Sass Nicholson

THE NOVEL

Terma is the story of Ninsha, a Sumerian girl with the gift of divination, who is sent to the early city of Ur to train as a priestess in the temple of Inanna. Terma is also the story of Liz, the director of a scientific research centre in 2020, London.  Just as in the Tibetan tradition where a 'terma' is understood as a "hidden treasure", a teaching which is concealed or encoded awaiting the right conditions or person to reveal itself, Terma is the mystery of two lives that touch across time.


THE THREE SEAS WRITERS' RESIDENCY
I am thrilled to have been awarded a writers' residency by The Three Seas Writers‘ and Translators‘ Council to work on my novel Terma. TSWTC is a co-operation of writers’ and translators’ unions from around the Baltic, the Black and the Aegean Sea.  I have been selected to be a resident in this program which is designed to allow artists to spend two weeks focusing on a significant piece of work. 

BACKGROUND 
Terma has developed out of my PhD research on Sumerian history, archaeology and mythology.  Sumerian mythology is foundational to Western culture,  but perhaps more importantly, their goddess Inanna is an incredibly unique and important figure in women's religious history. Since first stumbling upon her story as an undergraduate, I have been entranced by the stories of this curious, sensual, and adventurous goddess, whose historical significance has long been underestimated.  Her stories are wonderful material to play with, and, in the tradition of The Red Tent, I'm excited to be able to creatively reclaim and articulate her stories.

The story of Ninsha and the Inanna temple began to organically emerge during writing workshops I took with Mette Jakobsen, author of The Vanishing Act, in 2011.  I've continued working with Mette, as well as other writing groups and readers, and have a substantial amount of Terma completed; however, it is a complex project and there is still much more to do!

Your support will be used to cover my travel expenses to get to the residency in Rhodes in July. While the IWTCR has generously granted me a studio accommodation space at the International Writers and Translators Centre of Rhodes, I am required to pay the airfare to and from Greece. As this has all happened very quickly (my residency runs from July 13- 24), I have not had the opportunity to apply for arts funding to cover my travel costs. All of the money raised from this campaign will go directly towards covering my return flight to Greece (cost est. $2400).

WHY YOUR SUPPORT IS IMPORTANT:
While I am a published author and academic, have a mountain of great research to draw upon, and feel very confident with the direction of this novel, I’m also a self supporting single mother. This face, plus the short time frame in which I've been awarded this residency means that I need to get financial support in order to be able to take it up. 

I finely balance my academic work and my creative life with the joyful, messy struggle of bringing up a toddler on my own. I would benefit immensely from the uninterrupted, focused time this residency provides. So, while I do not have the finances to pay for the travel to this residency, I deeply believe in this project and believe that with the right support this will be a well executed, beautiful and potentially significant novel.