Photo by VANJA ČERIMAGIĆ  

FOREWORD

In Summer 2014, 22 writers and photographers in Caracas, Venezuela and Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina came together in an online exchange to create fiction, nonfiction, and photography centered on a theme of "narrative witness." Writing in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Spanish, and English, the participants undertook to capture their experiences as artists and citizens of Sarajevo and Caracas. Led by writing and photography workshop facilitators and supported by Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian-English and Spanish-English translators, the group workshopped their photo essays and texts online over the course of the summer.  As critical and collaborative discussion arose from these workshops, several writers were inspired to write texts in response to the photographers’ essays. More information on the exchange can be found here.

The International Writing Program is proud to present the collected work of Narrative Witness: A Caracas-Sarajevo Collaboration.

Photo by EFRÉN HERNÁNDEZ ARIAS

Collections from the IWP cover photo by VLADIMIR MARCANO

CONTENTS

PLAZA VENEZUELA: FEBRUARY DAYS | PLAZA VENEZUELA: DÍAS DE FEBRERO | RICARDO RAMÍREZ REQUENA, CARACAS

A LEXICON OF GREAT HISTORICAL MOMENTS | LEKSIKON VELIKIH POVIJESNIH TRENUTAKA | DIJALA HASANBEGOVIĆ, SARAJEVO

BOYS LIKE BIRDS | DJEČACI KAO PTICE | VANJA ČERIMAGIĆ, SARAJEVO

LA GUAIRA 1989 | HENSLI RAHN SOLÓRZANO, CARACAS              

CHAIR ON MY EYE | STOLICA NA OKU | NERMANA ČESKO, SARAJEVO    

AMONG THE WHITE FLOWERS | KULOVIĆ SELMA, SARAJEVO

THE TREES OF SARAJEVO | LOS ÁRBOLES DE SARAJEVO | FEDOSY SANTAELLA, CARACAS        

THE ICE CREAM ORCHARD | DANIELA VALENTA, SARAJEVO

CHAVEZ LIVES | VLADIMIR MARCANO, CARACAS             

THE COW IN THE BATHROOM | MARINA ALAGIĆ-BOWDER, SARAJEVO

HOW CLEAN IS THE COW? | NERMANA ČESKO, SARAJEVO

QUIET, BICHO, QUIET | TRANQUILO, BICHO, TRANQUILO | JOSÉ TOMÁS ANGOLA HEREDIA, CARACAS

THE 10TH CIRCLE | MATEA ŠIMIĆ, SARAJEVO

NODES: PETARE ROUNDABOUT | NODO:  REDOMA DE PETARE | EFRÉN HERNÁNDEZ ARIAS, CARACAS   

MADMAN OF GOD | LOCO DE DIOS | JOAQUÍN ORTEGA, CARACAS        

AUTOPSY | AUTOPSIJA | ZERINA ZAHIROVIĆ, SARAJEVO

MOLAR | MUELA | SONIA CHOCRÓN, CARACAS

CHILD OF STONE | KULOVIĆ SELMA, SARAJEVO  

VIOLENCE IN VENEZUELA | ALEJANDRO CEGARRA, CARACAS     

THE WORLD IS MADE OF EMPTY WOMBS AND APPLE SEEDS  | SVIJET JE SAČINJEN OD PRAZNIH UTROBA I JABUČNIH SJEMENKI | ZERINA ZAHIROVIĆ, SARAJEVO              

A RED CRAYON | NEĐLA ĆEMANOVIĆ, SARAJEVO         

UNTITLED | NAIDA MURATOVIĆ, SARAJEVO

EVERYTHING IS ABOUT TO START | TODO ES EMPEZAR | ISABELLA SATURNO, CARACAS   

COUNT TO TEN | BROJI DO 10 | NAIDA MURATOVIĆ, SARAJEVO               

OUR WAR, OUR PAIN: BEHIND THE BARRICADE | OSCAR B. CASTILLO, CARACAS

THREE WAYS TO FALL WHEN BALANCE IS LOST | TRES FORMAS DE CAER CUANDO SE PIERDE EL EQUILIBRIO | HUMBERTO VALDIVIESO, CARACAS

ÓBOLORAMA | FEDOSY SANTAELLA, CARACAS