'International Poetry Evening' held in New York

A delightful poetry evening was held at the Queens Public Library in Woodhaven, New York City, on Thursday. The poetry reading, titled 'International Poetry Reading', was organized by the Queens Library and the poetry magazine 'Shabadguchcha'.

Poet-editor Hassan Al Abdullah (Bangladeshi-American), poet-publisher Roberto Mendoza Ayela (Mexican-American), poet-professor Irene Santos (Dominican Republic), poet-organizer Tomas Gelan (Dominican Republic), poet-storyteller Nazneen Seeman (Bangladeshi-American), poet-professor Marisa Russo (Argentinean-American), and artist Cristal Henriques participated in the poetry reading. Poetry was read in Bengali, Spanish, and English at the event.

The host of the program, poet Hasan Al Abdullah, extended his greetings to all those present on the occasion of Bangladesh's Victory Day on December 16. He also said, "To celebrate the day appropriately, the biennial poetry award given by 'Shabadguch' magazine was announced on that day." He thanked the Public Library for being a partner in organizing this poetry reading in early December this year. The program had background music along with the poetry. Omar Oliveira played bass guitar, Ben Gordon played acoustic guitar, and Hoze played percussion. Additionally, a picture displayed by Crystal Henriques was a welcome bonus. The program began with a musical presentation by Ben Gordon and ended with the Bengali song "Ami Banglar Santhan" written by Hasan Al Abdullah. The program lasted from 5 to 7 in the evening.