Ermira Mitre, a Library Technician at Smith Library, published her second poetry collection in May. Written in Albanian, LOTUS was featured at a book launch in Ermira’s hometown of Durrës, Albania, and a book fair in Kosovo.
Local writers, poets, and poetry enthusiasts attended the book launch organized by Ermira’s publisher and the Durrës public library. Several writers critiqued LOTUS, and four poets read from the book. A local news station’s segment about the event can be viewed at youtube.com/watch?v=hkqJAU0NpgY.
Ermira Mitre is a bilingual poet, essayist, and translator. Her poetry has appeared in various international and national poetry anthologies and journals, including Jerry Jazz Musician, Red Wheelbarrow Poets Journals, THE POET Anthology Series, Live Encounters, Kistrech Poetry Festival, Mediterranean Poetry, and Montclair Write Group. She published her first book of poetry, Soul’s Gravity, in Albanian and translated the fiction novel The King’s Shadow from Albanian into English. Currently, Ermira is writing her first English poetry collection, Blooming as a Sacred Lotus, as well as a bilingual anthology (English and Albanian).
Kayo Denda and Fernanda Perrone have coauthored, with Mary Hawkesworth, The Douglass Century: Transformation of the Women’s College at Rutgers University. This book is part of the centennial celebrations planned at the University and is published by Rutgers University Press. 
