LEWISTON — Poets from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas will read for five nights as part of the “Translations 2010: Cross-Cultural Awareness Through Poetry” festival this month at Bates College.

On Nov. 7-11, eight poets will read from their works in the original languages with translations projected simultaneously for listeners.

Readings will begin at 7 p.m. at the festival which is open to the public at no cost.

The schedule follows:

Sunday, Nov. 7, Chase Hall Lounge, 56 Campus Ave.: Susann Pelletier, a Lewiston native whose work expresses deep connections to the Franco-American community, as well as her vision of social justice and dignity; and Omar Ahmed, who grew up in Somalia, lived in Lewiston for a time and is now a freelance writer in Arizona.

Monday, Nov. 8, Muskie Archives, 70 Campus Ave.: Emeric de Monteynard of France, who does most of his writing in Normandy, inspired by the sea, and has written six books of poetry; and Cristian Gomez Olivares of Chile, assistant professor of Spanish at the University of South Dakota who is a translator and critic, as well as a poet.

Tuesday, Nov. 9, Muskie Archives: Ana Merino of Spain, who has published six books of poetry, a youth novel and a scholarly book on comics; and Lothar Quinkenstein of Germany, who has lived in Poland since 1994 and, in 1999, began teaching German at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, where he completed his Ph.D.

Wednesday, Nov. 10, Muskie Archives: Guangxin Zhao of China, who taught at the U.N. Language Program of Beijing Foreign Studies University and draws from the aesthetics of old-style Chinese poetry; and Irina Mashinski of Russia, who immigrated to the United States in 1991 and has written six books of poetry.

Thursday, Nov. 11: The festival will conclude with a gathering of all participating poets in Chase Hall Lounge.

For more information, call 786-8293 or e-mail [email protected].