İlkyaz’s new works are now live and can be found below and throughout the postings on the English homepage!
As İlkyaz, we work to introduce three young writers every month. We translate these works, which are be made up of a short stories or poems, into English and endeavour to introduce them to readers outside of Turkey. This exchange, we hope, will create new audiences for our writers in the world arena and introduce them to a global network of the world’s literary figures.
In December, we initiated this effort with Norwegian PEN‘s lead. After PEN Germany, PEN Belgium/Flanders continued the very same role for the month of February. For March, PEN French Centre took over the role of promoting our young writers abroad. For the writings of April, we collaborated with PEN South Africa. For May, Scottish PEN took over the role of amplifying our young writers voices within their membership and audience, and PEN Catalan promoted our writers for June to their own members and audience. For July our partnership reached out to Russia, in collaboration with PEN Moscow Centre! August followed with a collaboration with PEN Canada, September with PEN Venezuela, October with Croatian PEN, and November with PEN Wales/Cymru.For our December writings our partner was Danish PEN,for the month of January it was Belarusian PEN.
We apologise that due to the global effect coronavirus outbreak we were unable to find a PEN Centre to collaborate with. We will keep searching however so check back soon for more updates.
If you haven’t yet had a chance to read, you can reach the last issue’s writings here.
Don’t forget to check out our writers under the age of 15, in “15-“, our archive of stories from everyday lives in “Human Portraits”, the collaborative work of young writers and artists at “Literature +” and renown writer’s reading suggestions to young writers!
This month’s recommendations for young writers comes from renown Turkish writer Aslı Tohumcu!
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Gökçe Hatipoğlu – Makas / Scissors
In my mind, the mouth of a pair of scissors opened and closed.
Opened and closed.
The scissors mouth…
Scissors,
Mouth.
Opened and closed.
About the author: Born in Trabzon on 18 November 1997. Believed since that day in the power of the soul, that which must be made to live above all. Attempts at writing starting from middle school was followed by poems and essays in high school. In 2015 she got accepted to Istanbul University Theatre Criticism and Dramaturgy department through a unique talent exam. In later years she Karadeniz Technical University Turkish Language and Literature department. She is still continuing her studies at this university as a fourth year student. With her stories published in various magazines, most of all she attempts to touch the soul of a human being.
Hicran Özmert- Yalınayak Asfalt Çocukları / Barefooted Chıldren of Asphalt
I cracked the nails of the sea
They washed upon a sickened shore
Then I birthed a few ideas,
All unfinished.
A folding fan with messy bristles in my hand
Deceived by clogs,
I saw neck bugs.
When the sky was asleep,
The congregation of silence
Bared labour pains.
I watched the midwifery of my wailing.
About the author: She was born in Adapazarı in 2002. She studied in Murtaza Erdoğan elementary school and Adapazarı İmam Hatip middle shool. Currently she is in the last year of her highschool education. She won the first prize in Republic Day poetry competition in Sakarya. she was in the program, “Adapazarı Gençliği Yazarlarını Okuyor” which Fahri Tuna organized.
Erkan Karaaslan- Kaplumbağa Çobanı / Turtle Shepherd
Uncle Aziz was one of the bus drivers of the municipality. He was short, he would drive around all day with his watermelon-like beer-belly and thick hair. He was rightfully a little angry from dealing with dozens of passengers every day. Sometimes he would bring down gods and holy books from the sky with his cursing, and sometimes he would curse at everyone in the neighbourhood; especially if he was watching Galatasaray’s game, the dance of flying glasses would begin. The kids of the neighbourhood loved uncle Aziz, nevertheless. It was enough for us that he gave pocket money during holidays , he let us pet his hound, and sometimes he would take us for a ride on the bus.
About the author: Born in Mersin in 1985, continued his education until high school there. Graduated from Kocaeli Technical University Faculty of Education in 2009. He is continuing his life since 2010 as a public worker in İzmir.
