The events have been taking place at Volcano Theatre on Swansea’s High Street, which is fast becoming a major hub for the arts.

The final event, from 7.30pm on Friday 23 June, features:

• José Cifuentes from Chile, who has lived in Swansea since 1977 when he came as a political refugee. He has written his memoir of the Allende and Pinochet years in Spanish. His daughter Rocio (director of EYST) translated the text into English and also prepared the Spanish text for publication.
• Patricia Rodriguez Martinez Jones – researcher and translator of Afro-Colombian poetry, as well as Swansea University’s Director of Interpreting Studies and Employability.
• Zoë Skoulding from Bangor – poet and French poetry translator, working with Jean Portante.
• Jean Portante, born in Luxembourg, is a prize-winning francophone novelist, poet and playwright and a translator from English, Spanish, Italian and German.
• Live Welsh music by singer-songwriter Sian Richard 

More information about Volcano Fridays. 

All events are free and open to all. No booking required.

Picture:  Volcano Theatre, High Street, Swansea

Volcano Fridays are organised by Swansea University and Wales PEN Cymru, part of a worldwide organisation defending the rights of writers. Critically acclaimed authors, local storytellers and refugee poets will perform, with each event featuring various languages, and interpreters on hand as needed. 

‌Professor Tom Cheesman of the department of languages, translation and interpreting at Swansea University, initiator of Volcano Fridays, said: 

“Volcano Fridays is a forum for connecting communities, and for sharing the universal language of the imagination. It’s a festival for modern literature from around the world.

Artists perform their work and discuss with the audience - events include music, film clips, and discussions with translators and researchers.

The idea is to bring together literature lovers, whatever their backgrounds.”

Volcano Fridays form part of a research project which will investigate important questions about our increasingly multilingual society. How much do languages divide communities? How can language gaps best be bridged? Is multilingualism seen as a threat, or an opportunity; a curse, or a delight? Is multilingualism changing all our languages?

The project is called ‘Cross-Language Dynamics: Remaking Community’. It is based in Swansea University’s Department of Languages, Translation and Interpreting, and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council within the £14 million UK-wide Open World Research Initiative.

Professor Iwan Davies, Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Swansea University, said:

“Swansea University is an outward-looking global university, which is rooted in Wales, and committed to education, culture and the arts. 

It is therefore very fitting that our researchers and students should be at the heart of this extraordinary initiative.   Volcano Fridays will give people in Swansea – of all languages and backgrounds – an opportunity to hear the voices of esteemed writers from Wales and around the world.”  

See the full programme here.  All events are free and open to all. No booking required.

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