2010 Between the Lines

For 2010's Between the Lines, we stretched ourselves in several important directions. Geographically, participants represented a total of eight countries, coming from as far west as Algeria and as far east as Oman. Culturally, students shared their worlds with Americans through an international literature salon, a Saturday translation seminar, and a session simply called "Arabic 101." Participants also were treated to an authentic country barn dance, a meeting with members of one of the country's oldest Midwestern Muslim communities, and, due largely to the unexpected success of 2008, a two-day visit to Chicago.







Instructor Tarek Eltayeb leads a class at Bread Garden in Iowa City. IYWS students get a brief lesson in Arabic.
IWP Associate Director Hugh Ferrer discusses publishing in the United States. BTL guest lecturer and Arab-American author Randa Jarrar reads from her work.
BTL and IYWS students participate in a reading at the Iowa City Book Festival. Other views of Iowa: Participants were invited to dinner at the Islamic Center of Cedar Rapids.
Other views of Iowa: Participants were also invited to a wedding reception in Walcott, Iowa, where they got to experience an old-fashioned barn dance. Students shared other skills at the IYWS talent show.
BTL class of 2010. Back row, from left to right: Ali AlBanki (student, Bahrain), Amr Bennis (student, Libya), Elie Nassar (student, Lebanon), Khalil AbdalHadi (student, West Bank), Ghazi AlShehabi (student, Bahrain), Bahaa Attaallah (student, Gaza). Front row, left to right: Gladys Youssef (chaperone, Lebanon), Aya Rabah (student, Gaza), Nadia AlTaei (student, Oman), Dunya Mikhail (faculty, Iraq/USA), Houda Ghenim (student, Algeria), Ghada AlMuhanna (student, Saudi Arabia), Nour Saliba (student, Lebanon).

 

Happening Now

  • We regret the passing, on April 11, 2024, of the distinguished Romanian author and critic Dan Cristea, who served as the editor in chief of the Luceafărul de Dimineață cultural monthly. In addition to being an alum of the 1985 Fall Residency, Cristea received his PhD in Comparative Literature at the University of Iowa.

  • Our congratulations to 1986 Fall Residency writer Kwame Dawes, who has been named the new poet laureate of Jamaica.

  • Congratulations to our colleagues Jennifer Croft and Aron Aji, who are among those serving as judges for the National Book Awards this year, in their case in the category of translated literature.

  • Ranjit Hoskote’s speech at the 2024 Goa Literary Festival addresses the current situation in Gaza.

  • In NY Times, Bina Shah worries about the state of Pakistani—and American—democracy.

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