Priscilla Gac-Artigas, Ph.D., professor emerita in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, attended the First Conference of Ibero-American Poets: Poets in New York (“Encuentro de Poetas Iberoamericanos: Poeta en Nueva York“) at Barnard College at Columbia University from March 4-7.
As part of the event, Gac-Artigas chaired the panel “Bridging Voices: Poetry and Translation” and presented her paper “Particular Challenges in Poetry Translation.” The panel also featured poet-translators John Burns (Bard College, U.S.), Linda Morales Caballero (Peru/U.S.), and Miguel Falquez Certain (Colombia/U.S.).
“Poetry translators do not simply communicate meaning; they must breathe life into the poem, give it a soul in another language,” said Gac-Artigas. “It is essential to know both the author and the text inside and out. They must balance fidelity to the original with the creative adaptation necessary to evoke the same emotions and meanings in a new cultural context.”
This year’s Encuentro, the first one in New York, paid tribute in memoriam to Federico de Onís, founder of the Institute of the Spanish-Speaking World at Columbia University, and to Argentinian poet and scholar Lila Zemborain, co-founder of the master’s program in creative writing in Spanish at NYU. Additionally, it honored Puerto Rican poet, writer, and scholar Giannina Braschi, who became the first woman to receive the Fray Luis de León Medal, an international poetry prize.
The “Encuentro de Poetas Iberoamericanos” originated in Salamanca, Spain, in 1998, when Peruvian poet Alfredo Pérez Alencart, in collaboration with the Ayuntamiento de Salamanca (Salamanca City Council), founded the gathering to celebrate the richness and diversity of Ibero-American poetry. In 2023, the Encuentro expanded to Mexico under the direction of poet Carmen Nozal, and in 2025, it reached New York City, organized by Argentinian poet and editor Mar Russo, strengthening the literary ties between Salamanca and New York.
Gac-Artigas is a Fulbright Scholar, a full member of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language (ANLE for its acronym in Spanish), and a correspondent member of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE).