Talk to the students of the Claude Academy, with Darius Callier
Thursday, 18 May 2023 , Olot
Talk to the students of the Claude Academy, with Darius Callier
Shortly after sending an email to Isa Delga, the director of the Claude School of Languages in Olot, for "A conversation with Author Darius Callier," a presentation about my residency with Faberllull, I received a response immediately about choosing to prepare my text in Catalan. "So you speak Catalan! Wow!! Good job." When I arrived, overwhelmingly, I was asked how it came to be that a New Yorker had learned Catalan and could discuss the nuances of recent developments in Catalonia's regional politics. Over the next hour, I described my time living in Barcelona and Paris, my travels across Europe, and my professional political experience to the school's advanced English language students.
The conversation about my book's framework and the modern challenges to democracy ran in at least two directions, and the first was the opportunity for language and cultural exchange. In addition, my questioners generated new tips for my writing as we talked after my presentation.
I left my activity with new ideas to explore. I lent my audience reasons to have grounded optimism about negative recent political trends, which is my ultimate hope for my Demos book title. Though I mostly left with more confidence that there will be audiences of all national backgrounds ready to receive my book in its eventual finished form.