Collective residencies / QLGBTI+ / Olot
CLÁUDIA NAOUM
From Friday, 14 February 2020 to Friday, 28 February 2020
Bio
Cláudia Naoum is a writer, playwright and screenwriter.
The word has always been her work tool and with it she creates stories on different kinds of platforms.
In 2014 she published her first book of short stories. At the end of 2016 she created a small personalized books company, writing and registering real stories into books. Since then, she has written more than 200 stories about the lives of real characters of all ages (children’s and adults’ books).
She particularly has a special taste in writing children’s stories. In 2018 she wrote a children’s play, which toured all over Brazil visiting children from public schools. In early 2020 she aims to release 2 children’s books.
Also, she has been invited to give a creative writing workshop, encouraging people to write their own stories.
Because in the end “we all go and what remains are the stories”.
Project
My time at Faber will be spent developing a new children’s book, a ‘modern’ fairy tale, that addresses topics such as gender equality, feminism, past versus future, and respect for differences in a symbolic and playful way. It is book with no moral lessons at all, just reveals current questions and reflections. I already have the plot and I need time and tranquility to put the words down, literally. It would be wonderful to give myself the time, peace and an awesome new scenario to create. And my intention is to start and finish the book during the residency period.
A rich and remarkable surprise
My experience as a resident at Faber couldn't be better.
Before I arrived in Olot, I expected that I would spend all my time just writing my project, without much contact with people.
But to my surprise, I found here a place to exchange ideas from the most diverse points of view. I met people from all over the world who were able to talk about their past experiences and future projects within the LGBTQI+ theme.
This helped me a lot in the development of my own project, in the sense of reflecting more deeply on the story I wanted to tell.
In addition, Faber allowed me to take part in activities in various fields - from academics to literary - and it was very rich and special for me to get to know the professionals working on the theme in both Olot and Barcelona.
I loved meeting Gerard Coll, who coordinates the Interuniversity Master of Gender Studies at the University of Barcelona and exchanged experiences with his students.
It was a pleasure to tell my stories at the LGBT Center in Barcelona and to meet the work of Casal Lambda and FLG Families LGTBI. Also, I was interviewed by Tina Ruiz from SAI for Radio Olot, where I could explain a little about my project and know that even in a small town like Olot have this space for discussion of gender and diversity. Also, it was a great pleasure to tell tales to the city children at Olot's Library.
In other words, I learned a lot, I could also reflect a lot about my work, my project and I was very surprised with all these possibilities offered by Faber.
In the end, I thought I wouldn't be able to finish my project, but I managed to write the first draft of my next children's book, just what I had proposed to do. That made me very happy. Now my mission back to Brazil is to revise and edit it for a possible publication later this year.
I have the feeling that my mission has been accomplished and I will certainly bring back the best memories.
And last but not least, my fellow residents have become special friends.
