2011 Between the Lines

2011 saw the most diverse set of BTL participants to date, representing Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Tunisia. In addition to their creative writing study in both English and Arabic, students took part in a variety of activities ranging from a discussion of the events of the "Arab Spring" to a tour of an authentic Mississippi River tugboat to a children's-bookmaking workshop hosted by youth nonprofit 826 Chicago. For most of them, this was their first visit to the States, and we did our best to make it memorable.

Egyptian poet Yasser Abdel-Latif at the Arabic creative writing workshop.

At Shambaugh House, students discuss the events of the “Arab Spring.”

Panel discussion on “Young Writers and Writing” at the Iowa City Book Festival.

Guest lecturer and Palestinian-American author Ibtisam Barakat leads a class.

Students discuss forms of Arabic and English poetry.

Late afternoon at Oak Street Beach, Chicago.

Students write and design children’s books at 826 Chicago.

The BTL class of 2011. Standing, left to right: Ghada Abdel Aal (chaperone, Egypt), Maha Zeidan (student, Israel), Roua Seghaier (student, Tunisia), Maisa Farid (student, Morocco), Yasser Abdel-Latif (faculty, Egypt/Canada), Lana Najjar (student, Israel), Kecia Lynn (IWP staff), Johnny Yaacoub (student, Lebanon), Abed El Yaacoub (student, Lebanon), Hind Rahmoun (student, Algeria), Khaled Khalifa (faculty, Syria), Mohammad AlHemaid (chaperone, Saudi Arabia). Kneeling, left to right: Sally AlHak (student, Egypt), Saria AlMidani (student, Syria), Hadeel AlHaddad (student, Bahrain), Oussama Ghajjou (student, Morocco).

Upcoming Events

Please check back for future events

Happening Now

ko ko thett is the co-editor of Picking Off New Shoots Will Not Stop the Spring, a new collection of “witness essays and poems from Burma/Myanmar 1988-2021.”
Bejan MATUR and Vivek SHANBHAG are participating in the newly reopened Civitella Ranieri arts residency in Umbria (Italy).
Translator, scholar, poet, writer Edmund “Mike” KEELEY, who at UI devised the very first translation workshop, died at his home in Princeton. RIP.
Rave reviews for The Night, Rodrigo BLANCO CALDERÓN’s first translation into English.
A WWB interview with Kristian Sendon CORDERO on literary entrepreneurship in the Philippines, on translating “major” lit into “minor” languages, and on Prairie Lights Books as inspiration.

2011 Between the Lines

Between the Lines

Upcoming Events

Programs

Happening Now

Find Us Online