RAWI Literary Conference,
June 3-5, 2005 Hunter College, New York City
"Kallimuna Speak to Us", the first Radius of Arab American Writers' Inc Conference.

D O W N L O A D  S C H E D U L E

Authors' Table

Download a Conference Flyer

Our first RAWI Literary Conference brings authors and performers, teachers and students, publishers and editors from across the USA for an exciting weekend of workshops, panels and readings!

Program begins 1 pm Friday, June 3rd and runs until 3 pm Sunday, June 5th.
Registration: 12 noon Friday: Rm 714 Lounge, 7th floor, Hunter West Bldg.
If you have not already registered, you may do so at the conference site, Hunter West, Hunter College is at 68th St and Lexington Ave.
Registration fee: $75 regular, $25 undergraduates .
Saturday Night, 7:30, June 4, 2005, Awards Dinner: Reflections with Naomi Shihab Nye and friends, hosted by Suheir Hammad.
Award Presentations: Edward Said Award for Career Excellence;
Hala Maksoud Award for Outstanding Emerging Voice;
Evelyn Menconi Award for Al-Rawi of the Year;
and RAWI Creative Prose Contest Winners.

Location and time: Byblos Restaurant: 39th and 3rd Ave at $35 (please book in advance, Maysoun Freij).

Kallimuna 2005 is co-sponsored by The National Writers Union, & Alwan for the Arts. Please read on for details about joining us!

June 3, Friday night. Readings by Arab American poets and Open Mike, starting at 7:15 pm, Hunter (West) College . Featured poets: Hayan Charara, Lawrence Joseph, Mohja Kahf, Khaled Mattawa, D.H. Melhem, Naomi Shihab Nye.
Download this event's flyer (Updated-May30th)

Writing for Children
by Naomi Shihab Nye

“ Open to anyone interested in writing poems or prose for young readers—children or teens. If participants wish to bring brief samples of their own work to read from and discuss in session, this is also possible, but not required. I will not be giving any individual critiques of manuscripts as this is not my forte, but will be happy to share suggestions and experiences relating to the wonderful world of writing for children. ” Naomi Shihab Nye.
Nye is the author of numerous books of poems, including “19 Varieties of Gazelle”, “Poems of the Middle East ”, “Fuel”, “Red Suitcase”, and “Hugging the Jukebox”. Among her books for children is the award-winning Sitti’s Secrets”. Nye is also the editor of several poetry anthologies, including “This Same Sky”.

Performance-in-Progress: "Persimmons"

Download "Persimmons" Workshop Flyer
An informal solo presentation of a short prose piece by Amani Elkassabani, followed by conversation about written and oral story telling, then an open discussion with workshop participants.
Amani Elkassabani (Co-convener, Author and Teacher, Rockville, Md.),
Michelle Murad (Actress, Student/U. Maryland),
John Fiscella (Co-convener, Community Artist, Teacher, U. Maryland).

Poetry: Writing the Unspeakable
with Hayan Charara

This workshop will focus on the most meaningful and difficult subjects, the sort that we may write about but would never show a single human being. There will be readings and writing exercises to develop techniques—when to employ truth over fact, when to be subtle, when to take the subject head on—and to free ourselves from self-imposed censorship. No one will be required to share his or her work. Charara is the author of “The Alchemist’s Diary” (Hanging Loose, 2001) and “The Sadness of Others” (Carnegie Mellon, 2006). He lives in Austin, Texas. Limited to 15.
Contact: Hayan Charara

Memoir
with Elmaz Abinader

“We will generate writing rather than workshop previous stuff. And the only requirement is the writer bring two photos from two periods in their family’s history—they can be posed or candid, but should not be strict portraits.” Abinader is author of “In The Country of My Dreams,” “Children of the Roojme,” and a number of plays. Limited to 12.
Contact: Elmaz Abinader

Creative Non-fiction
with Gregory Orfalea

“I will discuss the use of ethnic roots in memoir writing, creative nonfiction as an act of discovery of self and community, and cf as historical inquiry.” Orfalea has published six books, three of creative nonfiction and three of poetry. His latest book, edited with Barbara Rosewicz, is “Up All Night: Practical Wisdom from Mothers and Fathers.” He is assistant professor of creative writing at Pitzer College in Claremont, California and director of Pitzer’s Center for Writing. Workshop unlimited.

