Danish novelist, Albanian poet open Cornell series featuring international writers

MOUNT VERNON — A Danish novelist and an Albanian poet will discuss their works and give readings Thursday, Sept. 14, to launch Cornell College’s Global Voices, a series of campus appearances by international writers.

The discussion is at 3:30 p.m. and the reading at 7:30 p.m., both in Shaw Lounge of The Commons. The events are open to the public and admission is free.

Mathilde Walter Clark lives in Copenhagen, where she is a columnist and television critic. Author of a novel, “Thorsten Madsen’s Ego,” and a collection of short stories, “Disorder of Things,” she was awarded the 2005 Discovery of the Year in Literature by Carlsbergfonden and a major grant in 2006 from the Danish Art Foundation.

Gentian Cocoli has published three collections of poetry, most recently “Human Soil.” He has translated several contemporary American poets and won a prize for his translation of Seamus Heaney. His “Circumference of Ash” was selected a Best Poetry Book of the Year in 2001 by the Ministry of Culture. Cocoli is founder of the literary journal Aleph Review and of the publishing house Aleph Publishing. He heads the culture and art department in Albania’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

Global Voices will present periodic visits to Cornell by creative writers in residence at the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program. Since 1967, more than 1,000 writers from more than 115 countries have attended the IWP.