While in Arles, I stayed at the residency for literary translators from and to French, in the previous hospital, where Vincent van Gogh was recovering after cutting off his ear. The hospital was called Hotel Dieu–God’s Hotel. I arrived there just after the news of horrific atrocities from Bucha in Ukraine reached us and hoped for transformation. It helped me to cycle 100km along the river to the sea and back one day.

ariel rosé (they/them) is a Polish-Norwegian trans gender poet, essayist, and illustrator. They are the author and illustrator of the books morze nocą jest mięśniem serca (the sea at night is a muscle of the heart, PIW, 2022) and Północ. Przypowieści (North: Parables, Znak, 2019). They have two essay books forthcoming: Ukraine–A Polyphony and Ways of Swimming.

W: arielrose.art/
I: instagram.com/arielrosepoet/
F: facebook.com/rosealeira/

FRANK L. VIGODA is the pen name for husband-wife translating duo Gwido Zlatkes and Ann Frenkel who translate from Polish to English. Their recent books include Witold Wirpsza Apotheosis of Music (World Poetry Books 2025), Karol Modzelewski’s autobiography Riding History to Death (Rowman & Littlefield), and Aleksander Wat's Against the Devil in History: Poems, Short Stories, Essays, Fragments (Slavica Books).