On Friday November 13th, Coffee Grounds was abuzz with many different language speakers. On this night, the cafe was almost at full capacity as foreign language enthusiasts and international students filled the cafe’s many couches and listened to fellow classmates and professors recite poetry during The International Poetry Night.
Planned and run primarily by four Language Fellows: Glindys Luciano ’16 (Russian), Kevin Irakóze ’16 (French), Dominique D’Onofrio ’18 (Italian), and Esther Li ’18 (Japanese) , the night was filled with 22 passionate language learners who showcased poems in languages both that they had prior knowledge of, as well as ones that they are currently learning at the college. These included: Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Russian, Arabic, and Latin, as well as Hindi, Czech, Dhivehi, Ancient Greek, Korean, and Bosnian.
After everyone on the formal program finished reciting their poems, attendees were given the chance to come up to the mic and read a poem of their choosing. Many participants went up for a second time while many audience members went up on the spot during open mic.
This was the case for Shatrunjay Mall ’17, a student of Japanese, who first went up to read a poem in Japanese, titled “Journey,” and later on during the open mic read a poem in his first language, Hindi. When asked what his overall experience participating in the poetry night was, Mall commented, “I was very happy to participate in the International Poetry Night … I felt a little shy about performing in front of so many people especially in a language like Japanese because I don’t speak it fluently.” Mall went on to say that this was his first time performing in the poetry night and that reciting a poem in Japanese was especially challenging. “My hands were shaking a little bit as I was speaking,” he said.. There seemed to be, however, no indication of this nervousness during the actual poetry reading.
When asked why he decided to participate, Mall commented, “I saw it [the poetry night] as a nice opportunity because poetry can be very powerful as a medium of communication and as a medium of expression. I wanted to take part in it and see what it was like. I also just like the idea of people performing in so many different languages.”
The International Poetry Night has been in existence for a couple of years now. The first International Poetry Night is thought to have taken place a couple of years ago in Ruane’s Den (The Walk-In Coffee Closet) and was said to have been inspired by Arabic Professor Waed Athamneh. [This sounds a little mythic. Even if we’re not sure, where is this information coming from?]
Professor Laura Little of the Slavic Studies Department, who manages the Language and Culture Center and coordinates the Language Fellows, commented that in many parts of the world “poetry is still relevant. Throughout the world, poetry is as an important expressive component of culture, a medium through which experience and knowledge is shared.” She emphasized that many, like herself, go to events like these “to hear the music of the many languages.”
So, who exactly are the Language Fellows? What do they do? The Foreign Language Fellows came into being in the 2008-2009 academic year when Connecticut College received a $375,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to “enhance foreign language studies.” Today, there are Language Fellows for almost all the foreign languages taught here at the College. These include: Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, Italian, French, and German, as well as Classics (Latin and Ancient Greek). The possibility of adding fellows for Hebrew is also under consideration. Professor Little explained that the Language Fellows’ mission is “to increase the visibility of foreign languages by providing opportunities for students to engage outside of the classroom with different languages and cultures … encouraging students to explore aspects of a language and culture that may have not been addressed during class.” Little went on to explain that these opportunities come in the form of events both on and off campus.
The Language Fellows’ primary responsibility is to plan these events. Some Language Fellow events that are currently going on on campus include the “Languages in Life” speaker series which brings to campus alumni whose language learning at Conn helped them achieve success in their careers, as well as an International Film Series, featuring popular films in some of the college’s language. In terms of future events to look out for, Little commented that the fellows are considering doing a second International Poetry Night next semester and or an evening of international song.
International Poetry Night was not only a celebration of languages, but a gathering of a community full of avid language learners, and curious minds. Hopefully International Poetry Night has inspired members of the student body to consider learning a new language and or has sparked an interest to learn about a particular culture.
