Please scroll down for the names and countries of the 22nd World Congress of Poets participants and photos of people getting to know people from around the world.
Photographs of the 22nd World Congress of Poets held in Greece, June 29-July 3, 2011, have been submitted by Judy Hardin Cheung, Demitris P. Kraniotis, Greece; Suparna Ghosh, Canada; Wanda Ingmire, USA; Panayota Christopoulou-Zaloni, Greece; Vassiliki Mandalou, Greece; Michael Kwaku Kesse Somuah, Ghana; and Gisela Kopp, Germany.
If your photo has been incorrectly identified or not identified, please forgive us and send the photo number, correct name, country and awards received at the 22nd World Congress of Poets to UPLI webmaster Judy Cheung at jhcheung@comcast.net. Thank you.
We apologize that there is not enough space to have a photo of everyone in this section. We hope that if you are not here, you will find your name or photo in another section of the 22nd WCP photos.
Our official group photo taken at the Monastery of Komnenion. Some of our participants were not able to attend. Some were so interested in the monastery that they did not hear that the photo was being taken. Names are in alphabetical order by surname, not in the order of appearance in the photos. All participants, whether present or not for the photo are named below.
Participants of United Poets Laureate International’s 22nd World Congress of Poets Held in Larissa, Greece, June 29-July 3, 2011 At the Larissa Classical Imperial Hotel
More than 205 participants from 65 different countries participated to promote brotherhood and understanding throughout the world through poetry. A few anthology participants could not attend due to illness or other last minute conflicts. Some attending participants did not enter into the anthology which gave us our official count. Thank you to all who participated to make this a marvelous, event to promote world-wide brotherhood and understanding through poetry.
Assisting organizations include: Hellenic Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism, World Poets Society, Thessaly Periphery and the Larissa Municipality.
Individual Participants
Mr. Benjamin R. Yuzon, President of United Poets Laureate International: USA / Philippines Dr. Dimitris P. Kraniotis, M.D., President of the 22nd World Congress of Poets, VP UPLI: Greece Ada Aharoni: Israel Maram Al-Massri: Syria/France Renato Alzadon: USA/Philippines Eleni Alexiou: Greece Nicos Alexiou: Greece/USA Katrina Anghelaki-Rooke: Greece Natica Angilly, VP UPLI: USA Richard Angilly: USA Nora Atalla: Canada Anthi Avgeri: Greece Maria Cristina Azcona: Argentina Francisco Azuela: Mexico Anton Baev: Bulgaria Ammar Banni: Algeria Hermione Bara-Chalvatzi: Greece Dimitra Bardani: Greece Bhaskar Roy Barman: India Uttam Kumar Barua: Bengladesh Thomas Bekos: Greece Fatima Zahra Bennis: Morocco Rita Flores Bogaert: USA/Philppines Giorgio Bolla: Italy Benaissa Bouhmala: Morocco Theoklitos Brouzis Nebih Bunjaku: Kosovo Cai Kelin: China Flavia Cosma: Canada/Romania Augusto Casola: Paraguay Maritza Luza Castillo: Peru Eric Chaet: USA Tholana Ashok Chakravarthy: India Raamaa Chandramouli: India Alexander Chang (Zheng Hui Shi): President of the 23rd WCP in Australia, 2013: Australia/Malaysia Ioannis Chatzopoulos: Greece Judy Hardin Cheung, Sec/Treas. UPLI: USA Manfred Chotot: Austria Zozo