Apie

Laima Vincė – poetė, rašytoja, dramaturgė ir vertėja. Laima Vincė Sruoginis gimė JAV. Už savo kūrybą yra pelniusi ne vieną Amerikos valstybinį apdovanojimą, nuo 2011 m. yra Lietuvos rašytojų sąjungos narė.

Ji įgijo kūrybinio rašymo literatūros magistro laipsnį Kolumbijos universitete ir negrožinės literatūros magistro laipsnį Naujojo Hampšyro universitete. Laima Vincė yra gavusi dvi Fulbright kūrybinio rašymo stipendijas, Nacionalinio fondo literatūros meno premiją bei PEN vertimų fondo dotaciją.

Parašė:

romaną This is Not My Sky („Tai ne mano dangus“)

šešias negrožinės literatūros knygas:

Apie anuos nepamirštamus laikus: Juozo Lukšos Daumanto ir Nijolės Bražėnaitės susirašinėjimas

The Quarantine Diary („Karantino dienoraštis“)

Lenin‘s Head on a Platter („Lenino galva ant padėklo“)

Journey into the Backwaters of the Heart („Mūsų nepalaužė“)

The Snake in the Vodka Bottle („Gyvatė degtinės butelyje“)

Digging a Hole to China: A Memoir on Teaching and Traveling („Tunelis į Kiniją: Prisiminimai apie mokymą ir keliones“)

The Way Life Should Be („Koks turėtų būti gyvenimas“).

Rašytojų sąjungos narė:

Apie profesinę vertėjos veiklą:

Knygos

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Writer bio

I was writing books before I even knew how to write. I would sound out words and write their approximations on sheets of typing paper and then illustrate them. From earliest childhood I knew that I wanted to write, and to paint. I remember spending my summers clacking away on my parents’ old typewriter, composing my first novels. I remember that one of those novels was set during the Great Depression.

As an undergraduate at Rutgers University I studied English, Creative Writing, worked towards a Minor in German Literature, took as many studio art courses as I could fit into my schedule, and earned a Secondary School Teaching Certificate in English. I still did not feel knowledgeable enough to teach, so I applied to Columbia University School of the Arts to study in the Master of Fine Arts program. To my astonishment, I was accepted. Columbia gave me my real foundations in the craft of writing poetry, as well as fiction and nonfiction. I always wanted to challenge myself to write at the best of my ability in all genres—poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction. I also worked to develop my skills as a literary translator from Lithuanian into English. Years later I earned a second MFA in Nonfiction from the University of New Hampshire. I am about to defend my doctoral dissertation in Cultural Studies from Vilnius University. Then I will consider my education finally complete.

While putting together this website, I had to go back and list the books that I have written. I was astounded to realize that I have written one novel, one collection of essays, four works of literary nonfiction, two collections of poetry, six plays (three of those for young adults), two children’s chapter books, and I edited three collections of contemporary Lithuanian literature. That’s nineteen books! All of those books were written in English, my native language. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I wrote my first book in Lithuanian, Karantino dienoraštis (The Quarantine Diary), and so that is my twentieth book!

I just keep writing as new themes that I wish to explore enter my life, as I find myself living in new countries and experiencing new cultures, but until now I hadn’t counted. I just kept on writing my way through life, eager to explore the insights I’ve gained with my readers. I have three novels in my head right now and hope to have time to write them down this year.

I have taught Creative Writing workshops since I graduated from Columbia University in 1994. That’s a quarter of a decade of teaching writing, working closely with students, drawing out their creativity and encouraging to find and trust their own writer’s voice.

My Lithuanian heritage has been important to me throughout my life. I was born in the New York metropolitan area to a mother who is the daughter of the legendary diplomat in exile, Ambassador Anicetas Simutis, and to a father who was a World War II displaced person from Lithuania. The intellectual Lithuanian diaspora community was a strong influence on shaping my character and I longed to learn the Lithuanian language thoroughly and to one day return to Lithuania. This is something that I have done. I am writing this while living in Lithuania right now. When I was sixteen in 1982, I enrolled myself in the Lithuanian Gymnasium in West Germany and earned a scholarship to attend high school there for two years. The generosity of that scholarship set me on a life course that has shaped me into the writer who I am today—a writer who writes about Lithuanian history and contemporary Lithuania and at the same time an American writer who writes about New York, New England, the years I’ve lived in Hong Kong and China and on other topics.

In 1987 I heard the Lithuanian poet Judita Vaičiūnaitė read in the basement of Our Lady of Vilnius Church in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York. I was so moved by her poetry, and the subtle resistance poetry of Marcelijus Martinaitis, Sigitas Geda, Vytautas Bložė, Nijolė Miliauskaitė, Justinas Marcinkevičius, and others, that I resolved I wanted to translate Lithuanian poetry into English. That evening the Lithuanian literary critic, Vytautas Kubilius, announced that Vilnius University would like to invite students of English literature to Vilnius University to study literary translation. I wrote a letter to Vilnius University and a year later, in the summer of 1988, I received a telegram inviting me to apply for a one-year Soviet student visa. I took a leave of absence from my undergraduate studies at Vilnius University and arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania in time to join in the Singing Revolution, the Independence Movement. The spirit of those times is with me still and continues to inspire me as I research and write about Lithuania.

The selfless and sincere dedication of the people of Lithuania of those years to achieve freedom, independence, and democracy through techniques of peaceful resistance has taught me to value all human effort anywhere on the globe to achieve individual and national freedom from authoritarianism.

I feel that my contributions to helping to rebuild an independent Lithuania has been through literary translation, my writing and research about Lithuania, and through teaching. Together with my family, I returned to Lithuania as a Fulbright lecturer and taught in Vilnius University 1995 – 1997 and 2007 – 2011. I translated Marcelijus Martinaitis’s Kukučio baladės (The Ballads of Kukutis), and then K. B. Įtariamas (K. B., The Suspect). I edited and translated three anthologies of contemporary Lithuanian literature in the 1990s, when Lithuania was barely known to the outside world, and I have since then translated seven book length literary works from Lithuanian to English and countless poems, articles, and essays.

