Wasafiri Magazine
@wasafirimag.bsky.social
The magazine of international literature since 1984. Order our latest issue, Wasafiri 126: Impossible Returns — The Spain Issue https://linktr.ee/wasafiri
This extract from our British Latinx issue – titled 'Journal in Babylon' (Diario en Babilonia) – is from the unpublished diary of Afro-Cuban poet, novelist, journalist, and broadcaster, Pedro Pérez-Sarduy. It is translated by our Translator in Residence, @juanapoetry.bsky.social. buff.ly/QNBOlm0
Multilingual poet Karessa Malaya Ramos Aguiñot reads 'Static on Sunday/Interferencias en el Domingo' – a poem structured around a long distance phone call – published in our latest issue. The poem is published bilingually in both Spanish and English, trans. by Ameerah Arjanee. buff.ly/qy8wTvz
Karessa Malaya Ramos Aguiñot reads 'Static on Sunday/Interferencias en el Domingo'
Multilingual poet Karessa Malaya Ramos Aguiñot reads 'Static on Sunday/Interferencias en el Domingo' – a poem structured around a long distance phone call – published in our Spain issue. The poem is…
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In this interview, academic Dr Paula Teixeira Moláns speaks to interdisciplinary artist Sol Mussa – both are from Galicia, 'a non-state nation known for its waves of migration' – about Mussa's artistic practice and personal experiences of migration. buff.ly/oSs3d86
Thanks to all who joined us for our recent multidisciplinary event in London, Bodies of Knowledge. It was a joy to gather with creative practitioners who are (em)bodying knowledge in fascinating new, hybrid ways, from social media to the archive, and more ✨️ 📸: Photography by David Kwaw Mensah
Today is the final day to read @hijadeinmigrantes.bsky.social's short story for free on the Taylor & Francis website! Translated from Spanish by Ian Farnes and Layla Benitez-James, the story centres a chance encounter with an old friend in a waiting room.
Waiting Room by Safia El Aaddam, trans. by Ian Farnes and Layla Benitez-James
In this short story by Safia El Aaddam – translated from Spanish by Ian Farnes and Layla Benitez-James…
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Tickets are now on sale for @juanapoetry.bsky.social's final workshop as Wasafiri's Translator in Residence (Endangered Languages). Presented in partnership with @englishpen.bsky.social as part of their International Translation Day Programme. Book your space now!
Languages of Resistance: Indigenous Poetics Workshop Series with Juana Adcock
We’re thrilled to announce a series of four creative…
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The book reviews in our summer special issue, Wasafiri 126: Impossible Returns — The Spain Issue, cover a range of recent work by writers working in English, Spanish, Catalan, and Galician. Read all these reviews and more in Wasafiri 126 — available to order now. buff.ly/9wBrqkr
Alejandro Lámbarry reads from his life writing piece in our Spain issue, titled 'El Enigma De Los Abuelos', translated from Spanish by Rahul Bery. He recalls his sister's return to Spain, seeking information about their late grandfather. Watch here: buff.ly/RXn6Hfh
Alejandro Lámbarry reads 'El Enigma De Los Abuelos' from Wasafiri's Spain issue
Alejandro Lámbarry reads from his life writing piece in our new Spain issue, titled 'El Enigma De Los Abuelos', translated from Spanish by Rahul Bery. Lámbarry recalls his sister's return to Spain,…
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We're delighted to hear that THE LORD'S WAYS by Shady Lewis, translated by Katharine Halls, has received an @englishpen.bsky.social Translates grant! Read some of Shady and Katharine's work – an excerpt from Chapter One of Shady Lewis's third novel – on our website now.
A Brief History of Creation and Eastern Cairo by Shady Lewis, trans. by Katharine Halls
Read an excerpt from Chapter One of Shady Lewis's third novel, A Brief History of Creation and Eastern Cairo (Dar Elain, 2021), translated by Katharine Halls.
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We are thrilled to announce Pakistani translator and writer Haider Shahbaz as Wasafiri's newest International Translator in Residence in partnership with @saltatchicago.bsky.social! buff.ly/Ow2dXtl
Victoria Adukwei Bulley interviews poet Mantra Mukim about his debut collection, GLITCHWORK (the87press, 2026). They discuss the grid as a form of poetics; a failed moon landing thwarted by unexpected error that informed Mukim's writing; other inspirations from visual art and music.
Porous Lines: An Interview with Mantra Mukim by Victoria Adukwei Bulley
Victoria Adukwei Bulley interviews poet Mantra Mukim about his debut collection, Glitchwork (the87press, 2026).
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Want to know more about the writing life of your favourite author? Wasafiri Wonders is our online interview series with various authors, translators, and researchers: what they're reading, inspirations, embarrassments, advice they've received, thoughts on craft, and more. buff.ly/2IuJywm
Read from the first chapter of Shady Lewis's third novel, A BRIEF HISTORY OF CREATION AND EASTERN CAIRO, newly translated into English by Katharine Halls. The novel unfolds over the course of a single day, against the backdrop of real-life events that took place in the 1980s.
A Brief History of Creation and Eastern Cairo by Shady Lewis, trans. by Katharine Halls
Read an excerpt from Chapter One of Shady Lewis's third novel, A Brief History of Creation and Eastern Cairo (Dar Elain, 2021), translated by Katharine Halls.
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July is South Asian Heritage Month — in celebration, we've compiled four Wasafiri issues that showcase some of the most incredible writing, research, and art from across South Asia and its diasporas in our archives. Available at the discounted price of £30 this July only. buff.ly/9o3pzhG
In this evocative piece of life writing, Isabella Peralta – who is part Filipino and Spanish – reminisces about her year working in Madrid, finding a sense of familiarity in instant ramen and an East Asian supermarket.