Chouliara: Greece Fevronia Christodoulidi: Greece Panayota Christopoulou-Zaloni: Greece Guy Crequie: France Joy Beaudette Cripps, VP UPLI: Australia Maria Damianea: Greece Maggy De Coster: France/Haiti Lucia De Garcia: USA/Colombia Athanase Vantchev de Thracy: France/Bulgaria Tatjana Debeljacki: Serbia Konstantinos Deligiannis: Greece Chrishoula Demetrakakis: Greece Michael Devine: USA Shirley (Shukriya) Devine: USA Andromachi Diamantopoulou-Filippidou: Greece Constance Dima: Greece Eva Dinopoulou: Greece Alejandro Drewes: Argentina Erika Drungyte: Lithuania Ade Durojaiye: England Mohamed El-Ouahed: Algeria Vasiliki Ergazaki: Greece Feda Erksen & daughter: Turkey Ferik Ferra: Albania Betti Fichtl: Germany Lina Folina: Greece Charles Frederickson: Thailand/Sweden Margarita Fronimadi-Matatsi: Greece Felix M. Garcia: Philippines Andreas Georgallides: Cyprus Rajaa Gharbi: Tunisia Suparna Ghosh: Canada/India Christina Giagkou-Lavdaki: Greece George P. Giakouminakis “Vagionias”: Greece Katerina Giannakopoulou: Greece Miltos Gitas: Greece Anastasia Gkitsi: Greece Konstantinos Gkoumas: Greece Obed Gonzalez Moreno: Mexico Katherine L. Gordon: Canada Fotini Gouma: Greece Ximena Gautier Greve: Chili/France Novella Torregiani Grilli: Italy Carlos M. Gutierrez P.: President of the 21st WCP 2009 in Nicaragua: Nicaragua/USA Giovanna Li Volti Guzzardi: Australia/Italy Sabahudin Hadzialic: Bosnia and Herzegovina Mary Halliburton, President of the 20th WCP 2007in USA: USA Rodolfo Hasler: Cuba/Spain Niels Hav: Denmark George Hollie: USA Ronda Hollie: USA Albina Idrizi: Kosovo Charoula Ilia-Fragkou: Greece Wanda Ingmire: USA Yioula Ioannou-Patsalidou: Cyprus Eirini Iosifidou: Greece Jacob Isaac: South Africa/India Snezhana Ivanova: Bulgaria Jiang Gengyu: China Puntalee (Noi) Jirathun, President of the 17th WCP in Tailand, 2002: Thailand Roula Kaklamanaki: Greece Maria Kalfa: Greece George J. Kaliaden: United Arab Emirates/India Lefteris Kaliambos: Greece Niki Kambrosi: Greece Olympia Karajiorga: Greece/Egypt Athanasios Karatolias: Greece Aleka N. Karatziou: Greece Potis Katrakis: Greece Ilias Katsanos: Greece Patricia (Molly) Kennealy: Australia Marasri Khonkean: Thailand Despina Kontaxis: Greece Eberhart Kopp: Germany Gisela Kopp: Germany Naoshi Koriyama: Japan Helena Kosmas: Greece Paraskevi Kostopetrou: Greece Despina Kotrotsiou-Kranioti: Greece Giorgos Koutouvelas: Greece Ionna Kranioti: Greece Hasije Selishta Kryeziu: Kosovo Santosh Kumar: India Kyriakos Kytoudis: Greece Moschos Lagouvardos: Greece Riza Lahi: Albania Dulcie Levene: England Arthur Levinson: USA Cynthia Levinson: USA Li Xiushan: China Liao HuiLin: China Jan Litvak: Slovakia Sarahanne Lum: USA Peggy Zuleika Lynch: USA Vasiliki Ast. Mandalou: Greece Rhodora Maganito: USA/Philippines Sonja Manojlovic: Croatia Argyris Marneros: Greece Colette Mart: Luxemburg Nancy Merritt: USA Athenasios Michail: Greece Noriko Mizusaki: Japan Manorama Biswal Mohapatra: India Sonnet Mondal: India Kae Morii: Japan Walter Keyombe Muzembi: Kenya Ilongo Fritz Ngale: Cameroon/Lesotho Ni Jian: China Yamilka Noa: Cuba/Costa Rica Warot Nontree: Thailand Onyeka Nwelue: Nigeria/India Zoe Oikonomou: Greece Niculina Oprea: Romania Roland Orcsik: Serbia/Hungary Korina Papadopoulou: Greece Panagiotis Papageorgiou: Greece Nikos Papagiannakis: Greece Danae G. Papastratou: Greece