National Youth Summit: Teen Resistance to Systematic Racism — Workshop with Kamelya Youssef
2020-10-09 12:30 - 14:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Online via Zoom
Registration required
In partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, AANM is pleased to host a workshop as part of this year’s National Youth Summit. The National Youth Summit hosts conversations about important events in America’s past that have relevance to the nation’s present and future. This year’s summit focuses on Teen Resistance to Systematic Racism. Middle and high school-aged youth are invited to join us for an online storytelling workshop, led by writer and teacher Kamelya Omayma Youssef, revolving around telling their personal story about social justice, racism and what equity looks like, through their own perspective.
The workshop will take place online over Zoom. Registration required; the Zoom link and all information on how to join the workshop will be sent to the e-mail used to register. REGISTER HERE

Kamelya Omayma Youssef is a poet-writer-teacher from Lebanon by way of Dearborn, Michigan. She tends to blur the borders between forms and hopes that one day borders are obliterated entirely. She is currently an MFA candidate in Poetry at New York University, where she is working on a few poetry manuscripts as well as a play. Her poems have been published in the Michigan Quarterly Review, Cordite Poetry Review, Mizna, Agape, Bird’s Thumb and on the theater stage with A Host of People. In addition to having earned a few writing awards and residencies, she also develops and presents creative workshops with her friends. Her ongoing project is mastering the art of being in multiple places at once.

Virtual Artist Talks - Amal Ziad Kaawash
2020-10-11 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Please click here to register for this event.
Please join us for a new episode of virtual Artist Talks featuring Palestinian visual artist, vocalist and songwriter, Amal Kaawash on Sunday October 11, at 12:00 Noon US EST; 7:00 PM Palestine Time. Amal will talk about her life growing up in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, her art and musical careers, a selection of which will be presented during the program. The event will be hosted on Zoom. Registration is required. To register for the event please go to the Palestine Museum US website (link in bio) and navigate to events.

Virtual Event – Laila Lalami with Roxane Gay
2020-10-12 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Virtual Event – Laila Lalami

October 12 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Magic City Books is proud to welcome Laila Lalami, author of the new book Conditional Citizens for a virtual author event on October 12, 2020. In this starkly illuminating and impassioned book, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Laila Lalami recounts her unlikely journey from Moroccan immigrant to U.S. citizen, using it as a starting point for her exploration of the rights, liberties, and protections that are traditionally associated with American citizenship. Tapping into history, politics, and literature, she elucidates how accidents of birth–such as national origin, race, or gender–that once determined the boundaries of Americanness still cast their shadows today.
Laila Lalami will be joined by Roxane Gay, author of the essay collection Bad Feminist and the memoir, Hunger. This free event will be hosted on the Zoom platform. To register in advance visit: https://magiccitybooks.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_V8H4H1U2Rk2zL-7HfHycgw
After registering, you will receive an email confirmation with details about how to join the event on Monday, October 12 at 7:00 CDT.
Conditional Citizens will be published by Pantheon Books on September 22. You can reserve a copy at Magic City Books or pre-order a copy here: https://magiccitybooks.square.site/product/conditional-citizens/212

Conversation: JUSTICE IS POLITICAL (NOT HUMANITARIAN): WHAT PALESTINIANS DEMAND FOR GAZA
2020-10-15 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
JUSTICE IS POLITICAL (NOT HUMANITARIAN): WHAT PALESTINIANS DEMAND FOR GAZA
Thursday, October 15 1 pm ET/10 am PT
Justice cannot wait. Ahead of the second presidential debate, Palestinians in the US plan to reiterate this and other critical demands for justice: to end military funding to Israel and allow Palestinians their internationally-recognized right to return to their occupied homes. Congress’ responsibility to Gaza is political, not humanitarian. A humanitarian approach seeks to apply a bandage to a gaping wound that should instead be healed through justice in policy: ending US complicity in Israel’s siege of Gaza. Only when Palestinian voices are centered in determining their futures can their hopes for freedom and justice can be realized. Join expert Palestinians and progressive allies to discuss policy demands that aim to stop the roots of the violence on Gaza by removing US support for Israel’s ongoing violations of Palestinian rights.
Register to join this critical conversation.
This event can be viewed here: https://m.facebook.com/MPowerChange/videos/justice-is-political-not-humanitarian-what-palestinians-demand-for-gaza/2442304769409778/

