Bangor academic at largest literary festival in Asia

Zoë Skoulding, Professor in Poetry and Creative Writing has recently returned from Kerala, where she gave a series of poetry performances, talks and workshops, first at the Kerala Literature Festival and then at a residency with the D C Kizhakemuri Foundation in Vagamon (DCSMAT). Her visit, part of the UK-India Eco-Poetry Project co-ordinated by Literature Across Frontiers, was partly funded by TAITH, the new Wales Government funded scheme for research mobility in Higher Education.

The project as a whole, which includes the UK-Chilean collective montenegrofisher, Scottish-Mexican poet-translator Juana Adcock, Keralan poet Anita Thampi and Welsh poet Iestyn Tyne, runs in person and virtually until March. It is generating new collaborative poetry, translation and performance in relation to environmental issues, as well as performances, creative workshops and conversations with students at HE institutions in India.

Zoë said, “This was a wonderful opportunity to connect with Kerala’s unique culture, and to meet poets writing in Malayalam. KLF is Asia’s largest literary festival and an important beacon for cultural diversity in India, so it was an honour to be able to contribute to it. As the project continues, we look forward to developing long-term dialogues with writers, academics, artists and students interested in how poetry can respond to ecological challenges. Further events are planned as part of Wales in India 2024.”