[HELP] Writing poetry in English as a non-native speaker
Hi everyone,
I’m a poet writing in russian, but I currently live abroad because I’m against my motherland’s politics and against the war.
Right now I’m working on improving my English, but I realize I’m still very far from native-level fluency. And honestly, I doubt I’ll ever become some kind of second Nabokov — especially in poetry, where language is such a sensitive medium.
I’d really like to hear from practicing poets or writers whose first language is not English, but who have had some successful experience switching to English, either fully or partially.
Do you think it’s okay to translate your own work if your English is not native-level? And is it acceptable to use AI tools in that process — not to replace the writing, but to help with drafts, phrasing, rhythm, or checking whether something sounds natural?
Some of my poems rely heavily on references, tones, and cultural details that would probably only be fully clear to Russian-speaking readers, or at least to people from the post-Soviet space. But I also have other texts, especially in an ecopoetic direction, that might potentially work in translation.
I’d be grateful for any thoughts, personal experience, or examples of writers who have dealt with something similar.
BTW: I'm also really looking for a remote job, but I posted about that in a different thread.