UPCOMING
none for now : )
PAST
Saturday, February 10, 2024
Bangla Translation Foundation Conference, Dhaka, Bangladesh
2 p.m.–8 p.m., National Art Gallery Auditorium of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy
Friday, November 10, 2023
ALTA Conference, Tucson, AZ: Dealing with Shame and Source/Heritage Languages (panel)
10:45 a.m.–12 p.m., Canyon B room, 880 E 2nd St, Tucson Marriott University Park
(With Amanda L. Andrei, Soleil Davíd) Shame is a painful feeling associated with guilt, shortcomings, or impropriety. In some cases, translators may feel shame surrounding their source or heritage languages. Where do these feelings of shame surrounding our source or heritage languages come from? How does it influence our work, translation process, and personhood, and how do translators cope with the feeling of shame? In particular, we will discuss how displacement, historical events, and availability of language learning resources emphasize, contribute to, or alleviate feelings of shame.
Thursday, November 9, 2023
ALTA Conference, Tucson, AZ: Beyond the Preface: Writing About Translation (panel)
2–3:15 p.m., Pima room, 880 E 2nd St, Tucson Marriott University Park
(With Becka McKay, Daniel Hahn, Mira Rosenthal) From reviews to diaries to opinion pieces, writing about translation is an art form in itself. This panel considers where we place our own voices in relation to the voices of those we translate—and thereby considers the place of the translator in the literary world. How is our writing about translation similar to our translation work? How does it differ? Whether we want to explore the translation process or expand translation’s reach, how do we invite the world in to share the discoveries, errors, and insights of our craft? Inspired by Daniel Hahn’s translation diary Catching Fire, as well as the insightful analysis and poetic writing of Bonnie Chau and Mira Rosenthal, this panel gives these writer-translators space to discuss the challenges, offer ideas, and share inspiration.
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Black Spring Books, Brooklyn, NY: Halloween Party
8 p.m., 672 Driggs Ave in Williamsburg
Event with Selin Gökcesu, Mary Reilly, Noa Saunders, Marina Gasparyan, Gnaomi Siemens; hosted by Chuks Ndulue
Saturday, July 1, 2023
FourOneOne, Brooklyn, NY: Evergreen Sex Machine
7 p.m., 411 Kent Ave in South Williamsburg
An evening of erotica and literature featuring Kerry Carnahan, Suzanne Gardinier, Miracle Jones, Megan Milks, and Dale Peck, with images curated by Nickolas Calabrese and hosted by Bonnie Chau.
Saturday, May 13, 2023
AIA Center for Architecture, New York, NY: PEN America World Voices Festival: Translation Manifesto (roundtable)
12 p.m., 536 LaGuardia Pl in Greenwich Village
Moderated by Bonnie Chau, this event will feature translators Jennifer Croft, Alexa Frank, Anton Hur, and Aaron Robertson.
Saturday, March 4, 2023
411 Kent, Brooklyn, NY: The Uses of Translation: Hofmann-Kuroda, Ramadan, Wimmer
3–5 p.m., 411 Kent Ave in Williamsburg
Translators Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda, Emma Ramadan, and Natasha Wimmer read from their favorite translations and answer questions about their processes in conversation with Bonnie Chau. Presented by the Evergreen Review and Singapore Unbound.
Thursday, November 10, 2022
ALTA45: Advocating for Translators: The 2022 PEN Translation Manifesto in Action (roundtable)
12 p.m., ET, via Zoom
The newly completed 2022 PEN Translation Manifesto will serve as a jumping-off point from which to launch a discussion of translator advocacy, the ethics and values of the contemporary translation community, and how to engage translators, publishers, and editors in a dialogue about cultural and linguistic norms and their impacts on the translation publishing world.
Thursday, October 20, 2022
The Center for Fiction, Brooklyn, NY: The Craft of Fiction panel
7 p.m., 15 Lafayette Ave in Fort Greene
Can Creative Writing Be Taught? Bonnie Chau, Porochista Khakpour, Jee Leong Koh, and Dale Peck Attempt to Answer the Age-Old Question, moderated by John Oakes, presented in partnership with the Evergreen Review
Friday, June 3, 2022
Black Spring Books, Brooklyn, NY: No Season reading series
7 p.m., 672 Driggs Ave in Williamsburg
Reading with Leah Sophia Dworkin, Garrett Phelps, Liza St. James, and Ariel Yelen; hosted by Ari Braverman
Friday, March 4, 2022
Molasses Books, Brooklyn, NY: Us&Them Writer-Translator Reading Series
8 p.m., 770 Hart St in Bushwick
Reading with Anton Yakovlev, Mayada Ibrahim, Orion Martin
Tuesday, April 27, 2021
Stadler Fellow & Roth Resident Reading
7 p.m., ET, via Zoom
Reading with Stadler Fellow Laura Villareal
Monday, November 30, 2020
Show & Tell: Intimacy, Performance, Spectacle
5 p.m., PST, via Zoom
BMI Shearing Fellow Bonnie Chau and special guests Jasmine Jamillah Mahmoud, Haleigh Nickerson, and Matt Yoka invite you to participate in a night of show & tell. Hear artists, writers, and curators explore themes of ritual, fortune, and luck in their creative work. Attendees are encouraged to share an object, short text, or piece of writing – perhaps one that connects us to the city and mythos of Las Vegas.
