Words, In Other Places. Literature in Translation / Words Beyond Borders

Literature in Translation / Words Beyond Borders, an hour-long panel discussion, with Csilla Toldy (Hungarian writer and poet whose books include The Emigrant Woman’s Tale and Bed Table Door ), Enrica Maria Ferrara (Italian writer, translator, and scholar and Trinity College Teaching Fellow) and Rafael Mendes (Brazilian Irish Immigrant, co-winner of the Ireland Chair of Poetry Pamphlet Series 2025 with The Migrant Dictionary),.

Hosted by the author of Paris Syndrome and Let's Dance and Irish Times reviewer, Lucy Sweeney Byrne

Rafael Mendes is a Brazilian-Irish poet whose work has recently appeared or is upcoming in Banshee, Wasafiri, and gorse. He was selected for Poetry Ireland Introductions 2023 and the Irish Writers Centre Evolution Programme 2025-2026. His pamphlet, The Migrant Dictionary (Howl New Irish Writing), was a co-winner of the Ireland Chair of Poetry Pamphlet Series 2025.

Csilla Toldy published three pamphlets of poetry with Lapwing Belfast (2013, 2015, 2018), Angel Fur and other stories with Stupor Mundi (2019), the novels Bed Table Door (Wrecking Ball Press, 2023, LTC 2025), which won the Desmond Elliott Prize Residency awarded by the National Centre for Writing, UNESCO City of Literature Norwich, and Kata (Open Books Hungary 2024). Csilla’s poems were short listed for the Bridport Prize and nominated for the Forward Prize. Csilla’s first full collection of poetry, Firebird is published by Arlen House (2025). Csilla translates from German and Hungarian, her translations were published in Le Ortique, Cyphers, Modern Poetry in Translation, Asymptote and HLO. She was an emerging translator with NCW in 2021 and the recipient of a Stinging Fly Bursary to Bristol Translates in 2024. She is a professional member and a mentor at the Irish Writing Centre. She held residencies at Cove Park, AIR Litteratur Gotheland, NCW and Down Arts Centre. She is working on a sequel to “Kata” with the support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland at present. www.csillatoldy.co.uk

Lucy Sweeney Byrne's work has appeared in various anthologies and literary magazines in Ireland, the U.K. and the U.S.A. including The Dublin Review, The Stinging Fly, Banshee, AGNI, Southword, 3:AM and Irish Stories (Everyman's Pocket Classics), amongst others. Her story collections, Paris Syndrome (2019) and Let's Dance (2024), published by Banshee Press, were met with critical acclaim and shortlisted for numerous awards, including the Edge Hill Prize. Her writing has been generously supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. She also reviews for The Irish Times.

Words, In Other Places, an Irish Writers Centre Literary Festival, in partnership with the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland

Over the course of one weekend, Saturday 11 April at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University in Belfast, and Sunday 12 April at the Irish Writers Centre in Dublin, Words, In Other Places will showcase a tri-lateral range of form, talent and diversity in today’s literary scene, looking to the north and south of Ireland while welcoming international writers.

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Host or Publisher Irish Writers Centre