Join Editors Toronto on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at 7:00 pm ET via Zoom for “Tongue-Tied Talking, Writing Without Words: Literary Co-Translation with Refugee Writers,” introduced by PEN Canada Executive Director Brendan de Caires.
“Tongue-tied talking” and “writing without words” is how writer Arzu Yildiz and editor Mary Rykov describe the early, frustrating phase of English-language learning (ELL) experienced by many non-English-speaking newcomers to Canada, including refugees. This experience is dire for writer-refugees who lose words – the very tools of their craft. Not only must writer-refugees now write in English, but learning difficulties can be exacerbated by the trauma they experienced when fleeing their native countries, often suddenly, imperilled, and alone. Leaving eminent writing careers back home, here in Canada many perform jobs such as flipping burgers, driving cabs, and scrubbing toilets.
Learn about the iterative, experimental AI-assisted method that arose through writer-editor collaboration to translate Arzu’s thirty-chapter Turkish novel, Sokak, into an English-novel manuscript, The Street.
Following the formal presentation of their method, Arzu and Mary will discuss writer-refugees, editors, and ESL editing, generally. This seminar will not be recorded to encourage candid conversations.
About the speakers:
Turkish Canadian Arzu Yildiz holds an MFA in Creative Writing. Her distinguished investigative journalism career in Türkiye ended in 2016 due to a media purge by the Erdoğan government. After time in a Greek refugee camp, Arzu received asylum in Canada, where she now lives, reunited with her two daughters. She continues to write. Her novel, Sokak, was named a Turkish “Best Book of 2023.”
Puerto Rican Canadian María Helena Auerbach Rykov is a recovering music therapist who holds a PhD in Adult Education. She freelances as a writer and editor, and volunteers as editor and grant mentor for writer-refugees through PEN Canada. Mary’s 2020 poetry collection, some conditions apply, was launched by Inanna Publications into the pandemic void. More at https://maryrykov.com.
Brendan de Caires, PEN Canada Executive Director, will provide a brief introduction.
Schedule:
6:55 pm — Zoom meeting opens
7:00 pm — Opening remarks
7:05 pm — Arzu Yildiz & Mary Rykov
7:45 pm — Q&A
Want to join us?
To reserve your spot, click the following link: https://buytickets.at/editorstoronto/2218441
Editors Canada members can reserve their ticket for free using the promo code ETOPN26 at checkout. Non-member admission is $7.
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Thank you for your interest! We look forward to seeing you there.