Upcoming Events in the SMLC
Published: 5 August 2025
Mark your calendars! There's a wealth of workshops, roundtables, lectures, and more to look forward to this year at the SMLC
The 2025-2026 school year hasn't even begun, and already some fantastic plans are in the works here at the SMLC. Below you will find a list of upcoming events throughout the school year.
EVENT SERIES: Help Shape Glasgow’s Latin American Cultural Centre
The Latin American community is one of the fastest-growing migrant groups in the UK but remains underrepresented, particularly in Scotland. Despite growing research, much of it overlooks Latin Americans in Scotland, focusing on more visible or vulnerable groups. Over the past decade, Soledad Montañez's research has revealed a significant lack of dedicated cultural spaces for Latin American and Spanish-speaking communities. While interest in Latin American cultures is increasing, there is a pressing need for more inclusive and nuanced representation of their heritage, arts, languages, and histories in Scotland and the UK.
We are therefore in the process of developing a Latin American Cultural and Arts Centre in the heart of Glasgow — a space dedicated to celebrating the richness and diversity of Latin American cultures through art, music, food, language, and community engagement.
As part of this exciting project, we are inviting individuals, organisations, and community members to contribute their ideas and insights to help shape the vision and design of the centre. We want to ensure that this space reflects the aspirations of Latin Americans in Scotland and fosters meaningful connections across cultures.
These series of workshops aim to creatively and collaboratively explore what kind of space the Latin American community wants in Glasgow. Centring joy, memory, and voice, through a non-extractive, arts-based and feminist facilitation process, gather and collate voices towards the vision of a Latin American Arts Cultural Centre. This initial process aims to raise awareness, build relationships, and generate actionable insight for the development of a Latin American Arts Cultural Centre in Glasgow.
The workshops will be facilitated by Mansi Panjwani (on behalf of the collective) in collaboration with Graphic facilitator Clare Mills.
The project is funded by the Creative Launch Fund, University of Glasgow.
Stakeholder & Co-Creation Lab
When: Monday, 1st September 2025, 4:00-7:00pm
Where: the ARC, Studio 2, University of Glasgow
Refreshments provided.
Community Gathering: “Weaving Our Futures”
When: Saturday, 6th September 2025, 11:00am-4:00pm
Where: Kinning Park Community Complex
A participatory, artful community gathering that centres joy, memory, and belonging through collective expression. The event includes dance, a community meal by Soul Food Sisters, grounding circle with poetry, music and movement, walking conversations. Free but ticketed.
Online Workshop: “Cartographies of Care”
When: Late September 2025 (Exact Date TBD)
Where: Online via Zoom
Design focus: A gentle online gathering to bring in Latin voices beyond Glasgow, especially those unable to join in person. This space prioritises accessibility, story-sharing, and imagining space across borders. The space holds questions such as:
- What does cultural safety feel like, when you’re far from “home”?
- What kind of spaces hold us when institutions don’t?
- How do we carry home with us?
Further information and updates on this event series can be found here.
Language Taster: Traditional Flavors & Recipes from Catalonia, Spain & Italy @ Explorathon 2025
When: Saturday, 20th September 2025, 11:00am-12:00pm (Workshop) and 12:00pm-3:00pm (Sessions for children and families)
Where: the ARC, as a part of Explorathon 2025
Explorathon 2025 in Glasgow will take place in the ARC on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September coinciding with the Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival. SMLC language Teaching will feature this year once again in the lively programme of free public events supported by the UKRI Guarantee Fund. On Saturday 20th September SMLC language teaching staff in Spanish, Catalan and Italian will engage visitors with a Language Taster - Workshop from 11:00 to 12:00 and Sessions for children and families from 12:00 to 3pm. The event aims at discovering the origin and traditions around a selection of popular dishes enjoyed in each season of the year in each of these countries as well as sharing key vocabulary in the target language related to the preparation and ingredients of these dishes, all through different fun activities, quizzes and games for people of all ages. Join us from SMLC for a 'convivial' day!
Federico Gobbo Guest Lecture
When: Wednesday, 2nd October 2025, 2:00pm
Where: TBD
Federico Gobbo is a professor of interlinguistics at the University of Amsterdam. At the behest of the 'Multilingualism across the disciplines' research lab, Prof Gobbo will be joining us this October to give a lecture on fictional writers who choose to write in Esperanto. While venue details on this event are currently TBD, you can contact Elisa Segnini at elisa.segnini@glasgow.ac.uk for more information on the event.
