b'T TR RO OP PE ER RN L 0 2 A U N N A 1 R 2 4 E V I T R A A T N V 1 R A I E 4 2 0 2 A R A N N U A LByNathalie Handal,Writer and N4 Artist Were excited to share an examplenation; give order to time; andNew York City is my main in-of the work of one of our artists.order and disorder the roomsstrument. My drum. NYC is the Writing to Colum McCanns novel,of my words. To discover whatworld and I see myself in its Apeirogon, poet and N4 artistI seek and see. To question myfusion. Without words, I would Nathalie Handal, wrote the answers.not understand the merging of following reflection. In it she all the cultures and countries centers a poem, I, Write to Storytelling is searching. Itthat make me who I am. I create a Storytelling is Search- helps me understand there iswould not know how to let ing activity for our collection no fiction or nonfiction, there isthem live together in harmony of learning resources.flame. Stories have given me ainside of me.place as I was displaced. Poetry I, Write has carried me across magic and through mystery. Poetry isNathalie Handal is a To travel with pelicans and sea- all the languages I speak, all theFrench-American poet and writer farers. To be seas and shoresplaces I am from. It is the musicborn in Haiti to a family from Beth-and songs. To be an oil lampof my muses. I write because if Ilehem. She has lived in France, lighting an entire ship. To bedont, I am missing.the United States, Latin America, borderless. To be otherwhere.the Caribbean, Asia and the Arab And give views from elsewhere.I come from a deeply root- world. After earning a MFA in To witness wars and wilder- ed family from Bethlehem,Creative Writing from Bennington ness and words translating thePalestine. I was born in theCollege, Vermont and a MPhil in waltz of vowels and syllabusCaribbean. I grew up in France,English and Drama at the Univer-and metaphors. To meet andLatin America, the Middle Eastsity of London, Handal began writ- Staff Retreatbe other voices. To be motionand the United States, and Iing and translating global literature and migrate. To be with all thewas educated in the Unitedin the 1990s. She currently resides cities I crave, all the trees thatKingdom and Asia. I come fromin New York City, Abu Dhabi, andIn July, our US-based staff had understanding of N4s history, mis- As a team, we were grateful for tell tales. To dream in infinitea symphony of languages Rome and teaches at NYU. the opportunity to connect duringsion and vision. We took a deepthis time away to reflect on our languages. To kiss a bird andFrench, Spanish, Italian, Greek,a weeklong retreat in New Yorkdive into N4s key goals and stra- successes and opportunity areas disappear a border. To see free- Arabic, Armenian, Creole,City. For many of our new employ- tegic priorities and we identifiedand to brainstorm strategies for dom from the bravest side ofEnglish. My ancestry is the sea.ees, it was the first time theydthe structures that need to be inbuilding stronger relationships and love. To take beauty on a walk,The Mediterranean a place ofmet in person since joiningplace to achieve those goals. Andthe capacity to collaborate more sit with doubt and linger withcrossings, and I see myself in itsNarrative 4 (N4)! of course, we also had an all-staffeffectively. hope. To excavate my imagi- crossroads. My music is cities.We set out to develop a sharedstory exchange.18 19'