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Show & Tell: Ritual, Fortune, Luck
5 p.m., PST, via Zoom
BMI Shearing Fellow Bonnie Chau and special guests Hyun Gi Park, Chukwuma Ndulue, and Maxwell Williams invite you to participate in a night of show & tell. Hear artists, writers, and curators explore themes of ritual, fortune, and luck in their creative work. Attendees are encouraged to share an object, short text, or piece of writing – perhaps one that connects us to the city and mythos of Las Vegas.
Sunday, August 30, 2020
Black Mountain Institute’s Severance Radio: Episode 9: Nasia Anam & Bonnie Chau
7 p.m., PST
Severance Radio is an on-air book club dissecting Ling Ma’s satirical, dystopian novel Severance. Severance Radio airs on KUNV 91.5FM Sundays at 7 pm PST. Stream it live anywhere in the world at kunv.org/live. As we listen to the audiobook, you can follow along on pages 169–187 of the Severance paperback.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Tattooed Mom, Philadelphia, PA: Tire Fire Presents: Chau, Housley, McShea, & Jefferson
7:30 p.m., 530 South Street
Reading with Dave Housley, Megan McShea, and Cija A. Jefferson; hosted by Jaime Fountaine & Mike Ingram
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Breukelen Coffee House, Brooklyn, NY: Drenched in Words: A Night of Literature and Music
7 p.m., 764A Franklin Ave in Crown Heights
Reading with Dane Graham & Erika Luckert; music by Clifton Roper, Doctor Beak, and Volunteer Cheerleader; organized by Chuks Ndulue
Saturday, March 30, 2019
AWP Conference, Portland, OR: Politics and Pragmatics of Translating Asian Languages (panel)
12–1:15 p.m., F149, Oregon Convention Center, Level 1
(With Charles Waugh, Michelle Kyoko Crowson, Noh Anothai) Four accomplished translators, working in Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese, discuss the political and pragmatic difficulties posed by translating Asian languages. Panelists will address challenges arising from formal aspects of the languages, from the political dimensions and consequences of the work, and from working in a field underrepresented in US publishing, academic programs, and at AWP. Panelists will also present resources for aspiring translators and propose an Asian languages translators’ network.
Friday, March 29, 2019
White Owl Social Club, Portland, OR: Celebrating 10 Years of Electric Lit and the Rumpus at AWP (party/reading)
6:30–9 p.m., 1305 SE 8th Ave
Reading with Kaveh Akbar, Marie-Helene Bertino, Ryan Chapman, R.O. Kwon, and Talin Tahajian
Sunday, January 20, 2019
DTUT, New York, NY: Dead Rabbits Reading Series
8 p.m., 1744 2nd Ave on the Upper East Side
Reading with George Kovalenko, Melissa Shaw, Sasha Fletcher, Amelia Gray, and Chris Gonzalez
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Pacific Standard, Brooklyn, NY: Naughty & Ice: A Holiday Reading with The Rumpus & Pigeon Pages
7–9 p.m., 82 Fourth Ave in Park Slope
Reading with Shira Erlichman, Crystal Hana Kim, Thomas Page McBee, and Safiya Sinclair
Thursday, November 1, 2018
ALTA Conference, Bloomington, IN: Generative Sensitivities: How Emotional and Cultural Empathy Impacts Author-Translator Relations (panel)
2–3:15 p.m., 900 E 7th St at Indiana University's Indiana Memorial Union (IMU)
(With Timea Sipos, Aaron Coleman) How does a translator navigate emotional and ethical decisions when representing a literary work in a new language? How do translators understand their own relationship to the author and the text (whether that text is current or older, whether the author is living or deceased, how disparities of time, space, gender, and power can and should be addressed)? Participants in this panel will begin by discussing how their own relationships with authors have impacted the language choices of their translations, particularly the translator’s ability to translate with emotional and cultural empathy. Then, panelists will share specific examples, prompting a discussion with the audience exploring the choices and how they are generated from the relationship and toward a translation of empathy.
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Chen Dance Center / H.T. Chen & Dancers: Chinatown Arts Week closing night, New York, NY: (reading)
7–8:30 p.m.,70 Mulberry Street in Chinatown
Chinatown Arts Week will close with a night of readings by Asian American writers curated by Julie Chen: with Amy Meng & Weirong Chu
This event is presented by Think!Chinatown for Chinatown Arts Week.
Monday, October 22, 2018
Penn Book Center, Philadelphia, PA: (reading)
6 p.m., 130 S. 34th Street in University City
Reading with May-Lan Tan, followed by conversation with Anne Ishii
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Conversations & Connections Writer's Conference, Pittsburgh, PA: Featured Author
Chatham University
Featured author, along with Tyrese Coleman, Dan Brady, and Marissa Landrigan
Conversations and Connections is a one-day writer's conference that brings together writers, editors, and publishers in a friendly, supportive environment. The conference is organized by Barrelhouse, a nonprofit literary organization, and has been held for the past 11 years in Washington DC, and the past 4 in Pittsburgh. All proceeds go to participating small presses and literary magazines, and to Barrelhouse.
