Poetry readings with Transat’s & Friends
Readings
© Camille Leherpeur
Alliance Française de Chicago
54 West Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL, 60610
April 22, 2026 6:30 pm
Join an immersive evening of bilingual poetry and translation celebrating the transatlantic literary journal Transat’ bringing together French and American writers for a cross-cultural dialogue exploring the spaces between languages.
Transatlantic poetry journal Transat’ invites you to an immersive evening of poetry and translation. Moving fluidly between French and English, this event gathers a dynamic lineup of voices from both France and the United States. Guests will discover new poems, translations, and essays that facilitate a truly globalized conversation, all while enjoying complimentary French wine and light hors d’oeuvres in the Alliance’s jewelbox courtyard.
About the writers
- Vincent Broqua is a writer, translator, and professor at Université Paris 8. An award-winning author, his recent publications include Recovery (2023), and his upcoming book Gaiamen (2025) was recently featured in Transat’ 3.
- Rachel Galvin is a scholar, poet, and translator specializing in comparative poetics. She teaches at The University of Chicago and recently published the acclaimed poetry collection Uterotopia (2023).
- Camille Bloomfield explores poetry through writing, performance, and translation. A co-founder of the OuTransPo collective alongside Galvin, her latest publication is a translation-recreation of Perec and Helmlé’s La Machine (2025).
- cj nizard is a French scholar, performance-maker, and translator based in the US, known for their recent choreographic work in Chicago and reviews in Chicago Review.
- Léon Pradeau is the founding editor of Transat’. He writes books that navigate the space between French and English, most recently vaisseau instantané / instant shipping (2024). Together, cj and Léon are the co-translators of the forthcoming Superliquid Water (2026).
About the Journal
Published twice a year, in late spring and early winter, Transat’ is devoted to cultivating a transatlantic literary community. Each issue is shaped by two guest editors, who steer the journal’s evolving conversation. Through curated packages sent to subscribers and hand-delivered copies placed in independent bookstores on both sides of the Atlantic—often carried by its own contributors as they travel—Transat’ creates a tangible, itinerant network that connects writers and readers across oceans.
Supported by Villa Albertine Chicago and France Chicago Center at the University of Chicago
In partnership with
Alliance française de Chicago
The Alliance Française de Chicago is over 120 years old and is part of an international network of over 1,100 Alliances and affiliated cultural centers worldwide. It is the second oldest Alliance Française in the US and second largest after the Alliance Française in New York City. Classes are offered for all ages and levels of French, leading to certifications in French for professional purposes or simply for experiencing another language and its various cultures. It also hosts an impressive array of events, bringing notable lecturers to Chicago: authors, filmmakers and directors, winemakers, chefs, designers, historians, actors and performing artists.
France Chicago Center
The France Chicago Center (FCC) is a University of Chicago-based interdisciplinary organization with a two-fold mission of: (1) facilitating, promoting, and fostering stronger ties between University of Chicago students and researchers and their colleagues in France, and (2) increasing awareness within the University of Chicago community of French culture, art, and thought. To this end, FCC sponsors a range of programs including conferences, workshops, public lectures, visiting professors, fellowships, travel grants & fellowships, exchange programs and various cultural, scientific, and outreach activities.