I continue to write and to encourage others to write.

There is nothing more wonderous than the timeless conversations we can hold with each other through literature.

Curriculum Vitae

Laima Vincė Sruoginis
Laimavince@gmail.com
WWW.LAIMAVINCE.COM

EDUCATION

2022 PhD Humanities/Literature. Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania. Dissertation: Memory and Postmemory in the Writing of North American Writers of Lithuanian Descent, Defense February 28, 2022.
2014 MFA Nonfiction. University of New Hampshire, Durham.
1994 MFA Writing. Columbia University, New York, New York.
1990 BA English Literature. Minor in German Literature. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

ACADEMIC EMPLOYMENT

Present: Adjunct Professor of English. Department of English, University of Southern Maine,Portland, Maine. Courses Taught: Fiction Workshop, Memoir Workshop, Poetry Workshop, Creative Writing, Creative Writing (Online), Introduction to Literature, Academic Writing, Topics in Literature.
2017-2019: High School English Teacher. School Year Abroad, Beijing, China. Hosted by Beijing Normal University.
2013-2015: Head of the High School English Department. American International School of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
2011-2013: Educational Researcher. Modern Centre for Didactics, Vilnius, Lithuania.
2011-2012: Assistant Professor. Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Vilnius, Lithuania.
2009-2011: High School English Teacher. American International School of Vilnius, Vilnius, Lithuania.
2007-2009: Fulbright Lecturer in Creative Writing. Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
2004-2007: Faculty Director. Stonecoast Summer Writers Conference, Freeport, Maine.
2000-2007: Assistant Professor of English. Department of English. University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine.
1997-2000: Adjunct Professor of English. Department of English. University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine.
1994-1995: Lecturer. Department of English. College of New Rochelle, School of New Resources, New York, New York.
1993-1995: Assistant Director. Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture, Columbia University, New York, New York.
1984-1985: Prentice Hall Publishers, Old Tappan, New Jersey.
1985-1988: Simon and Schuster Publishers, Englewood, New Jersey.

FREELANCE WRITING

2022 – Present: Freelance writer for Town and Travel, Kennebunkport, Maine.
2022 – Present: Freelance writer for Draugas News, Chicago, Illinois.
2022 – Present: Freelance writer for Draugas, Chicago, Illinois.

PUBLICATIONS

BOOKS IN ENGLISH

Matilda Olkinaitė: The Unlocked Diary. Translated from Lithuanian by Laima Vincė. Research and Introductory essay by Laima Vincė. Edited by Mindaugas Kvietkauskas. Author of the introductory essay: “The Silenced Muse,” researcher, editor, consultant. Vilnius: Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, 2021; Lithuanian edition (Vilnius: Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, 2020.)

This is Not My Sky. Amazon. 2017

Journey into the Backwaters of the Heart. Amazon, 2017.

The Way Life Should Be: Essays about people who live their dreams. Amazon, 2017.

Digging a Hole to China: A Memoir on Teaching and Traveling. Amazon, 2016.

The Snake in the Vodka Bottle, Amazon, 2012.

Lenin’s Head on a Platter. Vilnius: Lithuanian Writers Union Publishers, 2008; Lithuanian edition (Vilnius: Lithuanian Writers Union Publishers, 2008)

BOOKS IN LITHUANIAN

Karantino dienoraštis. (The Quarantine Diary) Laima Vincė. Vilnius: Dominicus Lituanus, 2021.

Apie anuos nepamirštamus laikus: Juozo Lukšos-Daumanto ir Nijolės Bražėnaitės susirašinėjimas. (About Those Unforgettable Years: The Correpsondance of Juozas Lukša-Daumantas and Nijolė Bražėnaitė). Edited by Laima Vincė. Vilnius: The Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, 2021.

Mūsų Nepalaužė. (Journey into the Backwaters of the Heart) Translation from English by Inga Būdvytytė. Vilnius: Alma Littera, 2019; (English edition: Journey into the Backwaters of the Heart, Amazon, 2009. Reviewed: Lituanus, Volume 57, No. 3, Fall 2011. Reviewer: Eglė Kačkutė.)

Tai ne mano dangus. (This Is Not My Sky) Translation from English by Loreta Gema Baltaduonė. Vilnius, Alma Littera, 2018; (English edition: This is Not My Sky, Amazon, 2017.) Reviewed: „Mirti ir Prisikelti“ (To Die and Rise Again). Vaida Venskutonytė. Metai. Nr. 3, 2019.

Rašyti gali kiekvienas (Everybody Can Write). Vilnius: Baltos Lankos, 2010.

Lenino galva ant padėklo. (Lenin’s Head on a Platter) Vilnius: Lithuanian Writers Union Publishers, 2008; Lithuanian edition.

Anicetas Simutis: 60 Metų Lietuvos Diplomatinėje Tarnyboje (Anicetas Simutis: 60 Years of Diplomatic Service). Edited by Laima Vince Sruoginis and Rimantas Morkvenas. Vilnius: The Lithuanian Centre for Genocide and Resistance, 2007.

POETRY TRANSLATION

Matilda Olkinaitė: The Unlocked Diary. Translated from Lithuanian by Laima Vincė. Research and Introductory essay by Laima Vincė. Edited by Mindaugas Kvietkauskas. Author of the introductory essay: “The Silenced Muse,” researcher, editor, consultant. Vilnius: Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, 2021; Lithuanian edition (Vilnius: Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, 2020.)

The Ballads of Kukutis. Marcelijus Martinaitis, Translated from Lithuanian by Laima Vince. United Kingdom: Arc Publications, 2011. Reviewed:Times Literary Supplement, January 2012. Reviewer: Tomas Venclova.

K.B., The Suspect. Martinaitis, Translated from Lithuanian by Laima Vince. New York: White Pines Press, 2009.

The Dead. Sigitas Parulskis. Trans. by Liz Donnaghue, Intermediate Translations by Laima Sruoginis. Munster: Munster Literature Center, 2004.

