GSU’s Spanish & Global Studies Program will present Voces de Otoño/Voices of the Fall, highlighting a bilingual poetry reading with Dominican actor and poet Francis Mateo on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 3 p.m. via Zoom. Be sure to make a reservation in time.   

A question-and-answer session with Mateo will follow his poetry reading. 
Mateo has published many short stories and poetry collections, including Ubre Urbe and El Alto, where he has performed his poetry with the band La Sovietika.  

Mateo earned a B.A. in English Literature from Hunter College but then focused on acting and theater at Brooklyn College. Mateo has acted in Broadway and off-Broadway productions with many well known film creators like Meryl Streep, Melvin Van Peebles, and Spike Lee, among others.   

GSU’s Spanish and Global Studies program recently received a grant from the Department of Education’s Undergraduate and International Studies and Foreign Language Program (DOE UISFL) for the 2020/2021 academic year.  Dr. Novia Pagone and Jelena Radovic wrote the grant.  

The grant will allow them to curate  Making Spanish and Global Studies Accessible to All activities and projects to help further the GSU mission of fostering global citizenship and promote the expansion of the curriculum.  

“We’re excited to bring writers from across the Spanish-speaking diaspora to GSU each fall and spring to read and talk about their poetry and short stories,” said Dr. Pagone. “It’s one way we hope to globalize the curriculum and amplify diverse points of view on campus.”   

This grant helps produce activities and events such as Voces de Otoño to inspire engagement and meaningful conversations both on campus and in the greater community.