Latin American York College Professors and Poets at the 2026 International Symposium in Bucharest, Romania

Four members of York College’s World Languages, Literatures, and Humanities Department—Dr. Margarita Drago, Dr. Juana M. Ramos, Prof. Yrene Santos, and retired Prof. Tomás Modesto Galán—participated in the fourth edition of the International Symposium and World Forum of Poets, held Aug. 9-Aug. 20 in Bucharest, Romania.

^{From left, Prof. Yrene Santos, Dr. Margarita Drago, Prof. Tomás Modesto Galán, and Dr. Juana M. Ramos.} 

As part of a featured panel of Latin American poets, they presented their most recent publications and engaged with an international community of writers, translators, and artists. Each year, the symposium brings together nearly 50 participants from four to five continents for a rich program that includes conferences, round tables, poetry recitals, creative writing workshops, thematic excursions, and more.

According to Dr. Carmen Bulzan, the International Symposium and World Forum of Poets was founded by Teodosie Petrescu, founding president of the Tomitana Academy; Constantin Barbu, president of the Universalis Poetarum Academy; and Dr. Bulzan herself, vice president of the Tomitana Academy. The Tomitana Academy and the Universalis Poetarum Academy serve as the main organizers. The first edition of the symposium was held in 2023, with the initial three editions taking place in Tomis Constanța, Romania.

In addition to literary activities, the symposium offers excursions to significant cultural and spiritual sites, including various monasteries—among them the monastery of Dobrogea—and olive groves that symbolize peace. The program is grounded in the historical and symbolic figures of the Apostle Andrew, the Emperor Trajan, and the poet Ovid, who was exiled in Tomis on the Black Sea, as well as the celebrated Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu, known for his writings about the sea.

York College is proud of the continued international recognition of its faculty, whose creative and scholarly work contributes to global dialogues in literature, culture, and the arts.