoutborders.org/read/article...
Sohini Basak interviews Kim Hyesoon and @daybreakjung.bsky.social on transparent poetics, anonymity, and translation as an elevated gift. Read “A State of Transparent Nakedness: An Interview with Kim Hyesoon and Jack Jung on the Hybrid Project LADY NO,” here: wordswithoutborders.org/read/article...
Paid, part-time, remote editorial fellowship ⬇️
Gain hands-on experience with all aspects of the publication of a digital literary magazine—from commissioning and planning to online promotion. Part-time, remote Learn more and apply: wordswithoutborders.org/jobs We're hiring: Editorial Fellow
Words Without Borders is hiring for our 2026-27 fellowship program!
The editorial fellowship program is designed to provide training for individuals looking to build a career around the publication and promotion of international literature.
DEADLINE: April 17
wordswithoutborders.org/jobs/
An image of pink sandstone, overlaid in white text it reads: Poetry, Flashes, By Somaia Ramish, translated from Persian by Sholeh Wolpé “I was not yet born when Mother wrapped our country into her bundle and abandoned her own self so that my navel would not be tied to the rope of war . . . But our nightly meals became the hourly news of war Our cells recognized their own exile in our suffering, pain and wounds.”
“I become a handful of dust.”
Read “Flashes” by writer and activist Somai Ramish for #NationalPoetryMonth. Translated from Persian by Sholeh Wolpé, this poem touches upon the beauty of memory, and the pain of what one leaves behind when forced into exile: buff.ly/eCcc0Md
"What ultimately distinguishes The Country Doctor’s Tale is the way it foregrounds the burden of history and the struggle to escape its oppressive weight." www.asymptotejournal.com/blog/2026/04...
Congratulations to WWB contributor Arthur Sze! Today TRANSIENT WORLDS comes out from @coppercanyonpress.bsky.social and he was reappointed as the U.S. Poet Laureate. You can check out his translations down below.
wordswithoutborders.org/contributors...
This is such wonderful news!
Graphic featuring a rendering of our new building at the corner of Leidesdorff and Commercial in downtown San Francisco. Text reads: Opening 2027, Help open our doors.
Graphic featuring the text: After 26 years, the Center for the Art of Translation is opening a permanent public home in San Francisco--affirming that writers and translators are essential to civic life and inviting readers to encounter the world and each other with curiosity and understanding.
The Center for the Art of Translation is excited to announce the public phase of our $17M capital campaign to build a permanent literary and cultural center in downtown San Francisco steps from the Transamerica Pyramid. 🌁
'A lot of romance isn’t very sane, or healthy, and there are aspects of it that are overtly dangerous, but that’s where the fascination lies. That interplay between delusion and the real bits.' Polly Barton talks about WHAT AM I, A DEER? in WORMS: www.wormsmagazine.com/wormhole/pol...
Congratulations to WWB intern and gala host @meghamaj.bsky.social and WWB contributor Heather Cleary for receiving the 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship!
www.gf.org/stories/anno...
Enjoy this wonderful conversation between WWB contributors Yasmeen Hanoosh and Elliot Colla! Head to our website to explore their work.
Author photos of Kim Hyesoon, Jack Jung, and the book cover for LADY NO sit to the right of blue and white text that reads: Words Without Borders, Interview, A State of Transparent Nakedness: Kim Hyesoon and Jack Jung on Lady No “When a poet enters the territory of poetry, the poet takes off their clothes—takes off their name. After becoming naked like that, wouldn’t it be better if, inside the poem, I could do ‘doing animal’?” Interview
Happy #NationalPoetryMonth ! Poetry editor Sohini Basak interviewed Kim Hyesoon and translator @daybreakjung.bsky.social on Hyesoon’s LADY NO (@eccobooks.bsky.social ). Together they consider anonymity, new poetic forms, corruption, and more.
Read here: wordswithoutborders.org/read/article...
“Lady No” from ecco publishes tomorrow. To mark the occasion, Words Without Borders (@wwborders.bsky.social) ran an interview with Kim Hyesoon and me on the origins of the Lady No project, the poetics of negation, and what translation gives and takes away. wordswithoutborders.org/read/article...
