Arizona Translates! is a series of in-person public events held in fall 2023 alongside ALTA’s 46th annual conference, "The Place of Translation." Arizona Translates! is ALTA’s third public event series aimed at bringing translation to Arizonan audiences since the organization moved to Tucson and became affiliated with the College of Humanities at the University of Arizona in January 2019. We are grateful to our local partners in Tucson! If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch by emailing info@literarytranslators.org. All events are free unless otherwise listed.

The 2023 program includes: 

#FoundInTranslation Scavenger Hunt

Available at the UA Poetry Center starting October 3

The University of Arizona Poetry Center (1508 E Helen St.)

Browse the stacks for poetry in translation to make a “found poem” of your own! Pick up a card at the UA Poetry Center and follow the prompts. Brought to you by the UA Poetry Center and the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) for the 2023 Tucson Humanities Festival and 46th annual ALTA Conference.

Access Information: Accessible restrooms are located on the ground level next to the breezeway. The Poetry Center collection is accessible via a ramp or a few steps. We are happy to provide access to books that might be difficult to reach by request.

Find a Book with the Tucson Tome Gnome

sunday, October 22

The Tucson Tome Gnome will be hiding free copies of books in translation around the city of Tucson on October 22! Follow their Instagram @TucsonTomeGnome.

Translation at the Poetry Mailbox

Wednesday, NOVEMBER 8 - Saturday, NOVEMBER 11

Broadmoor-Broadway Village neighborhood (see exact location here)

Stop by the Poetry Mailbox during conference dates and pick out a random book translated by an ALTA member to take home!

Translation Intersections with Tucson's Urban Poetry Pollinators

Wednesday, November 8 - until the chalk fades!

During conference dates (or as long as the chalk lasts!), we invite you to explore Tucson intersections chalked by Urban Poetry Pollinators (UPP), a volunteer group dedicated to bringing poetry into public spaces in ALTA's hometown. UPP will be chalking selections from the titles longlisted for this year's National Translation Award in Poetry, in four centrally located places in Tucson. Look for them at the Poetry Center, at the SL/University/Tyndall streetcar stop (outside the Marriott), outside Sky Bar, and at the Historic Y (Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre). When you see the chalkings, we encourage you to post on social media and tag @urbanpoetrypollinators and @littranslate (and use #FoundInTranslation). ALTA is excited to partner with UPP to bring translated poetry to the Tucson community!

Reading at the UA Poetry Center: Sawako Nakayasu

Thursday, November 9, 7:00-8:00pm

The University of Arizona Poetry Center (1508 E Helen St.)

Sawako Nakayasu, an artist working with language, performance, and translation, will give a reading at the UA Poetry Center. Read more here.

COVID Guidelines: The Poetry Center's COVID protocol can be accessed on their website.

Access Information: Accessible restrooms are located on the ground level next to the breezeway.

Keynote Address: Sawako Nakayasu

Friday, November 10, 3:30-4:30pm

Tucson Marriott university park hotel, sabino-pima

free and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Sawako Nakayasu, an artist working with language, performance, and translation, will give the keynote address for ALTA46. Her talk is generously supported by the UA Poetry Center and the UA Center for East Asian Studies. Read more about Sawako here.

COVID Guidelines: Keynote attendees must be masked according to ALTA's 2023 Health and Safety Guidelines.

Access Information: The conference meeting space at the Tucson Marriott University Park Hotel is all on the ground level, and two accessible restrooms are located near the meeting space. All event rooms will include wheelchair-accessible seating distributed throughout the space. Plenary session spaces will be equipped with microphones and speakers.

Russian Roulette: A Staged Reading and Talkback

SaturDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 7:30-9:30PM

SCOUNDREL & SCAMP THEATRE, THE HISTORIC Y, 738 N 5TH AVE, TUCSON, ARIZONA 85705

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Come see the winner of the 4th annual Plays in Translation Contest, a partnership between ALTA and the Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre! The winner of this year's competition is the Mexican play Russian Roulette by Luis Guerrero, translated from Spanish by Katherine Walker. Russian Roulette dramatizes the story of the events of August 25, 2011, the day that members of a drug cartel set a casino on fire in Monterrey, Nuevo León, killing over 50 people. Learn more and reserve your ticket on the Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre’s website. 

COVID Guidelines: We encourage but do not require our audience, staff and volunteers to wear masks while indoors. Masks are strongly recommended to be of medical grade surgical or N95 quality. Patrons who need a mask of this caliber may ask for one at the box office time of check-in. Performers will not be wearing masks during the show. Please see the Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre’s COVID Guidelines For Audiences for more information. 

Participating Bookstore

Wednesday, NOVEMBER 8 - Saturday, NOVEMBER 11

Antigone Books (411 N 4th Ave)

Stop by Antigone Books anytime between November 8-11 to check out their special displays of literature in translation!

Access Information: We do not have any bathrooms available for customers at this time. Our store is one floor. We have a parking lot for our customers.

Access Information: The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre has seating designated for patrons utilizing wheelchairs. Please call ahead at (520) 448-3300 to ensure reservation. Accessible parking and ramp access is available from our parking lot (accessed from 5th Avenue). A drop-off area is available at the front door of The Historic Y on 5th Avenue. Restrooms are accessible. The S&S Theatre does not provide sound amplification due to the intimate size and excellent acoustics of our space. If concerned that hearing may be difficult, we are happy to seat patrons in the front row. Please call ahead at (520) 448-3300 to ensure reservation.

Accessibility

We welcome everyone to our programming and are committed to making our events accessible, and to making arrangements that allow all attendees to participate in the conversation. With questions about access, or to request any disability-related accommodations that will facilitate your full participation in ALTA's programming, such as ASL interpreting, closed captioning, wheelchair access, etc., please contact ALTA Program Director Kelsi Vanada (520-621-1757). ALTA can best meet accessibility needs when requests are sent at least two weeks in advance of a given event.