COMO Conversation: Poetry of the World

Prakriti Sharma is the founder of Raia, a Bali-based creative agency focused on brand expansion. A former Mumbai journalist, she has more than 14 years of international experience shaping strategies for brands across New York and Europe. An avid reader with a Master’s degree in Digital Media from London, she brings together strategic insight and a lifelong belief in the power of storytelling.

Adrianne Kalfopoulou is a Greek-American author of three poetry collections, most recently A History of Too Much, and three prose collections. Her work has appeared in The Harvard Review online, World Literature Today and other journals and anthologies. She also co-translated the Greek poetry collection Ξένη, Ξένο, Ξενιτιά into English with Katerina Iliopoulou. Her latest book is the 2025 essay collection re in refuge.

Afri Meldam is an Indonesian short story writer, poet and essayist from Sumpur Kudus, West Sumatra. His collections include Hikayat Bujang Jilatang and Orang-Orang Lembah. A prize-winner in several Indonesian writing competitions, he placed second in the 2024 RASA Ayu Utami Literary Award for Orang-Orang Lembah, while Pemetik Getah Damar was named Best Short Story at the Scarlet Pen Awards.

Ali AlShaali is an Emirati poet, novelist and publisher whose work spans five poetry collections, fiction and narrative prose. His recent books include the novel My Name is Alya and the short story collections This is My Father and Lives in Pomegranate. He received the Al Owais Creativity Award and was named Poet of the Year at the 2024 Sharjah Festival of Arabic Poetry.

Andrea Cote Botero is a Colombian writer whose books include Querida Beth, En las praderas del fin del mundo, La ruina que nombro and Puerto calcinado. Her honours include Colombia’s National Poetry Prize, the Bridges of Struga International Poetry Award and the 2024 Premio Casa de América de Poesía Americana. Her poetry has been widely translated, and she has translated Tracy K. Smith and Jericho Brown into Spanish.

Bhuchung D. Sonam is an exiled Tibetan writer, translator and publisher. His books include Songs from Dewachen and Yak Horns: Notes on Contemporary Tibetan Writing, Music, Film and Politics. He is a founding member of TibetWrites, which promotes and publishes Tibetan creative work, and his writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Asahi Weekly, Journal of Indian Literature and HIMAL Southasian.

Ege Dündar is a Berlin-based author, activist and PEN International board member from Turkey. He has supported writers at risk, helped establish PEN’s Young Writers Committee across 62 countries and founded Tomorrow Club to amplify young voices. He works in arts and journalism at CORRECTIV and co-authored The Wall with his father, Can Dündar. His work explores exile media, artistic freedom and the role of young people in public life.

Karuna Ezara Parikh is a British-Indian author and poet whose books include the novel The Heart Asks Pleasure First and the poetry collection Where Stories Gather. Her writing has appeared in The Wire, Vogue and Dazed. She founded Karuna’s Kitaab Club and hosts The Books Need People Podcast. Her work and activism explore gender, secularism, climate change, fashion, sustainability and identity.

Kristian Sendon Cordero is a Filipino poet and independent filmmaker working across poetry, cinema, translation, publishing and cultural practice. He received the 2017 Southeast Asian Writers Award and the 2022 Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines award. His work has been translated into German, Czech, Spanish and Italian. He also runs Savage Mind, an independent bookshop and creative centre in his home region of Bikol.

Srijato is an Indian poet, novelist and lyricist who writes in Bengali and has published around 50 titles. His honours include the 2004 Ananda Puroskar for Udanta Sawb Joker: All Those Flying Jokers and the 2014 Filmfare Awards East prize for Best Lyricist. In 2023, he made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed Bengali drama Manobjomin.