Intersecting Worlds and Words – Diaspora Bilingual Poetry in Australia

CURATE OR CREATE? CURATE OR CREATE? 

Exploring Variations on a Theme “A Poetic Reading Salon” 

INVITING EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST 

‘All the writer can strive for is a personal voice’ Ha Jin 

In his book, The Writer as Migrant, Ha Jin, asks for whom do bilingual writers write and why. He refers to writers with an immigrant background and particularly those in exile who reflect on the political oppression in their country of origin. He explores identity issues and whether bilingual writers: - 

 Write for themselves or a collective endeavouring to act as spokespersons for their ethnic group. 

 Are liberated or entrapped in their ethnic identity.  Curate or create culture. 

The Diasporic Literature Spot seeks to generate discussion on the latter questions particularly whether bilingual writers are creating a new culture moving beyond stereotypic images of their immigrant experience. 

Poets, interested in participating in the Reading Salon, are invited to submit two to four poems noting why they consider their work to be creating rather curating culture. 

Expressions of interest should be emailed to reading.salon@diasporic.org by January 18, 2013. 

Organised by Vicky Tsaconas and Loula S. Rodopoulos the event hopes to attract poets interested in reading their work and discussing the issues raised by Ha Jin. 

The Reading Salon will be held at 3.30pm, Saturday, March 2, 2013 at Writers Victoria.