Poetry Through the Lens of Multilingual Writing with Astrid Alben

A radical new course exploring trans- & multilingual writing with the innovative Astrid Alben.

* This course will take place on the video-conferencing platform ZOOM *

This course is for advanced writers of poetry who want to innovate their practice. Over 5 intensive fortnightly Zoom workshops you will expand your expectations and understanding of what poetry is and can be through the lens of trans- & multilingual writing, alongside exploring how interdisciplinary writing and translingual expression can expand your poetics. Among the topics we will explore each term are translation, fragmentation, notebook-scavenging, concrete, and multilingual writing.

This course will have a strong focus on developing your own work and is for poets looking to expand their practice and take their writing to the next level, especially those with an interest in international and translingual writing. Through a blend of reading, writing, critical feedback, and a close-knit community of poetry-peers, we’ll help you to produce your best work and bring innovative new poems into the world.

Each session, Astrid will provide a supportive and interactive environment that will include writing prompts and a combination of tutor and peer feedback. By the end of the course you will have developed confidence in your writing, and acquired a portfolio of new written material.

5 fortnightly Zoom sessions on Tuesdays, 6.30–9.30pm (BST/GMT), starts 14 Oct 2025. Please note: Entry to this course is by application only. If you would like to join, please send a submission of three poems to [email protected].

Concessions & Accessibility

To apply for a concession rate, please send relevant documentation showing your eligibility for one of our concessions to [email protected]. Conditions of eligibility are detailed here. If you have any questions or wish to be added to the waiting list of a sold-out course, please email [email protected].

What to Expect

Please check the left hand side of this page for information on how this course works in practice, under the heading ‘Course Style‘. If you’re unsure as to what any of the terms there mean, or if this course is a good fit for you, then please take a look at our What to Expect page which includes some further information on how our courses function.

Image Credit: @olloweb

About Astrid Alben View Profile

Astrid Alben is a poet, editor, and translator. She is the author of Ai! Ai! Pianissimo (2011), Plainspeak (2019), and Little Dead Rabbit (2022), which Alben self-translated and which was published by PoëzieCentrum (Klein dood konijn, 2021). Her translation of Anne Vegter’s Island glacier mountain won an English PEN Translates Award in 2022. Her translation of F. Van Dixhoorn’s The Complete Works was published by Broken Sleep Books in 2024. Her non-fiction has appeared in literary journals including Granta and the Times Literary Supplement. She has worked with BBC Radio and Wellcome Collection, and with performance and animation. Alben is the commissioning editor for literature in translation at Prototype Publishing.
www.astridalben.com
albenastrid
@AstridAlben

"I love the Poetry School! I’ve learned so much from taking a variety of courses and workshops and I’ve improved my skills and overall confidence as a poet."

- Spring 2025 Survey Response

The Poetry School