Shapes of Europe - creative writing workshop

The Iberian bull, the Scandinavian moose, the Slovenian hen. The Italian high heel boot, the French toga or safety jacket. The Greek fingers playing ducks and drakes in the Aegean, skimming stones towards the Anatolian mare. The British witch on a broomstick, her back to the continent, attempting to fly west yet bumping into the Irish bear. And of course, the Maltese fish, morphing into the whale that swallowed Jonah. What is it that keeps the European jigsaw together? 

In the first part of this workshop, we will look at a number of satirical maps of Europe, in conjunction with ‘cartographic’ poems by ’Aleph’ and Fernando Pessoa.  

In the second part, we will do a close collective reading of contemporary poems on the European condition, discuss possible angles, forms and images for poems of our own, and begin writing. 

This workshop will be held in English, but you are free to write in the language of your choice. It forms part of the The Story of Europe, Map by Map programme, organised by the European Commission Representation in Malta, the Embassy of Spain in Malta, and Malta Libraries. The exhibition runs until July 13, 2024. 

Antoine Cassar is a poet, translator and editor. His book-length poem Erbgħin Jum (Ede Books, 2017), on writing as therapy from childhood traumas, won the National Book Prize and was shortlisted for the European Poet of Freedom Prize. Passaport (2009, 3^rd ed. Ede Books 2019), a long poem printed as an anti-passport for all peoples and landscapes, has been published in 12 languages and adapted for the stage in various countries. 

www.antoinecassar.net 

The workshop is limited to 25 participants and will be open on a first-come, first-served basis. 
Registrations close on July 5, 2024, at 12:00.