PROSE TRANSLATION

Matilda Olkinaitė: The Unlocked Diary. Translated from Lithuanian by Laima Vincė. Researcher and co-editor with Mindaugas Kvietkauskas. Author of the introductory essay: “The Silenced Muse.” Vilnius: Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, 2021; Lithuanian edition (Vilnius: Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, 2020.)

Rowing to Niagara Falls. Rima Karalienė. Translated by Laima Vincė. Amazon Publishers, 2021.

Kuksando. Jin Mok. Translated from Lithuanian by Laima Vincė. Vilnius: The National Kusando Centre, 2021.

The Philosopher's Wife. Dalia Dilytė. Translated from Lithuanian by Laima Vincė. Vilnius: Sofoklis, 2016.

Musica Mathematica. Rima Povilionienė. Translated from Lithuanian by Laima Vincė. New York: Peter Lang, 2016.

Forest Brothers. Juozas Lukša. Translation from Lithuanian and introductory essay by Laima Sruoginis. Budapest and New York: Central European University Press, 2010. Reviewed: Lituanus, Volume 57, No. 3, Fall 2011, Reviewer: Antanas Sileika.

My Voice Betrays Me. Vanda Juknaite. Translated from Lithuanian by Laima Sruoginis. New York: Columbia University Press, East European Monographs, 2007.

Just One Moment More. Konstancija Bražėnienė. Translated from Lithuanian by Laima Sruoginis. New York: Columbia University Press, East European Monographs, 2007.

Letters from Nowhere. Jonas Mekas. Translated from Lithuanian by Laima Sruoginis. Paris: Paris Experimental, 2003.

EDITED ANTHOLOGIES

The Earth Remains: An Anthology of Contemporary Lithuanian Prose. Edited and translated from Lithuanian by Laima Sruoginis. New York: Columbia University Press, East European Monographs, 2003. Reviewed: National Geographic Traveler, October 2008.

Raw Amber: An Anthology of Contemporary Lithuanian Poetry. Edited and translated by Laima Sruoginis. Co-editor Wolfgang Goertsacher. Salzburg: Poetry Salzburg, 2002. Lithuania: In Her Own Words. Edited by Laima Sruoginis. Vilnius: Tyto Alba, 1997.

ESSAYS IN ENGLISH

“The Intuition of Matilda Olkinaitė’s Poetry: From a life cut short in Lithuania,” Catamaran, Vol. 10, Issue 4, Fall 2022.

“The Quarantine Diary: Excerpts,” The Vilnius Review: The Lithuanian Writers Union Online Magazine for Lithuanian Literature, September 16, 2022.

“Postmemory as historical reckoning: coming to terms with a grandparent’s complicity in the Holocaust in Lithuania: Rita Gabis, A Guest at the Shooters’ Banquet, and Julija Šukys, Siberian Exile,” Journal for Baltic Studies, Published online June 16, 2022, DOI: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01629778.2022.2088582

“Two interpretations – two continents: a reading of Algirdas Landsbergis’s play, Five Posts in a Market Place,” Journal of Baltic Studies, forthcoming: Issue One of Volume 53 (2022).

“Evil Fears Openness: Remembering the Chronicle of the Catholic Church of Lithuania on its Fifty-Year Anniversary” Vilnius Review: The Lithuanian Writers Union Online Magazine for Lithuanian Literature, March 2022.

“Four Portraits of Lithuanian-Americans in Alaska,” Vilnius Review: The Lithuanian Writers Union Online Magazine for Lithuanian Literature, September 2021.

“Love and Betrayal in the Former Soviet Union,” Vilnius Review: The Lithuanian Writers Union Online Magazine for Lithuanian Literature, June 2021.

“In Memoriam, Irena Veisaitė,” Vilnius Review: The Lithuanian Writers Union Online Magazine for Lithuanian Literature, January 2021.

“Nostalgia: A Meditation on East and West,” Vilnius Review: The Lithuanian Writers Union Online Magazine for Lithuanian Literature, December 2020.

“The Brief Life of the Litvak Poet, Matilda Olkinaitė, 1922 – 1941,” Vilnius Review: The Lithuanian Writers Union Online Magazine for Lithuanian Literature, October 2020.

I Made My Choice: Svetlana Tikhanovskaya Speaks Out in Vilnius, Vilnius Review: The Lithuanian Writers Union Online Magazine for Lithuanian Literature, September 2020.

“On Identity and Acceptance,”Vilnius Review: The Lithuanian Writers Union Online Magazine for Lithuanian Literature print version, May 2019. 178-183.

“On Identity and Acceptance,” Vilnius Review: The Lithuanian Writers Union Online Magazine for Lithuanian Literature, May 2019.

“A Question of Identity: Lithuanian American/Canadian Writers,” Lituanus, Vol. 64 (2019).

“Bhutan: A Land of Poetry,” Tashi Delek: Royal Bhutanese Airlines Flight Magazine, December 2018.

“The Silenced Muse: The Life of a Murdered Jewish Poet,” Deep Baltic, May 2018.

“Mushroom Hunting in Vermont—Lithuanian Style,” Deep Baltic, November 2017.

“The Snake in the Vodka Bottle,” Deep Baltic, 2017.

“Living in a State of Non-History,” Deep Baltic, 2017.

“Survival in a 1984 Soviet Bunker,” Deep Baltic, 2017.

“Her Nora Has Come Back from the Dead,” Deep Baltic, 2017.

“Tough Lessons Learned on the Edge of the Kalahari Desert,” The EARCOS Triannual Journal: Spring 2015.

“Candy as Memory Catalyst,” Lituanus, Vol. 60 (2014).

“Tutoring Nepalese Children in Hong Kong,” The EARCOS Triannual Journal: Fall 2014.

“Twenty-Four Teens and a Teacher in Siem Reap, Cambodia” Aspen Review 4: 2013

“Antakalnis Cemetery,” Aspen Review 3: 2013.

“The Dictator Within,” Aspen Review 2: 2013.

ESSAYS IN LITHUANIAN

„Krikštai ir nepaprasta jų atkūrimo istoriją“ (How Historic Gravemarkers in Nida were recreated), Draugas, August 18, 2022.