Novel
with Kathryn Abdul Baki, McLean VA

The workshop will review the overall structuring of a novel, the theme and conflict, the resolution. Giving your imagery and descriptive passages more impact by having it resonate with the inner mental/emotional state of the narrator. We will also consider how to write cross/cultural literature that can be more easily grasped by the Western reader. Kathryn. Abdul-Baki is the author of a book of short stories, Fields of Fig and Olive, and two novels, Tower of Dreams and Ghost Songs. Her latest novel, Sands of Zulaika, is due out this year. Abdul Baki lives in McLean, VA.

Short Story
by Evelyn Shakir

Explores issues having to do with writing short fiction in general and Arab American fiction in particular. Shakir has published many short stories and personal essays and she is author of “Bint Arab:Arab and Arab American Women in the United States.” Limited to 15.
Contact: Evelyn Shakir

All You Need to Know About Literary Agents
by Charlotte Dennett

Finding the right agent is key to developing your career as an author. This workshop shows you how to find an agent by genre. What questions to ask, and how to negotiate a good agent-author contract. With advanced reparation, you are better equipped to establish one of the most important relationships in your professional life. Dennett is author and lawyer has for many years served as the national agent advisor for NWU.

Writers’ Rights.
by Gerard Colby

This workshop will cover both political and legal aspects of writers rights in an age of media conglomeration and threats to free speech. Colby is co-author of “Buzzsaw: Leading Journalists Explore the Myth of a Free Press.” Winner, National Press Club Award on Media Criticism.
National Writers Union

A. Images of the Word and the World of Images
Artists working in different mediums discuss their experiences at the intersection of word and image. Mohammad O. Khalil shares his visual interpretations of Adonis’ poetry; Ayreen Anastas re-situates language within a conceptual visual work. Youmna Chlala speaks as artist, editor of an art journal, and creative writer.
Organizer:
Salwa Mikdadi, Independent Curator, Berkeley, CA

Mohammad O. Khalil, NYU and Parsons School, NY
Ayreen Anastas, Pratt Institute, NY
Youmna Chlala, California College for the Arts, SF—moderator

B. From Script to Screen
A panel of screenwriters of Arab descent who also direct and/or produce their own films discuss the process of bringing their stories to the screen.
Moderator:
Leila Buck, New York
Panelists:
Cherien Dabis, LA & NY
Sara Rashad, LA
Nasri Zacharia, NY
Annemarie Jacir, NY & Palestine
Rana Kazkaz (Panel Organizer), NY & Chicago.

C. Who's in the Classroom?: Teaching Arab American Literature.
This round table will explore the various perspectives of and ways in which American academia can effectively engage Arab American literature. Participants will address a series of questions that examine the relationships between teachers, publishers, students, and writers of Arab American literature.
Organizer and Moderator:
Heather Hoyt, Arizona State University
Mohja Kahf, U. Arkansas, AR
Steven Salaita, U. Wisconsin at Whitewater, WI
Nathalie Handal, Columbia U. NY
David Williams, Wheaton College, MA.

D. Literary Blogs: Can We Afford to Ignore Them?
Literary blogs have emerged as a new haven for book lovers and writers; the sites offer literary news, reviews, author interviews, reading recaps, and other features missing from mainstream media. But what exactly are lit blogs? Why are they so popular? How are they useful to us? And what do they mean for Arab and Arab American fiction? Three book bloggers from across the country debate these questions, and more.
Organizer and Moderator:
Laila Lalami, Short Story Writer and Proprietor of the blog—Moorishgirl.com, Portland, OR
Panelists:
Randa Jarrar, Author and Fellow Blogger, Austin, TX
Leila Abu Saba, Fiction Writer, SF, CA.

