Events

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Join us for an evening with Susan Abulhawa, who will read from her newest book of poetry, “My Voice Sought the Wind.” Plus Q & A, a book signing, and information about Susan Abulhawa’s project, Playgrounds for Palestine.

Saturday, April 19, 7 p.m.
Open Book
$5 Suggested Donation
Book signing and reception to follow

“My Voice Sought the Wind” represents five years of Abulhawa’s poetry on the timeless themes of love, loss, identity, and family, brought to life through her vivid observations and intimate personal reflections. She speaks from her own experience, with a style that is romantic, but tinged with disillusionment, often a bit sad and always introspective. The five sections of the book echo her personal journey, from the pain of separation from her homeland and the bitter yet nostalgic memories of the past, through various phases of love and regret, through the experience of mortality, and finally to her reconciliation with the future and hope of new birth.

About Susan Abulhawa: Abulhawa is from Jerusalem and currently lives in Pennsylvania. Her first novel, “Mornings in Jenin” (Bloomsbury, 2010) was an international bestseller translated into 32 languages. She is a contributor to several anthologies, including “Searching Jenin” (Cune Press, 2003), and “Seeking Palestine: New Palestinian Writing on Exile and Home” (Interlink ,2013). Her political commentary has appeared in major press throughout the United States and international media outlets, including the “New York Daily News,” the “Chicago Tribune,” the “Christian Science Monitor,” the “Philadelphia Inquirer,” and “Al Jazeera,” among others. Abulhawa was born to refugees of the 1967 Six-Day War. She moved to the United States as a teenager, where she got a graduate degree in biomedical science from the University of South Carolina and established a successful career in medical science. In 2001, she founded Playgrounds for Palestine, an NGO that builds playgrounds in occupied territories and UN refugee camps to uphold the Right to Play for Palestinian children. She is a signatory to and active participant in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which calls for an economic and cultural boycott of Israel.

Sponsored by Husam Khalil and Khalil Accounting with support from the McKnight Foundation.