„Galima prisidėti gera valia: Pokalbis su Lietuvos Prezidentu Gitanas Nausėda“ (We Can All Contribute Our Goodwill: A Conversation with Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda), Draugas, July 9, 2022.
„Visi Mes Jautėmės karaliais“ (We All Felt Like Kings), Draugas, July 14, 2022.
„Arba su kardu, arba visai negrįžk... Iš Nijolės Bražėnaitės ir Juozo LukšosDaumanto susirašinėjimo“ (Either come back with a sword or don’t come back at all: From the love letters of Nijolė Bražėnaitė and Juozas LukšaDaumantas), Bernardinai, March 12, 2021.
„Apie moteriškumą N. Bražėnaitės ir J. Lukšos-Daumanto susirašinėjime...“ (For International Women’s Day: From the love letters of Nijolė Bražėnaitė and Juozas Lukša-Daumantas ), Bernardinai, March 8, 2021.
„Norėčiau galėt pavydėt mano brangiai konkurentei... Iš Nijolės Bražėnaitės ir Juozo Lukšos-Daumanto susirašinėjimo“ (I wish I could be envious of my competition: From the love letters of Nijolė Bražėnaitė and Juozas LukšaDaumantas), Bernardinai, February 17, 2021.
„Šiluma, kuri dvelkia iš Tavo laiškų mane užburia... Iš Nijolės Bražėnaitės ir Juozo Lukšos-Daumanto susirašinėjimo“ (The warmth from your letters enchants me... From the love letters of Nijolė Bražėnaitė and Juozas Lukša-Daumantas), Bernardinai, February 14, 2021.
„Mano brangus Juozuk... Iš Nijolės Bražėnaitės ir Juozo Lukšos-Daumanto susirašinėjimo,“ (My dearest Juozas... From the love letters of Nijolė Bražėnaitė and Juozas Lukša-Daumantas ). Bernardinai, February 8, 2021.
“Kaip išgyvenome Sausio 13-toji Niujorke,” (How we experienced January 13, 1991 in New York), Bernardinai, January 13, 2021.
“Taip kinai susitaiko su totalitarizmu,” (How the Chinese live with totalitarianism), Literatūra ir Menas, January 18, 2020.
“Nutildyta mūza. Apie Matildos Olkinaitės gyvenimą ir poeziją,” (The Silenced Muse: About the Life and Poetry of Matilda Olkinaitė), Atrakintas dienoraštis, edited Mindaugas Kvietkauskas, Vilnius: The Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, 2020.
“Nutildyta mūza. Apie Matildos Olkinaitės gyvenimą ir poeziją,” (The Silenced Muse: About the Life and Poetry of Matilda Olkinaitė), Bernardinai, January 25, 2019.

PLAYS PERFORMED IN ENGLISH

Performance date: January 3, 2016. A Mong Kog Romeo and Juliet. Faust International Youth Theatre, Hong Kong.

Performance date: January 30, 2015. Chaos@Chungking Mansions. American International School of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Performance date: May 5, 2015. A Mong Kok Romeo and Juliet. American International School of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Performance date: January 4, 2014. I Always Lock My Doors in Portland, Maine. Improvised Puppet Theater, Portland Stage Company, Portland, Maine.

Performance date: November 29, 2013. Friday Night Live in Hong Kong. American International School of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Performance date: May 3, 2012. The Interpreter. Freedom Ltd. Dublin, Ireland.

PLAYS PERFORMED IN LITHUANIAN

Performance dates: May – June 2017. Žygis prie jūros (A Hike at the Seashore). Alternatyvas Alternatyvai, Tallaght Theatre, Dublin, Ireland. (10 performances).

Performance dates: 2013 – 2014. Vertėjas (The Interpreter). Vilnius Chamber Theatre, Vilnius, Lithuania. (28 performances).

Performance dates: July 26-27, 2013. Vertėjas (The Interpreter), Vilnius Chamber Theatre: Sponsored by the United States Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania. Special Baltic Pride performance dates: Baltic Pride 2013 Program.

Performance dates: November 22, 2011. Vertėjas (The Interpreter), National Drama Theatre, Vilnius: Staged reading.

TRANSLATED PLAYS PERFORMED IN ENGLISH

Performance dates: September 2018. Sons of a Bitch (Kalės vaikai). Saulius Šaltenis. Trans. Laima Vincė. Performed by Klaipėda Theatre, Shanghai International Theatre Festival, Shanghai, China. (6 performances). Directed by Eimantas Nekrošius.

Performance dates: 2018 – 2019 season. Sons of a Bitch. (Kalės vaikai), Saulius Šaltenis. Trans. Laima Vincė. Klaipėda Theatre, Klaipėda, Lithuania.

Performance dates: May 2, 2012. The Girl Who God Feared. (Mergaitė, kuri bijojo Dievas) Gintaras Grajauskas. Trans. Laima Vincė. Freedom Ltd. Dublin, Ireland.

Performance dates: September 1997. The Lives of the Dead. (Iš gyvenimo vėlių) Sigitas Parulskis, Trans. Laima Vince. Performed in the Lithuanian Open Society Fund Theater Festival.

SELECTED SHORT TRANSLATIONS AND POETRY TRANSLATIONS

“A Word,” “My People,” “During the Gnosiology Lesson,” “All the skiffs have foundered…” by Matilda Olkinaitė. Translated from Lithuanian. Poetry of the Holocaust. United Kingdom: Arc, 2019.

“The Cerulean Bird,” “Your Tiny Room,” “Oh how many have gathered,” “A Jewish Lullaby,” “Night,” “An Idle Evening,” “For My Dear Idealist,” “Blaze in the Sea,” by Matilda Olkinaitė. Translated from Lithuanian. The Vilnius Review. October 20, 2020.

“A Word,” “Good Morning!” “Oh how many have gathered,” “Your Tiny Room,” “Night,” “An Idle Evening,” “For My Dear Idealist,” “All the skiffs have foundered,” by Matilda Olkinaitė. Translated from Lithuanian. National Translation Month, 2019. (www.Nationaltranslationmonth.org).

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Juk pažadėjai (You promised). Vilnius: Baltos Lankos, 2010

The Ghost in Hannah’s Parlor. Vilnius, Dominicus Lituanus, 2010.