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Politics and Prose Bookstore (Union Market), Washington, D.C.: All Roads Lead to Blood (reading)
5 p.m., 1270 5th St NE at Union Market
Book launch event! With Cristina Rivera Garza
Saturday, October 13, 2018
Fall for the Book Festival, Fairfax, VA: Short Stories, Big Voices (panel)
11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m., Merten 1202, 4400 University Drive at George Mason University's Fairfax campus
Short stories leave big impacts on their readers. In Locked Gray / Linked Blue: Stories, Kem Joy Ukwu details the lives of New Yorkers haunted by intense family dynamics, toxic romance, first-date awkwardness, and financial troubles. All Roads Lead To Blood by Bonnie Chau is a story collection from the unique perspective of second-generation Chinese-Americans balancing success, failure, memory, and heritage.
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Skylight Books, Los Angeles, CA: All Roads Lead to Blood (reading)
5 p.m., 1818 N Vermont Ave in Los Feliz
Book launch event!
Co-sponsored by Kundiman, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing generations of writers and readers of Asian American literature.
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Moe's Books, Berkeley, CA: (reading)
7 p.m., 2476 Telegraph Ave
Reading with j.j. Mull and Kateland Harte
Saturday, September 22, 2018
E.M. Wolfman General Interest Small Bookstore, Oakland, CA: All Roads Lead to Blood (reading)
7 p.m., 410 13th St in Downtown
Book launch event! With Kundiman fellows Mia Ayumi Malhotra and Ploi Pirapokin
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
HIP Lit Summer Series (Ridgewood), Brooklyn, NY: DEEP SUMMER (reading)
7 p.m., 56-06 Cooper Ave in Ridgewood
Official Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend event! With Joy Baglio, Tara Isabella Burton, Eric Sasson, and Tracy O'Neill
Saturday, September 8, 2018
The Barking Dog, Bethesda, MD: SFWP's 20th Anniversary Celebration (reading/launch party)
7 p.m., 4723 Elm Street
SFWP’s fall books launch party!
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
McNally Jackson (Williamsburg), Brooklyn, NY: All Roads Lead to Blood (reading)
7 p.m., 76 N 4th St in Williamsburg
Book launch event! With Chuks Ndulue, Tara Jayakar, and Anelise Chen
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Greenlight Bookstore (Prospect Lefferts Gardens), Brooklyn, NY: (reading)
7:30 p.m., 632 Flatbush Ave in Prospect Lefferts Gardens
Reading with Jon Pineda & Arhm Choi Wild
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Underdonk Gallery, Brooklyn, NY: (reading)
6–8 p.m., 1329 Willoughby Ave #211 in Bushwick
Readings by Simona Blat, Katy Bohinc, Bonnie Chau; organized by Sam Bornstein & Chuks Ndulue
Thursday, April 5, 2018
KGB Bar, New York, NY: Columbia Selects (reading)
7–9 p.m., 85 E 4th Street in the East Village
Columbia University School of the Arts Writing Program alumni reading series: with Kristen Martin & Alexandra Watson.
Saturday, March 10, 2018
AWP Conference, Tampa, FL: Translating Asian Prose (panel)
4:30–5:45 p.m., Room 1, Tampa Convention Center, First Floor
• Translating Asian Prose. (Charles Waugh, Michelle Kyoko Crowson, Anothai Kaewkaen, Bonnie Chau) Four accomplished translators, working in Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese, discuss the difficulties posed by translating Asian prose. Covering topics such as rendering vernacular and regional dialects, conveying humor, handling challenges arising from logographic and alphasyllabary words and grammars, and considering the political consequences of the work, this panel reveals insights into translating languages and genres underrepresented in US publishing and at AWP.
Sunday, February 4, 2018
KGB Bar, New York, NY: Art Farm Nebraska (reading)
7–9 p.m., 85 E 4th Street in the East Village
Art Farm Nebraska's annual lonelyhearts reading, featuring former residents Bonnie Chau, Franny Zhang, Liza St. James, Nell Schwed, and Pia Padukone.
Friday, February 2, 2018
Berl's Poetry Shop, Brooklyn, NY: harlequin creature chapbook + online translation platform launch (reading and discussion)
7 p.m., 141 Front Street in DUMBO
a night of readings in translation by elisa wouk almino, emily beyda, & bonnie chau. followed by a discussion on the artistic practice of literary translation, moderated by meghan forbes.
this event has been organized to mark the new york launch of suspended whispers, a trilingual illustrated edition of poems in persian, french & english. the book is a collaboration between three women, all currently based in austin, texas: the poet roja chamankar, translator emily beyda, and artist jade fusco. we will also kick off the first ever hc web-based pub: an online translation platform co-edited by meghan forbes and elisa wouk almino.