Change-minds. One, none, one hundred poems

“Contemplating the unknown, this narcotic thought comforts me: I know my soul.”
Claude McKay, I Know My Soul

Everyone, at some point in life, questions about their identity, tormented by questions like: "Who am I?", "Why do I exist?", "What differentiates me from others?", "How does encountering others contribute to enriching my personality?", "Does identity change over the course of human existence or is it immutable?" And we struggle to find answers so we can finally say, "This is me." Our experiences shape our character, our personality, our behavior. And who knows, perhaps by reading the poems in this book, you will be able to answer some of these questions—or perhaps these verses will raise new questions in you.

The poems presented here were translated by students from the Vincenzo Pagani Institute of Campofilone, Monterubbiano, and Pedaso, under the guidance of Stella Sacchini, during the "Translating in Class" class, a collective poetry translation workshop that is part of the larger school project "Cultural Professions." Sixteen languages ​​were involved: Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Calabrian dialect, Chinese, French, Modern Greek, English, Italian, Moldovan, Dutch, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian.

Stella Sacchini is a writer and translator. She teaches English Language and Translation at the University of Macerata. She has translated many authors, including C. Dickens, J. Williams, M. Twain, C. Brontë, F. Baum, J. S. Le Fanu, J. London, L. M. Alcott, H. P. Lovecraft, Raven Leilani, William Finnegan, Josephine Johnson, Apuleius, Ovid, and Apollonius Rhodius. She edits the series "Tentacles: Little Books of H. P. Lovecraft" for Oscar Fantastica. She is the author of Fuori posto (Coazinzola Press, 2013) and O magico di parole: Giacomo Leopardi (Giaconi Editore, 2019). In 2014, she won the Babel Prize for literary translation. She is responsible for "The Translator in the Classroom: The Voice of the Other," a project that brings translation to schools of all levels, and for "Attraversamenti," a translation workshop (in collaboration with the CPIA of Fermo and the SAI network) for migrants and refugees. Since 2018, she has been the director of "BookMarchs – The Other Voice," a festival dedicated to books and their translators. She has written and continues to write about language, literature, and translation for "Doppiozero," "Left," and "Il Post." Together with other colleagues, she edits "Linguafranca," the collective poetry translation blog for "Fatto Quotidiano." Since 2021, she has been a member of the Scientific Committee of the Casa delle Traduzioni in Rome. Since 2020, she has edited the series "The Translator in the Classroom Notebooks" for Giaconi Editore, where she publishes translations resulting from translation workshops in schools and universities.