This May, Stephen Kuusisto, a University Professor and Director of Interdisciplinary Programs and Outreach at the BBI, traveled to Kazakhstan to give poetry workshops as part of an international disability and cultural diplomacy outreach program. Kuusisto has traveled all over the globe, creating opportunities for children with disabilities to demonstrate their talents through inclusive arts workshops, as well as participating in public readings and visits to universities, literary institutions and other venues.
Kuusisto is currently working with the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State in this expanding enterprise. In previous years, he has traveled to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and China. Kuusisto also seeks to formalize these collaborative efforts, envisioning them as a core component in his work at Syracuse University.