🖤 Excellent
It was so lovely talking to you and Kim! LADY NO is at the top of our TBR.
"Along with its religious and political preoccupations, this is also a novel about art," writes critic Krista Timeus Cerezo on Héctor Abad’s new novel ASIDE FROM MY HEART, ALL IS WELL (translated from Spanish by Anne McLean, Archipelago Books )
Read the review here:
An image of the book cover of ASIDE FROM MY HEART, ALL IS WELL, to the left in black text it reads: BOOK REVIEW, “‘What’s Truly Mysterious Is Goodness’: Héctor Abad’s Aside from My Heart, All Is Well” by Krista Timeus Cerezo, “The novel’s triumph lies in how it separates the individuals from the institution of the Church, modeling a nuanced narrative that captures the latter’s virtues as vividly as its failures.”
New book review: “'What’s Truly Mysterious Is Goodness': Héctor Abad’s ASIDE FROM MY HEART, ALL IS WEL," Krista Timeus Cerezo explores how the search for meaning can be undermined by the demands of the religious institutions surrounding us.
Read here: wordswithoutborders.org/book-reviews...
In "Creature of Skylights and Portholes: Two Poems," by Basque writer Leire Bilbao, translated by Joana Urtasun, desire and violence spill into the idea of motherhood. Read them here:
An image of a row boat on tropical waters, overlaid in white text it reads: from the archive: Poetry, The Lagoon of Languages, By Flora Aurima Devatine, translated from French by Jean Anderson, “The watery tongue of the mothersea flows from the originary depths, entering the land masses and shaping tongues of land.”
Dive back into 2024’s “Francophone Pacific” issue with a poem from Flora Aurima Devantine (tr. Jean Anderson), which examines the intertwined relationships of water, history, and indigenous and colonial languages.
Float in “The Lagoon of Languages” here: wordswithoutborders.org/read/article...
Above a green background in black text it reads: Words Without Borders, The Home for International Literature, We're hiring: Editorial Fellow & Education Fellow, Receive mentorship from experienced editors or learn about international literary arts education and program administration. Make a contribution to one of the premier organizations for contemporary international literature. Part-time, remote, Learn more and apply: wordswithoutborders.org/jobs
Are you an early-career education or publishing professional? Want to learn more about international literary arts education or hands-on magazine experience? Words Without Borders is hiring for our 2026-27 fellowship program! Apply here: wordswithoutborders.org/jobs/
Originally composed at a time of political upheaval, the two poems in “Morning Ceaselessly Roams My Hands,” by Indonesia's Afrizal Malna, capture moments of anxious tenderness of the everyday. Read the poems, translated by Daniel Owen, here:
Gain hands-on experience with the research and development of curricular resources, digital project administration, and outreach to a diverse community of schools and educators. Part-time, remote Learn more and apply: wordswithoutborders.org/jobs We're hiring: education Fellow
WWB is hiring for our 2026-27 fellowship program!
Working within WWB’s award-winning online education program, WWB Campus, the education fellow will gain hands-on experience with the research and development of curricular resources.
DEADLINE: April 17, 2026.
wordswithoutborders.org/jobs/
An image of image of green rolling hills with a lake at the base, overlaid in white text it reads: poetry, Creature of Skylights and Portholes: Two Poems, By Leire Bilbao, translated from Basque by Joana Urtasun, ““like moss you cover my scars and still my veins carry sap and fig milk.”
In "Creature of Skylights and Portholes: Two Poems," Leire Bilbao knots maritime landscapes to femininity and motherhood (tr. Joana Urtasan). Get a first look at Bilbao’s work this #NationalPoetryMonth: wordswithoutborders.org/read/article...
One of the benefits of an ALTA membership is ✨️exclusive✨️ access to Pitch Sessions, 8-minute Zoom sessions where translators may present a project to a publisher for possible publication.
Sign-up info will be emailed to ALTA members this Thurs, so make sure your membership is active! buff.ly/nd6Nntq