Elma Diel Photikarm: USA/Philippines Luis Manuel Perez Boitel: Cuba Miradije Ramiqi: Kosovo Perugu Ramakrishna: India Potlapally Srinivas Rao: India Evangelia Raptou: Greece Jeff Raybuck: USA Saqra Raybuck: USA Leo Rebello: India Igor Rems: Montenegro/Germany Kay Renz: USA Jimmy Rider: USA Lee Rider: USA Wanda Rider, Exec. VP UPLI, President of the 14th WCP, 1995: USA Chara Rizou: Greece Patrick Sammut: Malta Ousmane Sarr-Sarrouss: Senegal/France Hadaa Sendoo: Mongolia Joao Sevivas: Portugal Ronald G. Shafer, President of the 15th WCP in England, 1997: USA Amir A. Shamsolebad: Iran Muhammad Shanazar: Pakistan Fahredin Shehu: Kosovo Michiko Shida: Japan Khadijeh Shiran: Iran Adolf P. Shvedchikov: Russia/USA Michael Kwaku Kesse Somuah: Ghana Chrysoula Spyreli: Greece Ana Stjelja: Serbia Thullimalli Wilson Sudhakar: India/South Africa Pimpong Suwannathada: Thailand Pornsawan Suwannathada: Thailand Theofanis Takoudis: Greece Juri Talvet: Estonia Anthony L. Tan: Philippines Tan Chang (Alice Tan): China Seiko Tanaka: Japan Jan Theoninck: Belgium Toshi Tai: Japan Art Tolentino (ArtDax) Philippines/USA Varvara Tsakouridou: Greece Maria Tsekoura-Basli: Greece George Tsitroulis: Greece Rex B. Valentine: USA Eleni Vasiliou-Asteroskoni: Greece Nikolaos Jiannouli Ververidis: Greece Jean-Claude Villain: France Jenny Vlachoni: Greece Maria Vogia: Greece Giota Voni: Greece Elisabeth Wanderler-Deck: Switzerland Wang Yan Ding: China Carolyn Williams: USA A.D. Winans: USA A simina Xirogianni: Greece Yang Siping: China Aya Yuki: Japan Taki Yuriko: Japan Antonios Zalonis: Greece Kozeta Zavalani: Albania Zhang Zhi (Diablo): China Zhao Ziyun: China Zheng LiMei: China Zong Qing (Jin Weiping): China Sabah Zouein: Lebanon
Members of the 22nd World Congress of Poets Greek Organizing Committee Dr. Dimitris P. Kraniotis, President of the 22nd WCP Katerina Ziazia-Souflia, ex vice-Mayor of Culture of the Larissa Municipality Christos Sideropoulos, ex Vice-prefect of Culture of the Larissa Prefecture, Councillor of the Thessaly Periphery Dimitra Bardani, President of the Larissa Union of Poets and Writers Athenasios Karatolias, President of the Thessaly Association of Letters and Arts Vassiliki Mandalou, General Secretary of the Larissa Union of Poets and Writers George Tsitroulis, Poet Stefanos Koutras, Special Secretary of the Larissa Union of Poets and Writers Panagiotis Papageorgiou, poet Christina Giagkou-Lavaki, General Secretary of the Thessaly Association of Letters and Arts Fotini Gouma, Treasurer of the Thessaly Association of Letters and Arts Evangelia Raptou, Press Officer of the Thessaly Association of Letters and Arts Lina Folina, Treasurer of the Larissa Union of Poets and Writers Ioanna Kranioti, Poetess Athanasios Michail, Translator
Scholarly Papers Presented on the theme of
World Brotherhood and peace through Poetry
June 30, 2011, Main Meeting Room, 22nd World Congress of Poets, Larissa, Greece
Dr. Dimitris P. Kraniotis, President 22nd WCP, Greece: Overview of the 22nd World
Congress of Poets
Giorgio Bolla, Greece, Peace in Larissa
Elma Photikarm, Philippines/USA, Poetry Parade in “Poems in the World”—From our
Diverse Origins
Eleni Alexious, Greece, Brotherhood and Peace Through Poetry—The Contribution of
Greek Poets
Raamaa Chadramouli, India, Fire and Snow, presentation of a poetry book