A Lone Hunger by Isabella Peralta
Isabella Peralta, who is part Filipino and Spanish, grew up in the Philippines on a former US naval base…
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Irish translator and scholar @ellenfcorbett.bsky.social explores how some Irish writers have resisted or deferred the translation of their work into English — given the minoritisation of the Irish language and its 'definitely endangered' status. Read the full essay here:
Against English: The Irish Poets Who Have Refused Translation
Irish translator and scholar Ellen Corbett explores how some Irish writers have resisted or deferred the translation of their work into English — given the…
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To celebrate the launch of our summer issue, we've curated an issue duo for just £20. These issues offer a timely exploration of identity and belonging at a moment when questions of migration, nationalism, and borders are reshaping public life across Europe and beyond. buff.ly/AhYnEKJ
We spoke to @mariakaladeen.bsky.social and Marta Fernández Campa about guest co-editing our new Spain Issue, which explores racialised and migrant existences in Spain that are intentionally overlooked in favour of white, ethnonationalist narratives of the country.
On Guest-Editing The Spain Issue: María del Pilar Kaladeen and Marta Fernández Campa
We spoke to María del Pilar Kaladeen and Marta Fernández Campa about guest co-editing Wasafiri 126:
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📢 Call for Support! We’re looking for bookshops and cultural venues across the UK and internationally who would like to stock Wasafiri. We offer great rates on an outright or sale-or-return basis and would love to bring our engaging writing to your readers. 📧 cassie.lawrence@qmul.ac.uk
For the Venezuelan poet Adalber Salas Hernández, 'poems are not unlike the microorganisms that act as his diminutive muses,' writes his translator from Spanish, Arthur Malcolm Dixon. Four such poems are presented here in both languages:
Diminutive Muses: Three Poems by Adalber Salas Hernández, trans. by Arthur Malcolm Dixon
For the Venezuelan poet Adalber Salas Hernández, 'poems are not unlike the microorganisms that act as his diminutive muses…
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This Friday, the Jamaican poet and writer @jallenpaisant.bsky.social will deliver a keynote performance titled SNOW as part of our two-part event, Bodies of Knowledge. 🗓️Friday, 10 July, 7–8pm BST 🏫BLOC Cinema, Queen Mary University of London 🎟️£10 for keynote only
Bodies of Knowledge
A multidisciplinary event, featuring a performance lecture by Jason Allen-Paisant and a roundtable conversation on who creates knowledge.
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Please join us in welcoming four new placement holders to the Wasafiri team! 👏 Francesca Balestro, Ruilin Ding, and Alice Harry join as LAHP placement holders, and Rolando Travieso joins as a @chase-dtp.bsky.social placement holder. Read about their work here: buff.ly/T48DKwZ
As London celebrates Pride tomorrow, we wanted to take a look at queer literature in our own archives. From pieces queering the Arab Spring, to an interview with Artemisa Téllez, and an article on trans literary activism, these issues celebrate queer literature & literary activism.
Queer Writing
A bundle to celebrate queer literature and literary activism, featuring Wasafiri 109, Wasafiri 98: Queer Worlds, Wasafiri 90:
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What shapes can solidarities take in these times we live in? Join Wasafiri's editor and publishing director, @sanagoyal.bsky.social, for a conversation on connection and public and private revolutions at Edinburgh International Book Festival this summer. buff.ly/V33UI9N
In this story by @hijadeinmigrantes.bsky.social – translated from Spanish by Ian Farnes and Layla Benitez-James – a chance encounter with an old friend in a waiting room sets off a chain of memories for the protagonist. The full story is available to download for free during July.
Waiting Room by Safia El Aaddam, trans. by Ian Farnes and Layla Benitez-James
In this short story by Safia El Aaddam – translated from Spanish by Ian Farnes and Layla Benitez-James…
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It's the final day to get two of our specially curated bundles (each containing four issues from our decades-long print archive) at a discount! Queer Writing bundle: buff.ly/YWeQ0r8 Migrant & Refugee Writing bundle: buff.ly/CrgWn9H
Join us for the online launch of Wasafiri 126: Impossible Returns — The Spain Issue on 22 July! Guest editors Marta Fernández Campa & @mariakaladeen.bsky.social will lead a wide-ranging event with various issue contributors and, together, they'll draw out key themes from the issue. buff.ly/4kd56T4
Impossible Returns: Wasafiri 126 Spain Issue online launch
Join us to celebrate the online launch of Wasafiri 126: Impossible Returns – The Spain Issue.
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Evelyn Aylén Heis reviews Brais Lamela's What Remains (tr. Jacob Rogers) in the recent Spanish Issue of Wasafiri. Read more & discover @wasafirimag.bsky.social: www.wasafiri.org/issues/wasaf... #galicianliterature #literatureintranslation #bookreview @braislamela.bsky.social
We're thrilled to share that this article exploring the work of visual artist and author Rubén H Bermúdez is now available via open access, which means you can read and download it for free anytime! buff.ly/zQI2vpd
Our friends @poetryschool.bsky.social are launching a new workshop series! First Steps is a Beginners’ series designed to support you getting started with writing poetry in a friendly and accessible way, led by poet Isabelle Baafi. The next session is on Tuesday 14 July.
Take Your First Steps in Writing Poetry • Poetry School
New to Poetry? Welcome to First Steps, our new Beginners series with Isabelle Baafi! Start your journey today.
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