The Port Townsend Writers' Conference, taking place the week of July 12-19, is delighted to be able to present Liliana Valenzuela, one of the foremost English-to-Spanish translators in the world–a translator who is also, as Artistic Director Cristina García notes, a superb poet in her own right.
"I had the privilege of having her translate my fourth novel, A Handbook to Luck," García says. "When she was done, I wished I’d written the book in Spanish!"
Liliana's workshop class will focus on the words that we use in our writing.
"What is your particular linguistic treasure trove?" she asks. "How can you use it to enrich your writing?"
In her workshop, participants will be able to expand writing repertoire, including the use of colloquialisms, regionalisms, conversations, observations, eavesdropping, and sayings.
In private conferences, she will review and comment on work submitted by students prior to the workshop in the genre of their choice (two to three poems, or a 1,500-word prose piece).
"At the Miami Book Fair recently, Sandra Cisneros waxed rhapsodic over Liliana and her gorgeous translation of Caramelo," García says. "Liliana brings her boundless curiosity, her poet’s musicality, and an exquisite ear for language to everything she touches. Her workshop promises to be a fascinating experience."
Register online for this workshop as well as all Conference workshops. For more information, read class descriptions for all faculty members.
Liliana Valenzuela is the acclaimed Spanish language translator of works by Sandra Cisneros, Julia Alvarez, Denise Chávez, Nina Marie Martínez, Ana Castillo, Dagoberto Gilb, Richard Rodriguez, Rudolfo Anaya, Cristina García, Gloria Anzaldúa, and many other writers. An award winning poet and essayist whose work has appeared in the Edinburgh Review, Indiana Review, Tigertail, and other journals and publications, Liliana is also a dynamic performer, recently engaged to record the audiobook edition of La casa en Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros for Random House Audio.
A Director of the American Translators Association, she has translated literary works, art and photography books, museum catalogs, and web sites. Born and raised in Mexico City, Liliana is an adopted tejana. She received a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Cultural Anthropology and Folklore from the University of Texas at Austin, where she lives with her family.