Backyard Arabic Meetup - Seattle
2020-10-15 17:00 - 19:00 UTC | WA, United States
Marhaba! Join us in our backyard for an evening of Arabic chit chat. We will limit the number of attendees in order to maintain social distance. See picture to get a sense of the space and decide if you are comfortable joining.
Feel free to bring your own drink/snacks. We will provide hot cider to those who want to help keep us warm.
If the weather is looking too cold/wet, we will try to reschedule or do the event virtually.
Side note: If you’d like to donate a few dollars to our group renewal fee on MeetUp, please Venmo Alaa at @Mhd-Arar. The amount needed is ~$50.
3350 Blakeley St, Seattle, WA 98105

Qalam wa Kalima – a virtual celebration!
2020-10-17 11:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Join us on Saturday, October 17 for Qalam wa Kalima – a virtual celebration! 2pm EST
Qalam wa Kalima pays tribute to the enduring legacy of al-Rabita’s members through a dynamic program, including:

Readings of al-Rabita members’ work by some of the most well-known Arab American writers and scholars
A special musical performance by Michael Ibrahim
An exclusive tour of our new digital exhibition featuring a number of rare original printings of books and other materials by al-Rabita members

Tickets are $100. All proceeds will support AANM’s ongoing mission to preserve and uplift Arab American cultural heritage.

Featuring:

Diana Abu Jaber is the award-winning author of Origin, Crescent, Arabian Jazz and The Language of Baklava. Her writing has appeared in Good Housekeeping, Ms., Salon, Vogue, Gourmet, The New York Times, The Nation, the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times.

Sinan Antoon is an Iraqi-born poet, novelist, scholar and translator. He has published two collections of poetry and four novels, which have been translated in fourteen languages. His work has appeared in The Guardian, The New York Times and many pan-Arab newspapers and journals. In 2003, Antoon co-produced About Baghdad, a documentary about the lives of Iraqis under occupation. He is co-founder and co-editor of Jadaliyya and associate professor at NYU.

Carol W. N. Fadda grew up in Beirut, Lebanon where she earned her B.A. and M.A. from AUB, and later her Ph.D. from Purdue University. Her first book, Contemporary Arab-American Literature: Transnational Reconfigurations of Citizenship and Belonging (NYU Press, 2014) contests negative representations of Arabs and Muslims in the U.S. She serves as the editor of the Critical Arab American Studies book series at Syracuse University Press.

Khaled Mattawa, poet born and raised in Benghazi, Libya, relocated to the U.S. as a teenager in 1979. Mattawa has been awarded several Pushcart Prizes and the PEN Award for Literary Translation, in addition to a translation grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship, the Alfred Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University and a MacArthur fellowship. He is currently on faculty at the University of Michigan.

Omar Offendum is a Syrian American hip-hop artist, designer, poet and peace activist. He was born in Saudi Arabia, raised in Washington, D.C., and now lives in Los Angeles, California.

Arab Film Series Online: Beauty and the Dogs (2017) dir. Kaouther Ben Hania
2020-10-18 12:00 - 14:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Free with RSVP/suggested donation; 100% of the donations raised will support ACCESS’ Domestic Violence program
RSVP for streaming link
Employing impressive cinematic techniques and anchored by a tour-de-force performance from newcomer Mariam Al Ferjani, Beauty and the Dogs presents a gripping moral conundrum surrounding two young Tunisians. When Mariam, a young Tunisian woman, is raped after leaving a party, she is propelled into a harrowing night in which she must fight for her rights and her dignity. Based on a true story, Beauty and the Dogs tells an urgent, unapologetic and important story head-on.
Immediately following the screening will be a talkback with guests TBA.
Please be advised that this program contains sensitive subject matter related to the discussion of sexual violence and mental and emotional abuse, that may be triggering to some.
2017 / 100 minutes / Rated R for Adult References, Explicit Language and Sensitive Subject Matter / Drama / Arabic with English Subtitles

Grand Opening of SCM Medical Missions Souk
2020-10-18 12:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | SCM Medical Mission Souk, 3806 Whitman Ave. N, Seattle, WA, United States
Our souk has moved from our former SCM office to the garage below, facing Bridge Way. This move allows more display space and more room to move around and see everything we have to offer. Please come see the new displays and know that your purchases all help our relief programs. Scarves, kaftans, refugee-made jewelry, embroidered purses, artwork, and much more will be available. Get a jump on your holiday shopping and do good at the same time!