Vaiduoklė svetainėje. (The Ghost in Hannah’s Parlor). Translated from Lithuania by Vida Bekštienė. Vilnius: Gimtasis Žodis, 2007. Shortlisted as one of the top five children’s book of 2007 by Lithuanian National Television and Radio.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Keynote Speaker: Plenary: Baltic Literature at the Crossroads. The Intuition of Matilda

Olkinaitė’s Poetry: A Poet Writing at a Crossroads in Time, Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies Conference, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. May 27 – 29, 2022.

Keynote Speaker: “Remembering Matilda Olkinaitė”. “Stories Shaping Peace” Conference, LCC College, Klaipėda, Lithuania. March 16, 2022.

“Catharsis and Memory in Samuel Bak’s memoir, Painted in Words.” "Memory,Trauma and Recovery" International Interdisciplinary Conference (online) University of Gdansk, Poland. September 16 – 17, 2021.

“Postmemory, Historical Trauma, and Cultural Trauma in Literature by North American Writers of Lithuanian Heritage,” Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies Conference, Uppsala, Sweden. September 1 – 4, 2021.

“Writing by North American Writers of Lithuanian Descent as a Collective Body of

Postmemory Work,” Panelist, 2nd Postmemory and the Contemporary World International Interdisciplinary Virtual Conference, University of Gdansk, Poland, February 25-26, 2021.

“The Question of Identity: How Lithuanian American and Canadian Writers SelfIdentify,” Panelist, Narratives of Forced Migration, University of Stirling, Scotland, September 16-18, 2019.

“The Microcosm Within the Macrocosm: How the Literature of a Small Country Fits Within a Global Context,” Panelist, IAFOR, Kobe, Japan, March 30-April 1, 2018.

“Researching and Writing the Lithuanian Experience,” Panelist, Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies, University of Pennsylvania, May 26-29, 2016.

Staging of Vertejas (The Interpreter) followed by a discussion on the play. Lithuanian Culture Institute, Kedainiai, Lithuania. International Translators' Conference, October 10-15, 2015.

“Strategies for Integrating Creative Writing Techniques into Your Classroom,” Presentation, East Asia Council of Regional Schools, Sutera Harbor, Kota Kinabulu, Malaysia, April 2015.

“Applying techniques of teaching Creative Writing to the ELL classroom,” Presentation, Central East European Schools Association, Budapest, 2011.

“Lenin’s Head on a Platter as a teaching tool on Soviet oppression,” Presentation,The Center for the Study of Nazi and Soviet War Crimes in Lithuania, Ukmergė, Lithuania, 2009.

“The Art of Translating Poetry,” Presentation, Stonecoast MFA, Summer Residency Program, Freeport, Maine, 2007.

“How to conduct a Creative Writing workshop for ELL students,” Presentation, English Teachers’ and Lecturers’ Association Conference, Vilnius, Lithuania, 1996.

“Close Readings of American Multicultural Literature,” Presentation, Swedish National Conference of English Teachers, Gavle, Sweden, 1996.

“How to conduct a Creative Writing workshop for ELL students,” Presentation, British Council Advanced Writing Conference, Tallinn, Estonia, 1996.

LITERARY READINGS

“Reading: The Quarantine Diary,” Liudvikas Rėza Cultural Center, Juodkrantė, September 6, 2022.

“Reading: Those Unforgettable Years,” Jonušas House Museum, Nida, Lithuania, August 24, 2022.

“Presentation of Those Unforgettable Years,” Vilnius Book Fair, Vilnius, Lithuania, February 2022.

“Discussion of the Quarantine Diary with Donatas Puslys,” Vilnius Book Fair, Vilnius, Lithuania, February 2022.

“The Poetry of Matilda Olkinaitė,” Vilnius Book Fair, Vilnius, Lithuania, February 2020.

“Journey into the Backwaters of the Heart,” Vilnius Book Fair, Vilnius, Lithuania, February 2020.

“Performance Piece: On the life and poetry of Matilda Olkinaitė, 1922-1941,” SLA, The Lithuanian-American Alliance, New York, New York, January 2020.

“This Is Not My Sky,” The Consulate General of Lithuania in New York, December 2019.

“This Is Not My Sky,” Vilnius Book Fair, Vilnius, Lithuania, February 2019.

“This Is Not My Sky,” Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2016.

“Journey into the Backwaters of the Heart,” Maine Writers Series, South Freeport Church, Freeport, Maine, 2016.

“The Poetry of Marcelijus Martinaitis,” Manchester Literature Festival, Manchester, United Kingdom, 2011.

“The Poetry of Marcelijus Martinaitis,” Lancaster Literature Festival, Lancaster, United Kingdom, 2011.

“Lenin’s Head on a Platter,” Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania, Dublin, Ireland, 2011.

“This Is Not My Sky,” Gothenburg Book Fair, Gothenburg, Sweden, 2011.

“The Ballads of Kukutis,” London City Poets, London, England, 2011.

“Poetry by Laima Vincė,” Druskininkai Autumn Poetry Festival, Druskininkai, Lithuania, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007.

“Lenin’s Head on a Platter,” Lithuanian Liberals Conference, Kedainiai, 2010.

“Everybody Can Write,” Vilnius Book Fair, Vilnius, Lithuania, 2009.

“The Ghost in Hannah’s Parlor,” Vilnius Book Fair, Vilnius, Lithuania, 2008.

“Translations by Laima Vincė,” Lithuanian Translator’s Conference, Tomas Mann House, Nida, Lithuania, 2008, 2004, 2003.

“K.B., The Suspect,” Ledbury Poetry Festival, Ledbury, England, 2008.

“The Ghost in Hannah’s Parlor,” Mažeikiai Library Reading Series, Mazeikiai, Lithuania, 2007.

“Poems,” SLOWWWO, Russian Poetry Festival, Kaliningrad, Russia, 2007.

“The Art of Poetry Translation,” Vermont College, Winter MFA Residency Program, Vermont, 2006.

“Poems,” Lithuanian Liberals’ Conference, Lemont, Illinois, 2004.

