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Aug 8th: Launch of Alia Yunis' The Night Counter
night-counter.jpg
Cover of The Night Counter
Saturday, August 8, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
California Building Gallery
2205 California Street NE
Minneapolis, MN
[Directions]
612-788-6920

$5 includes reception and book signing

ABOUT THE BOOK

An enchanting debut that asks, Which stories would you tell, if you only had nine days left to tell them?

Fatima Abdullah has been alive 85 long years, and she knows when her time will come. In fact, it should come just nine days from tonight, the 992nd nightly visit of the beautiful and immortal Scheherazade.

Each night, Fatima has told Scheherazade her life stories, all the while knowing that on the 1001st night, her storytelling will end forever. But between tonight and night 1001, Fatima has a few loose ends to tie up. She must find a wife for her openly gay grandson, teach Arabic (and birth control) to her 17-year-old great-granddaughter, make amends with her estranged husband, and decide which of her troublesome children should inherit her family's home in Lebanon--a house she herself has not seen in nearly 70 years. All this while under the surveillance of two bumbling FBI agents eager to uncover Al Qaeda in L.A.

In a debut that charms and bewitches, Alia Yunis unravels four generations of Abdullah family secrets with a great sense of comic timing and a deft touch of magical realism. Touching on the histories of both the United States and the Middle East over the last one hundred years, this is the heart-warming story of a family just as crazy as yours.
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FEATURED STORIES
Feb 18-28:
Following a 12 week sold out premiere run in San Francisco, CA, I Heart Hamas: And Other Things I'm Afraid to Tell You will make its Midwest premiere in February 2010. The critically acclaimed, introspective one-woman show on life as a Palestinian-American will premiere in Minneapolis on February 18th! Special opening night event: Mizna journal reading before the show and music afterwards!   MORE >>
Feb. 18: Opening night of
On the opening night of Jennifer Jajeh's "I Heart Hamas," join Mizna for a pre-show party at the Bedlam Theatre at 6:30 p.m. There will be hors d'oeuvers and readings from the latest issue of our literary journal, featuring current and past authors. And, after Jennifer Jajeh's show, Abdellah Ouchagour and his band will play modern North African music.    MORE >>
Mar 11-14: Sixth Twin Cities Arab Film Festival
As always, Mizna's Twin Cities Arab Film Festival guarantees some excellent Minnesota premiers as well as a number of US premiers and at least one world premier: twenty eight films from the Arab World and far beyond!   MORE >>
About Mizna
Mizna's award-winning journal, published since 1999, continues to be the singular journal of Arab American literature in the United States.

Mizna has been honored to present the annual Arab Film festival in Minnesota since 2003 and has hosted some of the most talented Arab American artists in the visual arts, on stage, in music, and in film—including Simon Shaheen, Suheir Hammad, Hakim Belabbes, Nadia El Fani, Jack Shaheen, Raed Al Helou, Mai Masri, the Iron Sheik, Elias Khoury and others.

In 2004, we opened our Mizna Center, which has given us a physical home to hold meetings, classes, and events.

Learn more about Mizna, subscribe to our journal, or join/edit your subscription to our e-mail list below today!
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