The souk will have a schedule for the days it will be open and that will get posted on our website and Facebook page. Please come to our grand opening and try some tasty Arabic sweets, and mana’eesh will be available for purchase.

Please wear a mask, and we will be observing social distancing guidelines.

When: October 18, 2020 12pm to 3pm
Where: 3806 Whitman Ave. N, Seattle 98103

Hope to see you there!

Move American: Screening + Discussion w/ Leila Awadallah & Zaquia Mahler Salinas
2020-10-22 17:00 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Free with RSVP/suggested donation
RSVP for streaming link
Presented as part of AANM’s Arab Film Series Online, Leila Awadallah, Palestinian American choreographer and current AANM artist-in-residence, co-hosts an online dance screening event as one of 7 filmmakers presenting in DISCO RIOT‘s Move American series. Witness 7 short dance films surrounding voting, social justice and identity expressed by artists across the United States, followed by a discussion with Leila Awadallah, DISCO RIOT Artistic Director and Co-Founder Zaquia Mahler Salinas and AANM Director Dr. Diana Abouali.
Submissions from Distance Dance! (enter by Oct. 16!) will be screened as part of the program.

Palestinian Feast: Cooking Class at the Pantry
2020-10-22 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Maqlouba means “upside-down” in Arabic, and in this class NADIA TOMMALIEH will guide you as you construct this feat of culinary engineering- a meal in one pot, flipped over to make a savory feast! You’ll make chicken maqlouba with roasted eggplant, cauliflower, rice pilaf, and fried nuts, and salatet bil tahini (vegetable, herb, and tahini salad).
This is a live, hands-on cooking class held in your kitchen via Zoom. Class is meant to be as interactive as it would be at our table, with the instructor teaching you how to prepare each recipe. Each class ticket is for one kitchen, and we welcome group cooking on the same screen. All recipes are designed for four servings.

Movie: Breaking Fast
2020-10-23 - 2020-10-25 | WA
Available online at AFMI’s Virtual Cinema Platform: Arab Cinema ReImagined
Friday, Oct. 23 – Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020
Breaking Fast (2020) dir. Mike Mosallam
Pay-What-You-Can
RSVP for streaming link
Set against a vibrant West Hollywood backdrop during the holy month of Ramadan, Mo navigates life after heartbreak with faith, food, and the promise of a new relationship.
Breaking out of your shell in West Hollywood can be overwhelming, especially when you’re a practicing gay Muslim like Mo (Haaz Sleiman, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan). But on the first night of Islam’s holiest holiday, Mo’s longtime boyfriend Hassan abruptly breaks off their relationship, leaving him heartbroken and without a sous chef for iftar. Romance with the All-American Kal may be just around the corner if only he can keep his thoughts pure and the past behind him in Mike Mosallam’s charming Ramadan rom-com.
Following the screening will be a talkback with Director Mike Mosallam.
No Content Warnings
2020 | 92 minutes | Comedy | English with some Arabic (English subtitles)

My Name is the People of Palestine
2020-10-24 - 2020-10-25 | WA
“My Name is the People of Palestine” cultural event will take place on October 24-25 at 10:00am PST featuring Palestinian music and culture.

About this Event

Join us for a free online concert on Oct 24th-25th, 2020 at 10am PST/ 8pm Jerusalem to globally celebrate Palestinian music and culture together.
Music director Saleheddine Bedoui will be leading Aswat Ensemble with these featured artists:

Amal Murkus
Boutros Rouhana
Charbel Rouhana
Shadia Mansour
Reem Talhami
George Bisharat

Featured Poets:

Mourid Barghouti
Tamim Barghouti
Anis Chouehene

Two new songs by Boutros and Charbel Rouhana will premier at the concert.
This event will be streamed live on Facebook, Zoom, and Youtube, reserve your front-row seat and please share.
Translation will emailed to you and made available at Zawaya.org.
This concert is sponsored by: Zawaya, Middle East Children’s Alliance, and Palestinian Youth Movement.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/my-name-is-the-people-of-palestine-oct-24th-oct-25th-tickets-117583843441