Coast to Coast - Journeys across Scottish and Japanese Cultures
When: Wednesday, 8th October 2025, 5:00-7:00pm
Where: the ARC, Studio 2
Organised by the Islands in the Global Age ArtsLab, this event will include a film screening about the recent AHRC IAA funded collaboration between Dr Graham Eatough and artists Miek Zwamborn and Rutger Emmelkamp on the Isle of Mull on the series of workshops entitled ‘A Seaweed Gathering’, and a second part devoted to the artist book, Les Cygnes sauvages, which celebrates Kenneth White’s book of haikus and travelogue inspired by his journey to Japan in Basho’s footsteps. The second half of the programme will also include short presentations from Dr Monika Kocot (on Scottish poets Alan Spence and Kenneth White in relation to Basho), and from Dr Daryl Jamieson (on his musical composition for the performance of The Seaweed Gatherers). A short video extract from the film documentary made during Kenneth White’s journey to Japan will be screened for the first time with English subtitles.
Free entrance but registration is required. For further details please e-mail Dr Ramona Fotiade at Ramona.Fotiade@glasgow.ac.uk
A image of Kenneth White during his travels in Japan, from the film 'Les chemins du Nord profond'.
MOVETIA Student Mobility Visit to the SMLC
When: 9th, 10th & 13th October 2025 (Times TBD)
Where: Hetherington Building (Room TBD)
Funded by a £19500 grant from the Swiss Federal government, the project of mobility, exchange and cooperation connects students of roughly the same age group (18-20 years old) from the College St-Michel in Fribourg (studying Philosophy and English) with students in the SMLC studying French (with an interest in Philosophy/Existentialism/Modern French Thought). They will collaborate over several days in mixed and plurilingual international groups and will give short presentations on the broad theme of the exchange: “Philosophical Perspectives on Aesthetics and Education”.
For more details and to register your interest in participating (whether as a student or as staff) please e-mail Dr Ramona Fotiade at Ramona.Fotiade@glasgow.ac.uk
Students walk around campus at the College St-Michel in Fribourg.
Roundtable on Constructed Languages
When: November 2025
Where: TBD
The 'Multilingualism across the disciplines' research lab is organizing a cross-discipline roundtable on constructed languages. Scholars across disciplines will meet to discuss the history of Esperanto communities in Scotland, the interest for Esperanto among Gaelic speakers, the role of constructed language in fantasy fiction and how constructed languages can be used as pedagogical tools. More details on the event are forthcoming. Interested individuals can contact Elisa Segnini at elisa.segnini@glasgow.ac.uk for more information on the event.
'Writers and their Translators' Event
When: November 2025
Where: TBD
The Centre for Comparative Literature and Translation will be continuing their flagship 'Writers and their Translators' event series into the 2025-2026 school year. This lecture series stages dialogues between writers and their respective translators, exploring the relationship between authorship and interpretation. While announcement of this year's speakers are forthcoming, previous years have featured the likes of Jennifer Croft and Antonia Lloyd-Jones. While details regarding the event are forth-coming, interested indivuduals are encouraged to check the Centre's website for updates as they occur.
Comparative Literature and Translation PG-Led Career Development Event
When: January 2026
Where: TBD
The Centre for Comparative Literature and Translation is planning a Post-Graduate-led career development event. While details regarding the event are forth-coming, interested indivuduals are encouraged to check the Centre's website for updates as they occur.
Remote Alba Fest 2026
When: March 2026
Where: TBD
Remote Alba Fest 2026 is a festival for remote workers of all kinds: freelancers, creatives, carers, founders and the remote-curious. The festival is a space to imagine, connect, create, be well and unite. Details for 2026 festival are forthcoming, however those interested in the event are encouraged to follow @nomadalba on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook and to visit https://www.nomadalba.com.
Professor Emmanuel Bouju Masterclass
When: April 2026
Where: TBD
Professor Emmanuel Bouju-- Director of the Centre de recherches comparatistes in Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris-- will be visiting this April to deliver a masterclass for PG Comparative Literature students. This visit is being arranged by the Centre for Comparative Literature and Translation. While details regarding the masterclass are forth-coming, interested indivuduals are encouraged to check the Centre's website for updates as they occur.
Practive-led event for non-academic practitioners and artists
When: Semester 2
Where: TBD
Organized by the Centre for Comparative Literature & Translation and led by SMLC lecturer Dr Alessia Zinnari, this event will continue the series of talks/workshops initiated in 2025, bringing together artists, facilitators and practitioners working with creative methodologies. The aim of the series is to inspire academics to broaden their research frameworks, and to foster connections between academic and non-academic audiences, planting seeds for future projects and collaboration. While details on the event are forthcoming, interested indivuduals are encouraged to check the Centre's website for updates as they occur.
Archival Workshop/Summer School on Decadence
When: August 2026
Where: TBD
As a part of the MSCA DN 'Decadocs', a workshop/summer school exploring the role of archival work in relation to Decadence will be held next summer. This event will be open to all PG students. While this event remains in the planning stages, interested individuals can contact Elisa Segnini at elisa.segnini@glasgow.ac.uk for more information.
First published: 5 August 2025
<< News
People collect seaweed on a beach in the Isle of Mull as a part of a workshop. A film about these workshops will be screened in the ARC this September (See: Coast to Coast - Journeys across Scottish and Japanese Cultures for event details).