Anchoring: an afternoon of poetry with Maria McManus, Viviana Fiorentino, and Ammar Al-najjar

Anchoring reflects on differing languages and cultures. Poets Maria McManus, Viviana Fiorentino, and Ammar Al-najjar will read from their works in this special event at the Linen Hall. Readings in English, Italian, and Arabic will see each poet translate their works to and from the languages of the others. All three will explore the experience of migration, integration, and inclusion in the light of a common ground in Belfast.

Maria McManus is a founding Artistic Director of Quotidian – Word on the Street, which includes the Poetry Jukebox. Her published poetry collections are Available Light (Arlen House), We Are Bone, The Cello Suites, and Reading the Dog (Lagan Press).

Ammar Al-najjar is a Yemeni poet living in Belfast. As well as publishing five poetry books, he is a researcher in the field of cultural policies. He is a member of the Yemeni Writers Union, the Irish Writers Centre, Eric Ben, and Arab Network for Cultural Policies.

Viviana Fiorentino is an Italian poet living in Belfast. In Italy, she published a novel and two poetry collections. While in Belfast, her poems have appeared in anthologies and magazines, and were recorded for the Irish Poetry Reading archive (UCD). She is one of the 2022 Irish Chair Of Poetry Student Prize winners. Viviana is supported by a ACNI mentoring programme grant.