Movie: Gaza Fights for Freedom
2020-10-24 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
This debut feature film by journalist Abby Martin began while reporting in Palestine, where she was denied entry into Gaza by the Israeli government on the accusation she was a “propagandist.” So Abby connected with a team of journalists in Gaza to produce the film through the blockaded border.
This collaboration shows you Gaza’s protest movement like you’ve never seen before. Filmed during the height of the Great March Of Return protests, it features riveting exclusive footage of demonstrations.
The documentary tells the story of Gaza past and present, showing rare archival footage that explains the history never acknowledged by mass media. You hear from victims of the ongoing massacre, including journalists, medics and the family of internationally-acclaimed paramedic, Razan al-Najjar.
At its core, ‘Gaza Fights For Freedom’ is a thorough indictment of the Israeli military for war crimes, and a stunning cinematic portrayal of Palestinians’ heroic resistance.
Directed, Written & Narrated by Abby Martin

My Name is the People of Palestine: cultural event
2020-10-24 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
“My Name is the People of Palestine” cultural event will take place on October 24-25 at 10:00am PST featuring Palestinian music and culture.

About this Event

Join us for a free online concert on Oct 24th-25th, 2020 at 10am PST/ 8pm Jerusalem to globally celebrate Palestinian music and culture together.
Music director Saleheddine Bedoui will be leading Aswat Ensemble with these featured artists:

Amal Murkus
Boutros Rouhana
Charbel Rouhana
Shadia Mansour
Reem Talhami
George Bisharat

Featured Poets:

Mourid Barghouti
Tamim Barghouti
Anis Chouehene

Two new songs by Boutros and Charbel Rouhana will premier at the concert.
This event will be streamed live on Facebook, Zoom, and Youtube, reserve your front-row seat and please share.
Translation will emailed to you and made available at Zawaya.org.
This concert is sponsored by: Zawaya, Middle East Children’s Alliance, and Palestinian Youth Movement.

Eyewitness Palestine: Virtual Delegations: Heirloom Seed Library
2020-10-25 11:00 - 13:00, 2020-10-28 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Throughout the month of September we will hold Virtual Delegations to visit the Heirloom Seed Library with:
Vivien Sansour – Artist and Conservationist
Vivien uses image, sketch, film, soil, seeds, and plants to enliven old cultural tales in contemporary presentations and to advocate for the protection of biodiversity as a cultural and political act. As the founder of Palestine Heirloom Seed Library and the Traveling Kitchen project, she works with farmers to promote seed conservation and crop diversity.
Spend time with Vivien visiting the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library
and seeing how the seeds are being used for sustainable farming as a political act.

Arabic Meetup - Seattle: Pumpkins at Greenlake
2020-10-25 14:00 - 15:00 UTC | WA, United States
Let’s hang out in Green Lake this Sunday, the 25th to have pumpkin spice latte, and carve some pumpkin for Halloween. The weather suppose to be nice, so come join us if you are free 🙂

What to bring:
– Bring a pumpkin obviously. There is PCC store near by if you want to buy one from there,
– bring a tool/ knife for carving,
– Bring your own blanket/chair :).
**It will be outdoor, sanitizers will be available, put your mask on and keep social distance if you like, and of course we kindly ask you to NOT attend if you have/had Covid or have been around anyone who has it 🙂

Horror Movie: Madayen (2016) dir. Ayman Tamano
2020-10-27 - 2020-10-28 | WA
Available online at AFMI’s Virtual Cinema Platform: Arab Cinema ReImagined
Tuesday Oct. 28 – Sunday Nov. 1, 2020
Madayen (2016) dir. Ayman Tamano
Free – Donation encouraged.
RSVP for streaming link
EventsAn Arab Film Festival Favorite
Screened at the 21st edition of the Arab Film Festival, October 13-22, 2017
With a tongue-in-cheek homage to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, Jeddah-based filmmaker Ayman Tamano’s found footage “mock-doc” psychological horror ghost story is nevertheless a fright for sore eyes. Set in the notoriously cursed, djinn-infested Madayen Saleh ruins in the north western sector of the Kingdom – a location that has likewise been deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site – MADAYEN holds its own as a chilling, buddy movie gone wrong campfire creepfest that never hesitates to pause, from time to time, and poke fun at itself, much less the genres it so fluently draws from.
فيلم رعب سعودي بطريقة وثائقية روائية تحكي قصة فضول ثلاث شباب في إكتشاف حقائق و أسرار ما وراء المنطقة التاريخية و قصص الجن التي تحوم حولها. و لكن فضولهم في معرفة القصص تنقلب إلى صراع للنجاة بحياتهم قبل أن ينضموا إلى قائمة قصص مدائن صالح.
إخراج: أيمن إدريس
بطولة: خالد يسلم, حكيم جمعة, عبدالله القرشي, نادية ملائكة
2016 | 66 minutes | Horror | Arabic (English subtitles)

