suspended whispers is the latest letterpressed chapbook published by harlequin creature. it is a trilingual illustrated edition of poems in persian, french & english. the book is a collaboration between three women, all currently based in austin, texas: the poet roja chamankar, translator emily beyda, and artist jade fusco.
bios
born in borazjan in southern iran in 1981, roja chamankar is a poet-filmmaker currently residing in austin, texas. she has an MA in dramatic literature from the university of art in tehran, and another MA in cinema from the university of strasbourg. she has published nine books of poetry in persian, co-written two books for children, and translated a collection of poems by henri meschonic from french into persian. her works have been translated into half a dozen languages and she has won a number of national and international awards for her poetry.
emily beyda is a translator, fiction writer, food advice columnist, and mail artist based in austin texas, where she is at work on her first novel.
jade fusco paints, performs, philosophizes, sings, and makes art video. Her pseudonym as creatrix is DMZL, as in “damsel;” yet she is not in distress but rather, in delight; her practice is inspired by a vision of community and collaboration, of theatre and celebratory expression, of taking one’s freedom in hand and not waiting to be saved. in January of 2016, she chose to migrate south to austin, tx to explore a new home base, and hone in on her vision as a multi-sensory artist.
Elisa Wouk Almino is a writer and translator from Portuguese. She holds a B.A. in English from Barnard College and an M.A. in Cultural Reporting and Criticism from New York University. In September 2017 she published an illustrated, translated collection of poetry by Ana Martins Marques with Scrambler Books. Her writing and translations have appeared in Asymptote Journal, Guernica Magazine, harlequin creature, Hyperallergic, the Paris Review Daily, Words Without Borders, and other places. She is currently the associate editor at Hyperallergic and a contributing editor to harlequin creature's new online project.
Bonnie Chau is from Southern California and received her MFA in fiction from Columbia University, with a joint concentration in translation, focusing on French and Chinese fiction. Her writing has appeared in Flaunt, Drunken Boat, Cosmonauts Avenue, The Offing, Joyland, and other journals. A Kundiman fellow and former bookseller, she is currently assistant web editor at Poets & Writers in New York City. Her debut story collection, All Roads Lead to Blood, will be published by 2040 Books in 2018.
harlequin creature is a not-for-profit small press imprint founded by meghan forbes in new york in 2011. hc puts out hand-made periodical publications, chapbooks, and broadsides several times a year, and hosts literary events in cities across the united states. online at harlequincreature.org
