2023 International Writing Program (IWP) Panel: Style in the Hard Light of Algorithm

A conversation between four IWP 2023 Fall Residency writers on the theme of "Style in the Hard Light of Algorithm," followed by Q&A.

Yasuhiro Yotsumoto (poet, translator, essayist, editor; Japan) is the author of more than 15 poetry collections, including Starboard of My Wife (translated into English by Takako Lento) and several volumes of poetry translations and anthologies, including Dante Meeting Li Po. His poetry has garnered him an Ayukawa Nobuo and a Hagiwara Sakutaro award, among others. After 30+ years in the U.S. and Germany, Yasuhiro recently moved his home base to Tokyo, where he teaches poetry, organizes poetry events, and contributes poetry criticism. His participation is courtesy the Bureau of Cultural and educational Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Soonest Nathaniel (poet, spoken-word artist; Nigeria) is the author of the mixed-genre volume Burying the Ghosts of Dead Narratives (2022) and the poetry collection Teaching Father How to Impregnate Women (2018). The winner of the 2017 RL Poetry Award and many Nigerian poetry and spoken-word competitions, he was named a Langston Hughes Fellow at the Palm Beach Festival and served as the Poet Laureate for the Korea Nigeria Poetry Festival; his poems appear in Nigerian, US and British magazines. He participates thanks to a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State.
Shi Yifeng (novelist, editor; People's Republic of China) has authored the novels [Fruit under the Red Flag], [In Love with Beijing], and [An Unofficial History of the Heart] as well as the story collections [Chen Jinfang Is Gone] and [Itching for a Fight]. Among his many awards are the Hunan New Talent Award, the Hundred Flowers Award, the People’s Literature New Author Award, and the Yu Dafu Novella Award. He is also an editor at Dangdai magazine. His participation was made possible by the Paul and Hualing Engle Foundation.
Enah Johnscott (filmmaker, TV director, screenplay writer; Cameroon) has written and directed The Fisherman's Diary, and directed the feature-length Half Heaven. His work has garnered him a first place in the screenplay category at the 2020 Africa Movie Academy Awards, and prizes at film festivals in Africa, UK, and Russia. His current screenwriting project centers on a boy with autism. He participates thanks to a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

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