André Naffis-Sahely is the author of two collections of poetry, The Promised Land: Poems from Itinerant Life (Penguin UK, 2017) and High Desert (Bloodaxe Books, 2022), as well as the editor of The Heart of a Stranger: An Anthology of Exile Literature (Pushkin Press, 2020). He has translated over twenty titles of fiction, poetry and nonfiction, including works by Honoré de Balzac, Émile Zola, Abdellatif Laâbi, Ribka Sibhatu and Tahar Ben Jelloun. His writing appears regularly in the pages of The Times Literary Supplement, The Baffler and Poetry (Chicago), among others. He is the editor of Poetry London.
Retreat: Editing and Submitting Poetry
Mon 18 September 2023 - Sat 23 September 2023
Tutor
/ André Naffis-Sahely
Guest Reader
/ Mona Kareem
Course Fee
/
From
£575 - £675 per person
Genre
/ Poetry
Language
/ English
Do you have a writing deadline, or a collection of poems and no idea what to do with them next, or are you simply looking to escape from a busy life for a short while? Our fully-catered retreats will provide you with the time and space to write, read and relax. Set in a peaceful location in the stunning surroundings of rural north Wales, you can take inspiration from the spectacular sea views over Cardigan Bay, share ideas over dinner or simply sit back and relax in Tŷ Newydd’s cosy library.
The centre is set in its own beautiful grounds and within walking distance of the beach and a riverbank path in the woods – you’ll find yourself surrounded by nature and wildlife. You can also walk down to the village inn to experience a warm welcome. Everyone will have a room of their own, and your home-cooked meals will be prepared for you by our experienced resident chef. Literature Wales staff members will also be on hand throughout your stay to offer advice on our opportunities for writers.
During this retreat, the editor of Poetry London, André Naffis-Sahely, will be present as a writer and editor-in-residence. André will run group workshops on editing your poems, writing cover letters and synopses, and giving tips on submitting to journals and magazines for consideration. A one-to-one tutorial with André will be offered to each participant, and you will be invited to send a couple of poems before the retreat begins for comments and editorial advice. We will also be joined by Mona Kareem as a guest reader on Zoom one evening, to enjoy a poetry reading and for an opportunity to ask questions about her writing journey.
On our retreats, you can choose your room. We offer a range of rooms at a variety of prices. Accessibility varies due to the nature of the listed building. Please enquire for further information about individual rooms before booking. Guests will be invited to arrive after lunch on the Monday and depart soon after breakfast on the Saturday.
Tutor
André Naffis-Sahely
Guest Reader
Mona Kareem
Mona Kareem is a literary scholar and a translator between Arabic and English. She is the author of three poetry collections and the 2022 chapbook I Will Not Fold These Maps translated by Sara Elkamel and published by the Poetry Translation Centre in London. She is a recipient of a 2021 literary grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and has held fellowships and residencies with Princeton University, Tufts University, Brandeis University, Poetry International, the Arab-American National Museum, Norwich Centre, Bard College, and Forum Transregionale Studien. Her work has been translated into nine languages, and appear in several publications including Poetry London, The Los Angeles Review of Books and Specimen. Kareem holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Her translations include Ashraf Fayadh’s Instructions Within (nominated for a BTBA award), Ra’ad Abdulqadir’s Except for this Unseen Thread, and Octavia Butler’s Kindred.