July 2015: Arab and Arabic Literary Events Calendar

If you have events you’d like to add, please email them in or add below:

July 1

Samar Yazbek at the Frontline Club (London, England)

The event, titled “Insight with Samar Yazbek: My Journey to the Shattered Heart of Syria,” begins at 7 p.m. and also will be livestreamed via the Frontline Club’s YouTube channel. Among other things, Yazbek will discuss her newest book, The Crossing, translated by Nashwa Gowanlock and Ruth Ahmedzai-Kemp. More here.

A Celebration of Anne Garreta’s Sphinx (NYC, USA)

The author isn’t Arab, but the translator — Emma Ramadan — is, so go and support Emma and a beautiful book. More here.

July 2

Mazen Maarouf Poetry Reading (Lancaster, England)

The Palestinian-Icelandic poet will be at “World Authors and Translators in the Global Circulation of Capital” with a reading that begins at 8:30 p.m. More here.

July 3

What is a World Author (Lancaster, England)

With Alessandro Gallenzi (Alma Books), Gesche Ipsen (Pushkin Press), Charlotte Ryland (New Books in German), Frank Wynne (freelance translator from the French and the Spanish), Mazen Maarouf (author), and Sridhara Aghalaya (literary agent). Begins at 11 a.m. More here.

July 11

Shubbak Festival Opens (London, England)

The Shubbak is “London’s largest biennial festival of contemporary Arab culture.” Founded in 2011, it’s now in its third iteration. More at www.shubbak.co.uk/.

July 12

Shubbak Symposium: Disappearing Cities of the Arab World (London, England)

Leading novelists including Amjad Nasser, focusing on Beirut, and Nihad Sirees, focusing on Damascus, discuss how their novels reflect the changing urban experience, the creative license that fiction allows in the representation of place. The session will be chaired by Paul Blezard, writer and co-judge of Banipal Arabic translation prize. Starts at 11 a.m. More here. 

July 14

Opening of ‘The Tree Climber’ (London, England)

An adaptation of a play by Tawfik al-Hakim at The Cockpit. Runs through July 18. More here. 

July 21

A Bird is Not a Stone Launch (Marrickville, Australia)

Begins at 6 p.m. More here.

July 23

Shubbak: Speaking Truth to Power (London, England)

Sinan Antoon, Choman Hardi, and Samar Yazbek. Starting at 6:30 p.m. More here.

July 24

Shubbak: Poets on the Frontline (London, England)

Choman Hardi, Ghareeb Iskander, and Kei Miller. Starting at 7:45 p.m. More here.

July 25

Shubbak: Children’s Literature Workshop (London, England)

With Lena Merhej of Samandal. Starting at 11 a.m. More here.

Shubbak: The Rise of Arabic Literature in English (London, England)

Panel includes Robin Yassin-Kassab, Sinan Antoon, Selma Debbagh, and M. Lynx Qualey. Starts at 11 a.m. More here.

Shubbak: Science Fiction in the Arab World (London, England)

Featuring Ahmed Khaled Towfik, Ahmed Saadawi, and Hassan Abdulrazzak. Starting at 12:30 p.m. More here.

Shubbak: Writing Change – Words in Times of Conflict and Crisis (London, England)

Featuring Choman Hardi, Mourid Barghouti, Daljit Nagra, and Rasha Abbas. Starts at 3 p.m. More here.

Shubbak: Hot off the Press (London, England)

Atef Abu Saif and Samar Yazbek discuss their new memoirs. Starts at 4:30 p.m. More here.

July 26

Shubbak: Drawing Your Attention – On Comics and the Graphic Novel in the Arab World (London, England)

Featuring Lena Merhej of Samandal, Andeel of Mada Masr and TokTok, Tarek Shahin, and Asia Alfasi. Starting at 11 a.m. More here. 

Shubbak: Arabic Europe (London, England)

Featuring Moroccan-Dutch author and journalist Abdelkader Benali, Algerian-French writer and director Faïza Guène and British-Sudanese writer Leila Aboulela. Starting at 12:30 p.m. More here.

Shubbak: The New Generation of Writers – Experimental Forms, Renegade Subjects (London, England)

With Syrian author Shahla Ujayli, Omani author Jokha al-Harthi, and Yemeni writer Ali al-Muqri, whose Hurma has just become the first of his books to be translated into English. Starting at 3 p.m. More here. 

Shubbak: Flippy Page Comic Workshop (London, England)

Starting at 3 p.m. More here.

Shubbak: Reading by Hoda Barakat, Man Booker International Prize Finalist (London, England)

Starts at 4:30 p.m. More here. 

Shubbak: Elias Khoury in Conversation with Marina Warner (London, England)

Starts at 5:30 p.m. More here.

July 30

Dunya Mikhail at “She Who Tells a Story” (Pittsburgh, USA)

“The Carnegie Museum of Art and organizations such as City of Asylum, an organization that provides refuge for exiled writers, will also host events related to the exhibit [“She Who Tells a Story”]. Some events include talks with Iraqi author Dunya Mikhail on July 30 through Aug. 2 and a discussion about Arab Women and Traditions in Contemporary Culture on Sept. 10 at the museum. More here.