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QUEENSBURY, New York (Sept. 22, 2026) — There’s something poetic about how Clara Elena Garcia discovered her roots. When she joined the Peace Corps after college, she was assigned to Paraguay, the country of her birth.

Adopted by a family in the United States when she was just a year old, Garcia had no recollection of or connection to the country. “It felt like destiny,” said the Albany-based poet. “Adoptees tend to have incomplete histories, we have gaps and questions that don’t have answers, and identity is a huge part of that. I went back at a really good time; I was able to appreciate and embrace the culture and felt embraced by the culture.”

In the years since, Garcia’s poetry has been influenced by the seven years she stayed in the South American nation. “I realized I really wanted to write about my country’s folklore and mythology; there’s so much rich history and tradition and superstition.”

Garcia will discuss “Seven Legendary Monsters,” her first book of poetry written in English, at 12:40 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, outside the Forum in Bryan Hall. This event is part of ��������’s Writers Project series, and is free and open to the public. Garcia’s appearance is co-hosted by the college’s Diversity Committee in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

While her time in Paraguay certainly influenced her work, Garcia said she has always been inspired by migration. “People move and it’s a constant thing over human history that people move from place to place and bring with them their cultures and traditions,” she said. “Adoption is is one of those unique concepts of migration: You exist in a third space, not necessarily a sense of belonging in both at the same time and then in neither; it’s an interesting, complex thing.”

That passion also fuels her full-time job as educational director of a school for refugees and migrants. “We are always celebrating their roots, listening to their stories, encouraging them to speak about their lineage and see what an asset it is, instead of something that sets them back,” Garcia said. “It’s truly beautiful to see how they come in, how they have adapted but also continue to honor their traditions, their culture, their roots — it’s a beautiful snapshot of humanity.”

Garcia’s first book, “Juego de Palabras,” is available in Spain, Mexico and Colombia. “Seven Legendary Monsters” was nominated for the 2026 Elgin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry. Her third book, “The Song of Yrasema,” is scheduled to be released next spring.

Garcia’s poetry has been published in the Acentos Review, Alebrijes Review, Axon Journal, Cuéntame Literary Magazine and Sonic Boom Journal. Her work has also been included in anthologies from Macmillan, Artepoética Press, Flowersong Press, End of the World Publishing and Band of Bards Comics.

As a teenager, she attended the prestigious Bread Loaf Young Writers Institute at Middlebury College. She was selected to represent Paraguay in the 2023 Americas Poetry Festival of New York, hosted by the Cervantes Institute of New York and the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association, as well as the 2026 Berlin Poetry Festival, Europe's largest annual poetry festival, hosted by Haus fur Poesie.

She was also invited to present her Spanish-language debut at the 2025 New York State Writer's Institute Book Fair, the Hispanic/Latino Book Fair in Queens, The Philadelphia Latino Book Fair, the Connecticut Book Festival, the Springfield Latino Arts Festival and the 2025 IberoAmerican Poetry Summit at Barnard College.

The Writers Project continues with the following events:
•    Oct. 12: Mark Mayer, author of “About, Above, Around” 
•    Nov. 2: Curt Stager and David Kanietakeron Fadden will discuss “The First Adirondackers” 
•    Nov. 16: Professor Emeritus Martin Wasserman will discuss his prolific career 
•    Dec. 7: Paul Grondahl will talk about “Andy Rooney: A Lucky Life”

All Writers Project events free and open to the public. Unless otherwise noted, they are held at 12:40 p.m. outside The Forum in Bryan Hall, on the northern end of ��������’s Queensbury campus. They are also available via Teams at https://teams.microsoft.com/l/channel/19%3AtsoJwKlRi393uHVSu2b_newCJ5SDORdfNMdnKjM-iUQ1%40thread.tacv2/General?groupId=994f2e7a-9004-4fef-9d48-85a9a74c8dd5&tenantId=f6ab8c0c-733f-474c-8507-3374e3ca3156.