The Egyptian poet Ahmed al-Shahawy has been officially invited to participate in the Americas Poetry Festival of New York 2015, scheduled for October 14, 15 and 16. Shahawy, 55, one of Egypt's most distinguished contemporary poets, will participate during the festival in two poetry readings as well as a round table discussion on contemporary poetry. The poetry Shahawy is set to read during the festival has been translated into Spanish by Dr. Abeer Abdel Hafiz, professor of Spanish literature in Cairo University and into English by Dr. Bahaa Mazid, Head of Faculty of Arts, Sohag University. The laureate of the UNESCO Literature Prize in 1995 and the Kavafy Poetry Prize in 1998 is the only Arab poet to be invited for such a festival. Shahawy, whose poems have been translated into numerous languages including Turkish, has participated in several poetry festivals across the world. As an intellectual, Shahawy has always been resentful of repression in all forms and a staunch enemy of religious extremism. Some of his poems were strongly attacked by religious fanatics. The festival's director is the ColombianAmerican poet Carlos Aguasaco.