Evangelia Raptous, Greece, The Rhetoric of Poetic Creation. Baudelaire: A Turning
Point in European Poetry
Aya Yuki, Japan, Tanka and Haiku
Ronald G. Shafer, Honoring the Genius of the Greek Poetic Legacy
Gisela Kopp, Germany, The Rhythm of Life
Joy Baudette Cripps, Australia, Poetry and Nature
Miltos Gitas, Greece, From Homer’s Poetry to Modern Warfare. Peace at Present
Praskevi Kostopetrou, Greece, The Universal Messages in the Poetry of
Dimitris Kakalidis
Vasiliki Mandalou, Greece, Reading, Criticism and Interpretation of a
Contemporary LiteraryWork
Constance Dima, Greece, World Brotherhoon and Peace Through Poetry
Stefanos Koutras, Greece, OrthodosChurch Poetry: Love Attack
Snezhana Ivanova, Bulgaria, The Poetic Organ—Articulation of the Ether—
Fraternization of the Humankind
Perugu Ramakrishna, India, Ravindravath Tagore and World Peace…
Lefteris Kaliambos, Greece, Homer’s Meter
Rita Flores Bogaert, USA, First Poem: Use of Poetry to Prevent Burnout in Nursing
Andromachi Diamantopoulou Filippidou, Greece, Poetry is Revolution—Writing
is Power!
From the time we got up in the morning and ate our wonderful buffet breakfast (included in our hotel price) we enjoyed international company. L-R: Rex Valentine, USA; Gisela Kopp, Germany; Vasiliki Mandalou, Greece; Dulcie Levene, England; Mrs. Rex Valentine, USA
Miltos Gitas of Greece gets acquinted with Michael Kwaku Kesse Somuah from Ghana
Candle light dinner by the pool gave everyone a beautiful, leisurely time to chat with new friends
Most of our dinners were outside, served with elegance and marvelously prepared fresh food. Eberhart Kopp, Germany, chats with Suparna Ghosh, India and Canada; Nancy Merrett, USA; and Wanda Ingmire, USA.
WCP Muse Georgia Kotrotsious, Greece; Pilar Yuzon, Philippines and USA; UPLI President Mr. Benjamin R. Yuzon, Philippines and USA; Gisela Kopp, Germany, pose for a photo in the chaple of Saint Paraskevi.
After touring the Chapel of Saint Paraskevi, we gathered in the wooded picnic area and heard a talk on Greek mythology, especially related to this area.
Gisela Kopp mounts the podium on Stomio Beach, assisted by Athenasos Michael. Dr. Dimitris Kraniotis, Pres. 22 WCP and his wife Despina, Mr. Benjamin R. Yuzon, M.E., UPLI President and his wife Pilar Yuzon are on the podium as honored dignitaries.
Everyone joined in the spontanious Greek Dance at the restaurant at Stomio Beach after lunch
As we got to know each other, our group photos of friends grew. Here, everyone who could squeezed onto the Archaeological Museum of Larissa's steps with this photo snapped with at least a dozen different cameras from around the world. (Note the hand on the far left with two camaras being handed to him.)
International poets pose for a photo in front of the monument to Hippocrates
People gather on the steps of the Theater of Tempe's outdoor amphatheater.
Gisela Kopp and her husband, Eberhart Kopp, Germamy, pose with Freda Erksen, Turkey, and her daughter plus another poet.
Gisela Kopp, Germany; Dulcie Levene, England; and Vasiliki Mandalou pose for a photo in the streets of Larissa.
Muhammad Shanazar, Pakistan and Raama Chandramouli of India pose with UPLI President Ben Yuzon in the Archaeological Museum of Larissa.
Judy Cheung, USA and Joy Cripps, Australia, pose at lunch and show off the bottle of local spirits they shared (but did not finish).