Laila Lalami: Los Angeles Times Festival of Books Event
2020-10-30 | WA
Laila Lalami was born in Rabat and educated in Morocco, Great Britain, and the United States. She is the author of four novels, including The Moor’s Account, which won the American Book Award, the Arab-American Book Award, the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and The Other Americans, which was a Los Angeles Times bestseller, a best-of-2019 selection from a dozen outlets, and a finalist for the National Book Award in Fiction. Her essays and criticism have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, The Nation, Harper’s, the Guardian, and the New York Times. She has received fellowships from the British Council, the Fulbright Program, and the Guggenheim Foundation and is currently a tenured professor of creative writing at the University of California at Riverside. She lives in Los Angeles.

Time: TBA

Dodge Poetry Festival: The Compassion of Hard Truths: Zeina Hashem Beck and Others
2020-10-31 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
The Compassion of Hard Truths: Zeina Hashem Beck, Martín Espada, Paisley Rekdal, Seema Reza. Moderated by Martin J. Farawell
Zeina Hashem Beck is a Lebanese poet with a BA and an MA in English Literature from the American University of Beirut. She won the 2016 May Sarton New Hampshire Poetry Prize for her second full-length collection, Louder than Hearts (Bauhan Publishing 2017), about which Naomi Shihab Nye wrote, “Everything Arabic we treasure comes alive in these poems. Readers will feel restored to so many homes, revived, amazed. Zeina Hashem Beck writes with a brilliant, absolutely essential voice.”
http://www.zeinahashembeck.com/

Movie: This is Palestine
2020-10-31 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Free Online Virtual Event
Click Here to Register for Event. Free Event but Registration is Required.
The firlm screening will be followed by a live discussion on Zoom and Facebook.
‘This Is Palestine’ follows the journey of Riverdance founder John McColgan through the West Bank and Gaza as he explores the impact of ongoing conflict and military occupation on the people who live there. The documentary features powerful interviews with people who have lost their home, land and family members as a result of the conflict. As well as meeting communities under threat, McColgan also spent time with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists working to bring this long-standing conflict to an end. ‘This Is Palestine’ was co-produced by Tyrone Productions and Trócaire to mark the 50th anniversary of the military occupation of the West Bank.

Oud Taqaseem Against Lung Cancer
2020-11-01 - 2020-11-02 | WA
Raise money for Project Equity, whose mission is “to bring together a multidisciplinary research team and community stakeholders to understand and develop strategies for addressing the underlying factors and mechanisms of lung cancer disparities among Black Americans,” by tuning in to daily concerts with classical musician Oud Taqaseem on Facebook Live.
Learn more about Project Equity here.
Daily at 10pm every day in November!

Virtual Artist Talks - A Conversation with Ayed Arafah
2020-11-01 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Virtual Artist Talks – A Conversation with Ayed Arafah

Sunday, November 1, 2020
12:00 PM 1:00 PM EST

Click here to register for this event.
Born in Jerusalem in 1983, Ayed Arafah currently lives in Dheisheh refugee camp, near Bethlehem.
Arafah studied art at the International Academy of Arts in Ramallah. His artwork spans many forms—murals, paintings, installations, video, and photography. He is open to working with a wide range of materials and is interested in recycling. To Arafah, art is a journey of searching, discovering, and finding solutions, while exploring many different materials and cultural concepts.

Online Vegetarian Spotlight: Shakshuka with Sur La Table
2020-11-06 09:00 - 10:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Class start time is listed in Eastern Time. You’ll need to download the prep packet for your class. (Click here for prep packet and shopping list) This packet contains essential shopping lists, pre-class prep guides and more. Use the shopping list to gather ingredients prior to the day of your class.

Each class is fully interactive, so feel free to ask questions while you work along.

The class fee is per household—you can have as many cooks in your kitchen as you like.

Classes are 1 1/2 to 2 hours, unless otherwise noted above.

Each class is a password-protected Zoom session. You can download Zoom at www.zoom.us

You’ll receive an email with a session ID and password 30 minutes prior to your class.

