International Poetry Night inspires public

No matter where you’re from, poetry is a universal language. It is more than the combination of words with meter and rhyme. Poetry definitely touches hearts. Beautiful and inspirational moments marked the International Poetry Night, organized by Global Connections. Webster’s Bookstore Café opened its doors for about 30 people from different countries on April 9.

Poems were read in Spanish, Farsi, Russian, French, Portuguese, and, of course, in English. The event celebrated the National Poetry Month. Between the participants there were people from the USA, Iran, Mexico, Kazakhstan, India, and Brazil.  

Ardavan Javid attended a Global Connections event for the first time. She read “Bani Adam” in Farsi and its translation in English. “I found an advertisement for Poetry Night and decided to come. It was great.” Asked if she would attend another event like that, she was emphatic: “Sure!”

Bob Persiko, president of GC, said that “Global Connections’ mission is to bring people together to share their cultures and learn from each other. Poetry is a beautiful vehicle to do this.” He also expressed our special appreciation for Elaine Meder-Wilgus, the manager of Webster’s, for her strong support of GC over the years and for letting us have the Café for our event.