Multilingual Writing Retreat: April 27-May 7, 2020 in Palermo, Sicily (cancelled due to COVID-19)

Are you a multilingual poet or writer? Do you daydream about having the time and space to write, preferably in a courtyard near the sea? Do you love the idea of making meaningful connections with other writers from different continents?

The Polyglot is hosting its first international writing retreat in Palermo, Sicily from April 27 to May 7, 2020.

What is a writing retreat?

A writing retreat offers the chance to immerse yourself in writing, sharing, and getting feedback from a small group of creatives just like yourself. Whereas writing residencies are mostly about working in solitude, and writing conferences focus on lectures and networking, writing retreats combine the best of both worlds: you will have time to work alone as well as workshop and discuss your work with others. Our retreat will also include cultural activities, day trips, and intercultural exchanges with local writers and artists in Palermo. At the end of the retreat, you will have the chance to present your work in a literary event organized by Adriana Onita, Founding Editor of The Polyglot.

Why ‘multilingual’ and ‘international’?

Although The Polyglot was born in Edmonton, Canada, this retreat is not defined by borders nor restricted by nationality or language. We welcome writers to Palermo from all countries and continents. Regardless of the languages you speak, write, and dream in, you are benvenuti. Communication, writing, and workshops will occur organically in many tongues, so come prepared to parlare un po’ d’italiano and to give and receive feedback on multilingual writing. For an example of the diversity of what “multilingual writing,” can entail, please have a look at our first issues of The Polyglot. 

While you are open to work on any project in any genre during this retreat, in our cultural activities and visits we will consider art and storytelling in terms of displacement, migration, belonging, borders, real and imaginary homelands, colonization, language shift, memory, witness, human rights, and creative self-expression as a means of survival.

Why Palermo?

Palermo, Sicily is one of the most multicultural and multilingual cities in Europe. Due to its geography in the southern Mediterranean between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, its history, culture, art, literature, and gastronomy have been touched by three millennia of colonizing cultures: Phoenicians, Catharginians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, French, Swabians, Spaniards, Italians, and more. In 2020, Palermo remains a diverse city welcoming immigrants and refugees from all over the world. An afternoon stroll through Albergheria, where the retreat will take place, has you godendo conversations dozens of languages, from Arabic to Bengali to Romanian to Wolof to Yoruba, and of course, Italian and Sicilian/Palermitano dialects. This multilingual and cultural environment is the best place for polyglot writers to write, dream, create, discuss, and grow together. We hope that you will return to your communities refreshed and inspired, with valuable insights to share regarding arts, languages, and creative programming.

What is included in the retreat?

The retreat price includes retreat organization, workshops, and accommodation for ten nights in the heart of historical Palermo from April 27 to May 7. You will enjoy a separate bedroom, shared bathroom, shared kitchen and courtyard at Baglio San Giovanni in the Albergheria neighbourhood of Palermo. Meals and cultural activities are negotiated together. Airfare to Palermo is separate. If you have contributed to The Polyglot in the past, the organization and workshop fee will be waived.

How can I get more information?

Please email thepolyglotmagazine@gmail.com for more information about this retreat! Spots are limited, so please be sure to email us right away if you are interested. Please include a short sample of your work (3 pages) and a short statement of intent (300 words) in any language of what you’d like to accomplish in this retreat and why it interests you.

As this is The Polyglot’s inaugural retreat, those who attend will have the unique opportunity to provide feedback and strategic insights for our future international programming. We hope that this retreat results in global collaborations that ultimately benefit your communities of origin.