Login to the Zoom session prior to the start time—late attendees may not be admitted.

Film Screening: There is a Field
2020-11-07 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Free Film Screening “There is a Field”

Saturday, November 7, 2020
12:00 PM 2:00 PM EST

Click Here to Register for Event.
Click here to view the film trailer.
The film screening will be followed by a live discussion with film director Jen Marlowe.
In October 2000, a police officer shot and killed unarmed 17-year old Asel Asleh. His story is tragically familiar for Americans, but Asel was not killed in Ferguson, New York City, Atlanta, or Minneapolis. Asel was a Palestinian teenager who was murdered by Israeli police as he participated in a demonstration, calling for an end to the Israeli occupation and settler-colonization.
There Is A Field began as a play about Asel’s life and his death, told from the perspective of his older sister, Nardin. Through Nardin’s struggle to cope with the murder of her brother, the play offers a uniquely personal lens for learning about intersecting systems of oppression, including Zionism, Jewish supremacy and white supremacy—root causes of state-sanctioned violence and structural racism.

Arabic Meetup - Seattle: Coffee at Greenlake
2020-11-07 13:00 - 15:00 UTC | WA, United States
Hello! Let’s hang out in Green Lake park next Saturday, Nov 7th to have pumpkin spice latte together. The weather suppose to be nice, so come join us if you are free :).
**It will be outdoor, so bring your own blanket/chair :). Sanitizers will be available, put your mask on and keep social distance if you like, and of course we kindly ask you NOT to attend if you have/had Covid 🙂

Amal Murkus Accompanied by Fadi Deeb, in Virtual Concert: Restreamed
2020-11-08 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | WA
Re-Streaming of Amal Murkus Accompanied by Fadi Deeb, in Virtual Concert

Sunday, November 8, 2020
12:00 PM 1:00 PM EST

Please click here to register for the concert.

2020 Arab American Book Awards: A Ceremony of Live Readings
2020-11-11 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
6 p.m. EST Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020
Arab American Book Awards: A Ceremony of Live Readings
FREE with RSVP or suggested $10 donation
RSVP for streaming link
Join the 2020 Arab American Book Award winners and honorable mentions for a celebratory live reading, featuring guests Stacy D. Fahrenthold, Malaka Gharib, Massoud Hayoun, Laila Lalami and Jasmine Warga from among this year’s winners, and hosted by 2016 Book Award winner Susan Muaddi Darraj!

The 17th Annual New York Arab-American Comedy Festival - Opening Night
2020-11-13 17:00 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
OPENING NIGHT ARAB COMEDY ALL STARS – 8:00 PM
BUY TICKETS
The opening night of the festival will feature a taste of all of the funny folks in the 16th Annual New York Arab American Comedy Festival. This show features 20 comedian in under 2 hours. These comics have been featured on CNN, Mr. Robot, Sirius XM, TED Talks, HBO, and more!
Maysoon Zayid – #1 Ted Talk
Aron Kader- Comedy Central’s Axis of Evil Special
Dean Obeidallah- Host of SiriusXM radio’s The Dean Obeidallah Show
Maher Matta
Sammy Obeid
Eman El Husseini
Reem Edan
Aron Kader
Go Remy
Nemr Abou Nassar

Grateful Every Day: Writing Poems Together — Youth Workshop with Naomi Shihab Nye
2020-11-14 11:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Online via Zoom
Registration required
How can poems help our lives? Naomi Shihab Nye, Young People’s Poet Laureate, leads this friendly writing workshop for students in grades 6, 7 and 8 — no experience in poetry necessary. This online workshop, taking place via Zoom, will involve simple strategies for writing around the general topics of attention and gratitude, with some on-the-spot note-taking and sharing of ideas and work. After two hours, participants will have rough drafts of at least 3-4 poems of their own. Bring paper and pen. Bring an open mind about your own writing powers and potential. We are all richer in resources than we think we are. How do we welcome some of our thoughts and insights onto the page? No stress. You don’t have to dress up! Register for the workshop
Naomi Shihab Nye was born in St. Louis, lived in Jerusalem and now lives in San Antonio, Texas. Palestinian American, she started writing poems at the age of 6 and believes “we are all living in poems.” She has published more than 30 books of poetry and prose and conducted writing workshops all over the world since college days. Nye was named by The Poetry Foundation as the Young People’s Poet Laureate for 2019-2021, making her the first Arab American to earn this honor.