“Poems,” Valley Cottage Library, Valley Cottage, New York, 2004.

“The Earth Remains,” New York Public Library, New York, New York, 2004.

“Raw Amber,” Frankfurt Book Fair, Frankfurt, Germany, 2002.

“Poetry Translations,” American Literary Translators Conference, New Mexico, 1993.

WORKSHOPS, LITERARY PROGRAMS

Workshops and Presentations on Identity at the Visaginis Cultural Center, American Center, Visaginis, Lithuania, September 8, 2022.

Moderator, Conversation with Rita Gabis on A Guest at the Shooters’ Banquet, Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York, August 20, 2022.

GRANTS AND HONORS

EXTERNAL GRANTS

2022 Lithuanian Cultural Fund Writer’s Stipend (4,800 Euro)

2021 Vydunas Fund Grant, Chicago, Illinois ($5,000)

2021 Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies Dissertation Grant for Graduate Students ($3,500)

2021 Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies Conference Travel

Grant for Graduate Students ($1,000)

2020 Hessicher Literaturrat, Hessen Ministry of Culture Writer’s

Residency Grant (1,000 Euro)

2020 Lithuanian Culture Fund Writer’s Grant (1,800 Euro)

2007-2009 Fulbright Grant in Creative Writing ($64,000)

2004 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship ($10,000)

2004 PEN International Translation Fund Grant ($2,000)

1993 New York State Yeats Society Fellowship, Yeats Summer School, Sligo, Ireland ($5,000)

1989 Karl and Franzeska Lederer Stipend for German Literature ($500)

INTERNAL GRANTS: THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE

2022-2023 Franco-American Collection Faculty Fellowship ($500)

2022 Anti-Racism Fellowship ($500)

2020 Mini Research Grant ($250)

2019 Mini Research Grant ($500)

2017 Mini Research Grant ($500)

HONORS

2011 Lithuanian National Drama Theater prize, Versmė, for best first play.

2010 Three Percent Best Translated Poetry Book Award Short List.

2007 National Lithuanian Television and Radio Prize Short List for Best Children’s Book.

2003 Witter Brynner Award for Young Literary Translators.

1994 Academy of American Poets Award for Poetry.

1989 Goethe Institute Certificate for Excellence in German.

1989 Membership in Delta Phi Alpha: German Honor Society.

1986 Douglass College Award in Creative Writing.

WRITERS’ AND ARTISTS’ RESIDENCIES

2020 Hessen Ministry of Culture, Hessischer Literaturrat, Writer’s Residency in Wiesbaden (October 2020)

2008 Baltic Center for Writers and Translators, Visby, Gotland (April 2008)

2003 Stonecoast Summer Writers’ Conference, Freeport, Maine (August 2003)

2002 Stonecoast Summer Writers’ Conference, Freeport, Maine (August 2002)

2001 Stonecoast Summer Writers’ Conference, Freeport, Maine (August 2001)

2000 Stonecoast Summer Writers’ Conference, Freeport, Maine (August 2000)

MEDIA COVERAGE

Lithuanian National Television Evening News Program, Panorama. Twenty-minute report about my research and work preparing a book of love letters from the postwar era. January 1, 2021.

Lithuanian National Radio Program, Kultūros Savaitė (Culture Week). Half hour interview with Adomas Zubė about my new book, which will feature essays and the correspondence of a postwar Lithuanian leader of the resistance and his beloved. February 13, 2021.

Lithuanian National Television News Program about global Lithuanians, Pasaulio Lietuva. Twenty-minute report about my work as a writer and my weriter’s residency in Germany. October 25, 2020.

„L. Sruoginis: Aš jau rašiau dar nemokėdama rašyti“ (Laima Sruoginis: I was writing before I knew how to write). Vokietijos lietuvių bendruomenės informacija 7/594 (Lithuanians in Germany: Information bulletin). Interview with Evelina Kislych-Sochienė. October 2020.

„Susitikimas su rašytoja Laima Vincė“ (Meeting the writer, Laima Vince). Joniškis Library publication, Joniskis.rub.lt. June 16, 2020.

Lithuanian National Radio Program, Kultūros Savaitė (Culture Week). Half hour interview with Adomas Zubė about my new book in Lithuanian Karantino dienoraštis (The Quarantine Diaries). May 2, 2020.

Lithuanian National Television coverage of the book launch of the diary of the Lithuanian Jewish poet, Matilda Olkinaitė, who was murdered in the Holocaust in Lithuania in 1941. February 24, 2020.

Lithuanian National Radio Program, Garsų Terapija (Sound Therapy). Reading from my new book in Lithuanian Karantino dienoraštis (The Quarantine Diaries). April 30, 2020.

„Įgijusi balsa. Interviu su rašytoja, dailininkė, L. Vincė.“ Interview. Živilė Simonedis. Draugas. March 1, 2020.

„Menininkė atradusi tėvų ir senelių gimtinė“ (A Writer Who Rediscovered Her Parents and Grandparents Homeland). Virginija Genienė. Valstiečių laikrašitis. March 24, 2020.

„Prieškario Lietuvos Konsulo Anūkė Laima Vincė Sruoginis: Mes vis dar esame pasiklydė“ (The Granddaugher of a Lithuanian Prewar Diplomat: Laima Vincė Sruoginis: We are still lost). Interview. Irena Babkauskienė. Respublika.lt. March 30, 2020.

„Susitikimas su rašytoja Laima Vincė“ (A Literary Evening with Laima Vincė). Tėviškės Žiburiai. January 1, 2020.

“Laima Vincė: Pokaryje gyvenusių lietuvių istorijas rinkau tam, kad niekada nepamirštumem kiek mums teko paaukoti dėl Lietuvos laišves” (Laima Vincė: I collected oral histories about the postwar resistance, so that we’d never forget the sacrifices people made for freedom). Interview. LZS.lt. November 11, 2019.

„Rašytoja Laima Vincė: Man rašymas yra menas, išraiška, o ne verslas“ (For me writing is art, not business). Interview. Silvija Stankevičiūtė. The Martynas Mažyvdas Library Publication. August 24, 2019.

