Words are only music in a language you don’t understand. Meaning changes when you don’t know the culture from which a poem comes from. We often hear the phrase “Lost in Translation” because it is easy to fail a poem, its music and meaning in the act of moving it from one language and culture to another. Hence, a good translation is often a re-creation. But what if we took a poem in its original form and let it inspire us? Take us to a place we might otherwise never go?

In this workshop we will examine “Windup Doll,” a beautiful poem by the iconic 20th Century Iranian poet, Forugh Farrokhzad. You will listen to a recording of her reading (in Persian) and follow the poem in transliteration along with its word-by-word translation. You will then be guided to write a creative translation of the poem, letting it slowly carry you into your own subconscious, until the poem becomes yours.

Poems generated in this workshop will be considered for an anthology of poems based on Farrokhzad’s Windup Doll.

Masterclass participants are invited to join us for light refreshments after the workshop.