Ù Ơ | SUO was a digital residency project, supported by the British Council, which brought together ten early career Vietnamese and Welsh women / non-binary poets and artists to exchange ideas and collaborate on new work that experimented with translations between cultures, languages and art forms. Rae Howells was lucky to be among the five Welsh poets selected.
The title Ù Ơ | SUO plays with the ‘first’ sounds: of lullabies and soothing sounds parents make when comforting babies and small children, referring to the origins of language.
Rhyming with ‘thơ’ (poetry), the title aims to refresh our understanding of poetry and acquisition of language.
The co-curators Nhã Thuyên and Alexandra Büchler facilitated the encounters and prepared the work for showcasing and publication, while authors Menna Elfyn and Tran Thi NgH joined the project as guest speakers.
The project ran from November 2021 until late February 2022 and the public showcase was launched on 27th February. You can watch the showcase programme on the project Notion platform, Facebook page and You Tube.
Literature Across Frontiers has initiated and coordinated international literary and artistic cooperation projects for two decades, with many collaborative exchange residencies across Europe and beyond.