E. Sexuality, Gender and Silence
Moderator:
Andrea Assaf, Artistic Director, New WORLD Theater, U. Mass., Amherst, MA
Panelists:
Poet/Essayist/Professor Mohja Kahf, U. Arkansas. The Erotic Poetry of Nizar Qabbani.
Author/Poet Micaela Raen, Salisbury, MD. Out Lesbian Voices: Converging Themes in Arab American Liturature.
Poet Ahimsa Bodhran, Michigan State U. MI. Queer Arab American Literary Presence.
Poet/author Dima Hilal, Dana Point, CA. Arab Women: At the Crossroads of Sexuality and Culture.

F. Critiquing Our Own Community. How? Where? Why?
A discussion of the pros and cons of writing for Muslim, ethnic, and mainstream presses, asking hard questions about which is the best place to discuss problematical issues within our Muslim or Arab communities.
Organizer and Moderator:
Pamela Taylor, Radio Journalist, Publications Officer, IWA , Indianapolis, IN.
Panelists:
Mona Eltahawy,
Kathryn Haddad,
Ginan Rauf, and
Dasham Brookins.

G. Hybridity in Arab-American Literature
Since the early 20th century, Arab-American writers have had to contend with their ethnic background in various ways: from attempts to melt in the pot of mainstream (white) America to assertions of hyphenated identity; from implicit to explicit treatment of racism and Islamophobia; from emphasis on regionalism to constructions of pan-Arab identity; from humor to protest; and from critical assessment to celebration of Arab heritage; and from self-Orientalizing to challenging Orientalism.
Organizer:
Wail S. Hassan, U. Illinois, Urbana.
Panelists:
Layla Al-Melah, UNC, Chapel Hill, NC
Usama Kahf, M.A. UC, Long Beach, CA
Maysa Hayward, PhD., Ocean College, NJ

H. Divide, Gap, or Bridge?
A round table led by Salma Khadra Jayyusi, Amman, Jordan and Cambridge, MA, talk about Arabic literature and its relation to our literary work in the United States. Authors and translators discuss their relation to the two literary communities.
Panelists:
Lamea Abbas Amara (Santa Barbara, CA)
Rachida Mohammedi (Algiers)
Mansour Ajami (Princeton, NJ)

I. Everything is Political!
Is it possible for our art to be neutral; and is it necessary? Writers, attorneys, activists, dramatists weigh in. Panelists discuss their art and activism philosophies.
Laila Shereen, Poet/Performer/MC/Multimedia Designer, CCAS, Georgetown U. , D.C. “The Domination of the Impersonal as Political”
Betty Shamieh, Playwright, NY,
Louis Reyes Rivera, Poet, NYC,
Marian Haddad, Poet/Teacher, San Antonio, TX.

J. The Global Hood:
Community writers and artists explore, through a rich round of readings and reflections from their Italian, Latino, African, Pakistani and American heritage, points of connection and affiliation within the Arab-American spectrum.
Led by Fawzia Afzal Khan, Montclair U. , NJ ; Editor of Shattering Stereotypes.
Panelists:
Edvige Giunta English Dept., New Jersey City U. NJ. Editor of "Writing with an Accent: Contemporary Italian American Women Authors" and "The Milk of Almonds: Italian American Women Writers on Food and Culture."
Kym Ragusa, New York, filmmaker and writer. Her book, "The Skin Between Us: A Memoir of Two Harlems," will be published by W.W. Norton.
Ibrahim Quraishi is a conceptual artist, writer and the artistic director of "Compagnie Faim de Siecle" based in New York and Paris.

President Khaled Mattawa (at Conference) and Executive Director Steven Salaita (at Conference).

Download "Statements of New Officers "

RAWI is a nationwide organization of American writers of Arab heritage.