„Už tris gyvenanti Amerikos lietuvė Kinijoje keliasi su saulė“ (This LithuanianAmerican lives for three and wakes before sunrise in China). Interview.

Laima Žemulienė. Lietuvos Rytas.lt. February 19, 2019.

“The Translator who Brought a Lost Jewish Poet’s Words to the English-Speaking World.” Anna Diamond. Smithsonian Magazine. October 24, 2018.

“Istorinė Mintis Mūsų Genuose: Laima Vincė“ (Historical Memory is in our Genes: Laima Vincė) Dalia Staponkutė (in Lithuanian), Pasaulio Lietuvis, Nr. 5/567, May 2018.

„Rašytoja Laima Vincė: Tik susitaikė su praeitimi galėsime sukurti tvirtas vidinės stiprybės pamatus“ (Only when we come to terms with the past can we find inner peace). Žmonės. Žmonės.lt. October 12, 2018.

Interview with National Lithuanian Television and Radio. Labas Rytas Lietuva (Good morning Lithuania). An interview about the novel, Tai ne mano dangus (This is Not My Sky). October 4, 2018.

„Rašytoja Laima Vincė (Sruoginis) pristatė savo kūryba Niujorko lietuviams“ (New York Lithuanians gather to hear Laima Vincė read from her work). Juratė Gattini. EMN. Enlightenmentmedianews.com. May 2, 2017.

„Susitikimas su rašytoja, vertėja, Laima Vincė Sruoginis“ (An evening with Laima Vince Sruoginis, writer and translator). Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. March 30, 2017.

„Laima Vincė pristatė nauja romaną“ (Laima Vincė’s new novel). Interview with Jovita Beliak-Antanavičienė. Draugas.org. August 6, 2017.

„Vilniaus Kamerinio Teatro spektaklis, „Vertėjas,“ privers Lietuva pamilti iš naujo“ (The play, The Interpretor, will make you fall in love with Lithuania all over again) www.Kedainietis.lt, October 11, 2015.

„Išeivijos rašytoja Laima Vincė: Apie pasiaukojančius lietuvius ir (ne) svetingus kinus“ (Diaspora writer Laima Vincė: Talking about self-sacrificing Lithuanians and the honest Chinese). Interview. Andrė Balžekienė. 15 min.lt. August 28, 2015.

“Fulbright Alumna Laima Vince: Why I Wrote The Interpreter.” United States Embassy in Vilnius: Vilnius Diaries, July 18, 2013.

Review essay by Patricia Erikson. “Laima Vince: The Ghost in Hannah’s Parlor.” Peaksislandpress.com. April 11, 2012.

„Išeivijos rašytoja Laima Vincė: Šiurpas, išvydus agresija, „Baltic Pride“, įkvepė parašyti pjėsė (The horror of seeing the attacks at the Baltic Pride parade inspired me to write The Interpreter). Interview with Justinas Šuliokas. 15 min. July 27, 2013.

“Talking of Martinaitis.” Interview with Tony Ward. Arc Publications Blog. November 24, 2011.

REFERENCES

John McLoughlin

Email: jmcloughlin@sya.org

Phone: 1-978-590-5219

Dr. Gerald Peters

Email: gpeters@maine.edu

Phone: 1-207-608-5348

CITIZENSHIP

United States

Lithuanian (European Union)

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

Association of Writers and Writing Programs

Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies

Lithuanian Writers Union

Modern Language Association

PEN International

ADDITIONAL COURSEWORK

University of South Maine, Bertha Crosley Ball Center for Compassion, Summer Antiracism Intensive 2022, June 2022

Advanced Placement English Literature Training Course, Hong Kong, August 2013.

PERFORMED TRANSLATED PLAYS

Performance dates: 2018 – 2019 season. Sons of a Bitch. (Kalės vaikai), Saulius Šaltenis. Trans. Laima Vincė. Klaipėda Theatre, Klaipėda, Lithuania.

Performance dates: May 2, 2012. The Girl Who God Feared. (Mergaitė, kuri bijojo Dievas) Gintaras Grajauskas. Trans. Laima Vincė. Freedom Ltd. Dublin, Ireland.

Performance dates: September 1997. The Lives of the Dead. (Iš gyvenimo vėlių) Sigitas Parulskis, Trans. Laima Vince. Performed in the Lithuanian Open Society Fund Theater Festival.

SELECTED SHORT POETRY TRANSLATIONS

“The Death of a Butterfly,” “Good Morning,” “During the Gnosiology Lesson,” “My People,” “A Jewish Lullaby,” “Your tiny room,” “Oh, how many have gathered,” “The Cerulean Bird.” Catamaran, Vol. 10, Issue 4, Fall 2022.

“A Word,” “Good Morning!” “Oh, how many have gathered,” “Your tiny toom,” “Night,” “An Idle Evening,” “For My Dear Idealist,” “All the skiffs have foundered,” by Matilda Olkinaitė. Translated from Lithuanian. National Translation Month, 2019. (www.Nationaltranslationmonth.org).

SELF PUBLISHED BOOKS IN ENGLISH

This is Not My Sky. Amazon Publishers, 2017.

Journey into the Backwaters of the Heart. Amazon Publishers, 2017.

The Way Life Should Be: Essays about people who live their dreams. Amazon Publishers, 2017.

Digging a Hole to China: A Memoir on Teaching and Traveling. Amazon Publishers, 2016.

The Snake in the Vodka Bottle. Amazon Publishers, 2012.

BOOKS IN LITHUANIAN

Karantino dienoraštis. (The Quarantine Diary) Laima Vincė. Vilnius: Dominicus Lituanus, 2021.

Apie anuos nepamirštamus laikus: Juozo Lukšos-Daumanto ir Nijolės Bražėnaitės susirašinėjimas. (About Those Unforgettable Years: The Correspondence of Juozas Lukša-Daumantas and Nijolė Bražėnaitė). Edited by Laima Vincė. Vilnius: The Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, 2021.

