Ian Ross Singleton

Ian Ross Singleton is a writer and a translator of literature from the Russian and Ukrainian languages. He teaches classes on fiction writing and translation at various places including Hudson Valley Writers Guild. His debut novel Two Big Differences, about the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity, came out in 2021 and has been called a “masterpiece” by Russian writer Dmitry Bykov. His translations of Ukrainian writers and poets have been or are being published by various presses, and two of his translations were longlisted for the 2026 Deep Vellum Best Literary Translations. His translation of the 1928 novel The Shipwright by Yuri Yanovsky will be published in 2027 by Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. He served as Nonfiction Editor of Asymptote from 2022-2025. He lives with his partner, the poet Natalya Sukhonos, and their children in upstate New York. For a list of publications, you can see his website at https://singletonian.com/.

• *The Shipwright* by Yuri Yanovsky

  The Shipwright by Yurii Yanovsky, translated by Ian Ross Singleton (HURI Books 2027)

  “Resisting Russian Colonialism: About Yuri Yanovsky’s The Shipwright” in Language, Culture and Justice Hub

• Two Big Differences

  a novel by Ian Ross Singleton

  • Переключая коды. О романе И. Синглтона “Две большие разницы”
    Чайка
  • “A Dreamscape of Longing” in The Rumpus
  • “Only in Odessa” in The Los Angeles Review of Books
  • “Speaking in Tongues” in Fiction Writers Review
  • “Writing Fiction Allows Us to Builds Bridges” in Punctured Lines
  • “Understanding Ukraine” in Haight Ashbury Literary Review podcast

• Translation

  

  • 2 Poems by Galina Itskovich in Turkoslavia
  • “In Wartime, Everything is a Verb” by Iya Kiva in Re/Visions
  • Jeanne by Arielle Burgdorf (translations of excerpts into Russian) (Moist Books)
  • “Odesa Accent” by Galina Itskovich in Nashville Review (longlisted for 2026 Deep Vellum Best Translations Anthology)
  • Мис доброї надії / Cape of Good Hope by Antonina Tymchenko (a reading)
  • “Being Famous is Unbecoming” by Boris Pasternak among others in EastWest Literary Forum (longlisted for 2026 Deep Vellum Best Translations Anthology)
  • four poems by Marina Eskina in Barzakh
  • “Janiculum” / “The Prose of Life” / “A Letter from Zürau” by Marina Eskina in The Cafe Review
  • “Life’s More Enduring Than War” by Irina Ivanchenko in Asymptote
  • “Reading Samizdat” by Marina Eskina in Saint Ann’s Review
  • “how to feel…” by Oksana Gadzhiy in Springhouse Journal

• Fiction

  • Short Story Writing Class – 92Y
  • “First Time” in New Madrid
  • “Sweetgum” in University of Michigan Residential College Alumni Journal

• Ian’s Online Class

  COMING SOON: Writing Across Languages: Translation as Fiction Technique with Ian Ross Singleton

  In his essay, “On Linguistic Aspects of Translation,” Roman Jakobson defines three kinds of translation.

  There’s interlingual translation between languages, what we usually think of as translation. An example is translating the Ukrainian word трійка (or triyka) into “a group of three.” Our first class would discuss techniques for both translation and creative writing related to this form.

  Next is intralingual translation. In this class, students would discuss translation within a language, often called editing or revision. An example is translating the word murdered into the synonym slain, saving a syllable for poetic effect.

  The third and final class would be on semiotic translation. In this class, students will discuss translation between visual and linguistic communication, between images and language. An example is drawing a map that translates the space of your writing into a smaller visual representation to encompass the whole or zooming in on a scene and even drawing smaller objects at larger scale to translate the details necessary for an apt depiction in language.

  

  

  All of these techniques can be used in both translation and creative writing in one language. Each class is $100 or $250 for all three. That is a sliding scale.

• Teaching / Short Story Recommendations

  COMING SOON: Writing Across Languages: Translation as Fiction Technique with Ian Ross Singleton at 92Y

  “I was particularly interested in taking Ian Ross Singleton’s class because I saw that he has a background in literary translation and speaks another language. I believe that knowing another language and having done any literary translation work broadens a person’s literary perspective. I wanted to expand my critical thinking, and taking Ian’s class did not disappoint! He has an eye for catching what any writer is trying to achieve and allows his students to also breathe on their own while also elevating their craft.” – Tiffany Yun, 92Y fiction student

  “Root Worker” by Edward P. Jones from All Aunt Hagar’s Children

  “A Story by Maupassant” by Frank O’Connor from The Collected Stories

  “Boule de Suif” by Guy de Maupassant from The Necklace, translated by Jay Neugeboren

  “Guy de Maupassant” by Isaak Babel, translated by Boris Dralyuk

  “Walking Out” by David Quammen

  “A Small, Good Thing” by Raymond Carver

  “1/3, 1/3, 1/3” by Richard Brautigan

  “Sherry Brandy” by Varlam Shalamov, translated by Naza Semoniff

  “Fuckhead” by Denis Johnson from Jesus’ Son

  “Secretary” by Mary Gaitskill from Bad Behavior

• Podcast Production

• Criticism / Essay

  • “War Poeisis”: an Interview with Oksana Maksymchuk in Poetry Northwest
  • “Odesa Will Never Be a ‘Russian’ City Again” in Living in Languages
  • “Rebirth in the Ash Heap of istoriya: on Cecil the Lion Must Die by Olena Stiazhkina”
  • “Bilingual Books: A Personal History”
  • from The Los Angeles Review of Books
  • from Asymptote:
    • Asymptote Spring 2022 issue
    • Asymptote blog including film critique