Mūsų Nepalaužė. (Journey into the Backwaters of the Heart) Translation from English by Inga Būdvytytė. Vilnius: Alma Littera, 2019; (English edition: Journey into the Backwaters of the Heart, Amazon, 2009. Reviewed: Lituanus, Volume 57, No. 3, Fall 2011. Reviewer: Eglė Kačkutė.

Tai ne mano dangus. (This Is Not My Sky) Translation from English by Loreta Gema Baltaduonė. Vilnius, Alma Littera, 2018; (English edition: This is Not My Sky, Amazon, 2017.) Reviewed: „Mirti ir Prisikelti“ (To Die and Rise Again). Vaida Venskutonytė. Metai. Nr. 3, 2019.

Rašyti gali kiekvienas (Everybody Can Write). Vilnius : Baltos Lankos, 2010.

Lenino galva ant padėklo. (Lenin’s Head on a Platter) Vilnius: Lithuanian Writers Union Publishers, 2008; Lithuanian edition.

Anicetas Simutis: 60 Metų Lietuvos Diplomatinėje Tarnyboje (Anicetas Simutis: 60 Years of Diplomatic Service). Edited by Laima Vince Sruoginis and Rimantas Morkvenas. Vilnius: The Lithuanian Centre for Genocide and Resistance, 2007.

ESSAYS AND ARTICLES IN LITHUANIAN

„Estrada, apsirengusi šiuolaikiniu rūbu,“ (Old Time Pop Music in a Contemporary Costume), Draugas: Lithuanian Worldwide News, October 20, 2022.

„Krikštai ir nepaprasta jų atkūrimo istoriją“ (Recreating Historic Gravemarkers in Nida), Draugas: Lithuanian Worldwide News, August 18, 2022.

„Galima prisidėti gera valia: Pokalbis su Lietuvos Prezidentu Gitanas Nausėda“ (We Can All Contribute Our Goodwill: A Conversation with Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda), Draugas: Lithuanian Worldwide News, July 9, 2022.

„Visi Mes Jautėmės karaliais“ (We All Felt Like Kings), Draugas: Lithuanian Worldwide News, July 14, 2022.

„Arba su kardu, arba visai negrįžk... Iš Nijolės Bražėnaitės ir Juozo LukšosDaumanto susirašinėjimo“ (Either come back with a sword or don’t come back at all: From the love letters of Nijolė Bražėnaitė and Juozas LukšaDaumantas), Bernardinai, March 12, 2021.

„Apie moteriškumą N. Bražėnaitės ir J. Lukšos-Daumanto susirašinėjime...“ (For International Women’s Day: From the love letters of Nijolė Bražėnaitė and Juozas Lukša-Daumantas ), Bernardinai, March 8, 2021.

„Norėčiau galėt pavydėt mano brangiai konkurentei... Iš Nijolės Bražėnaitės ir Juozo Lukšos-Daumanto susirašinėjimo“ (I wish I could be envious of my competition: From the love letters of Nijolė Bražėnaitė and Juozas LukšaDaumantas), Bernardinai, February 17, 2021.

„Šiluma, kuri dvelkia iš Tavo laiškų mane užburia... Iš Nijolės Bražėnaitės ir Juozo Lukšos-Daumanto susirašinėjimo“ (The warmth from your letters enchants me... From the love letters of Nijolė Bražėnaitė and Juozas Lukša-Daumantas), Bernardinai, February 14, 2021.

„Mano brangus Juozuk... Iš Nijolės Bražėnaitės ir Juozo Lukšos-Daumanto susirašinėjimo,“ (My dearest Juozas... From the love letters of Nijolė Bražėnaitė and Juozas Lukša-Daumantas ). Bernardinai, February 8, 2021.

“Kaip išgyvenome Sausio 13-toji Niujorke,” (How we experienced January 13, 1991 in New York), Bernardinai, January 13, 2021.

“Taip kinai susitaiko su totalitarizmu,” (How the Chinese live with totalitarianism), Literatūra ir Menas, January 18, 2020.

“Nutildyta mūza. Apie Matildos Olkinaitės gyvenimą ir poeziją,” (The Silenced Muse: About the Life and Poetry of Matilda Olkinaitė), Atrakintas dienoraštis, edited Mindaugas Kvietkauskas, Vilnius: The Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, 2020.

“Nutildyta mūza. Apie Matildos Olkinaitės gyvenimą ir poeziją,” (The Silenced Muse: About the Life and Poetry of Matilda Olkinaitė), Bernardinai, January 25, 2019.

PLAYS PERFORMED IN LITHUANIAN

Performance dates: May – June 2017. Žygis prie jūros (A Hike at the Seashore). Alternatyvas Alternatyvai, Tallaght Theatre, Dublin, Ireland. (10 performances).

Performance dates: 2013 – 2014. Vertėjas (The Interpreter). Vilnius Chamber Theatre, Vilnius, Lithuania. (28 performances).

Performance dates: November 22, 2011. Vertėjas (The Interpreter), National Drama Theatre, Vilnius: Staged reading.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Juk pažadėjai (You promised). Vilnius: Baltos Lankos, 2010

The Ghost in Hannah’s Parlor. Vilnius, Dominicus Lituanus, 2010.

FREELANCE CONTRIBUTOR

2022 – Present: Freelance writer for Town and Travel, Kennebunkport, Maine

2022 – Present: Freelance writer for Draugas News, Chicago, Illinois

2022 – Present: Freelance writer for Draugas, Chicago, Illinois

2018 – Present: Contributor to The Vilnius Review: The Lithuanian Writers Union Online Magazine for Lithuanian Literature

2017 – Present: Contributor to HuffPost.

2016 – Present: Contributor to Deep Baltic

READINGS

“Poets of Queens at QED: Jared Harel, Paolo Javier, Erika Meitner, Laima Vince.” QED, Astoria, Queens, New York, October 25, 2023.

“An Evening of Ukrainian and Lithuanian Poetry about Freedom in English
Translation with Hanna Leliv and Olena Jennings.” Franciscan Monastery,
Kennebunk, Maine, July 29, 2023.

“The Love Letters of two Resistance Fighters: Juozas Lukša-Daumantas and Nijolė Bražėnaitė.” Mažvydas National Library, Vilnius, Lithuania, July 3, 2023.