The RAWI Conference 2018

Pre-registration has ended. You may register at the conference in person. Registration is $200.

$10 Tickets for Opening Night (no need to purchase if you have registered)
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All participants in the conference (presenters, attendees, workshop participants) must register for the conference. Participants are encouraged to register through the RAWI website.

To register for RAWI 2018, click on “Member Registration” above

REGISTRATION FEES

Early bird registration $100 (ends 3/1/2018)

Pre-registration $150 (ends 6/1/2018)

On-site registration $200

CONFERENCE LOCATION

The Honors College at the University of Houston

M.D. Anderson Library

4333 University Drive, Rm 212

Houston, TX 77204-2001

http://www.uh.edu/honors/

HOTEL

The Hilton on campus, across the street from the Honors College, is providing conference rates. To access conference rates, please use the following link, which will automatically generate the group code. The deadline to book is May 7th:

RAWI + The Honors College Group Hotel Rate

The venue is near restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, etc. both on campus and within a few minutes walking distance from the Honors College.

PAST CONFERENCES:

We were very lucky to work with Mizna again in 2016 to produce the 6th National literary gathering. Mizna is an organization devoted to promoting Arab-American culture, providing a forum for its expression. It values diversity in our community and is committed to giving voice to Arab Americans through literature and art. More about Mizna here.

The RAWI+Mizna 6th National Lit Gathering took place at Open Book, which houses the Loft Literary Center, in Minneapolis, MN, from June 16 to 18, 2016. These vibrant conferences are an opportunity to gather with leading writers, performers, and scholars of Arab American literature in a collegial and intimate setting. We invite all members of the Arab American community and our friends and allies to join together in spirit and conversation to celebrate and nurture Arab American literature, art, and culture.

Schedule:

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16-18 June, 2016

Thursday, June 16

McKNIGHT OPENING MIXER FEATURING RAWI AUTHORS 6PM
Hayan Charrara, Randa Jarrar & Susan Muaddi Darraj
Appetizers, cash bar
Location: Off-site—McKnight Foundation, 710 S 2nd St, #400 (2 blocks from Aloft Hotel)

Friday, June 17

COFFEE & SNACKS 8AM–12PM
Location: Open Book Commons
Food provided by Jerusualem Market

PUBLISHING DISCUSSION: Strategies for submissions and queries to journals, agents, and editors 9–10:15AM
Randa Jarrar & Glenn Shaheen
Location: Performance Hall

ROUNDTABLE: Bringing real characters to the page and screen—benefits and challenges of the Arab American artist 10:30–11:30AM
Rola Nashef & Shannon O’Neill
Location: Performance Hall

LUNCH (on your own) 11:30AM–1PM

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS 1-2:30PM

Please email RAWI at radiusofarabamericanwriters@gmail.com by June 9 if you’d like to join any of these workshops.

Screenwriting: The dramatic structure of a screenplay
Darine Hotait
Location: Performance Hall

Prose: Fiction
Susan Muaddi Darraj
Location: Room 208

Poetry: The surprising form of memory—writing a pantoum
Lauren Camp
Location: Room 308

BREAK 2:30–3:30PM

COMIC WORKSHOP & TALK 3:30-5PM
Leila Abdelrazaq & Marguerite Dabaie
Location: Performance Hall

OFF-SITE ADVENTURE 5:30
Location: Minnehaha Falls and Sea Salt Eatery
Group public transit. Dinner and transit not covered.

Saturday, June 18

COFFEE & SNACKS 8AM–12PM
Location: Open Book Commons
Food provided by Jerusualem Market

STORYTELLING PANEL 9–10:15AM
Leila Ben-Nasr, Mohannad Ghawanmeh & Ali Alhajji
Location: Performance Hall

DISCUSSION: “Surviving the rhetoric”—how are Islamophobia and Anti-Arab sentiments affecting our community and creativity? 10:30-11:45AM
Ramla Bile, Jna Shelomith, Khaldoun Samman & Sara Yasin
Location: Performance Hall

LUNCH (provided) 11:45AM-1PM
Join photographer Flo Razowsky in viewing and discussing her exhibit “Up Against the Wall”
Food provided by Zakia Deli

PERFORMANCE 1-2:30PM
Dance: Leila Awadallah
Reading: Lauren Camp, Kamelya Youssef, Adam Hamze & Jennifer Zeynab Maccani
Location: Performance Hall

FILM SCREENING & TALK: I Say Dust 2:45-3:30PM
Darine Hotait
Location: Performance Hall

FILM SCREENING & TALK: Taste of Displacement 3:45-4:45PM
Dena Al-Adeeb & Jehan Mullin
Location: Performance Hall

DINNER (on your own) 4:45-7PM

SUHEIR HAMMAD READING WITH HELLO PSYCHALEPPO
& MIZNA JOURNAL RELEASE
DOORS 7PM, SHOW 7:30PM
Location: Performance Hall

CLOSING PARTY WITH HELLO PSYCHALEPPO 9PM
Location: Guthrie Theater, 818 South 2nd St. (3 blocks for Open Book)

RAWI BOARD: Hayan Charara | Randa Jarrar | Susan Muaddi Darraj | Theri A Pickens | Dahlia Petrus | Kamelyah Youssef | Sonia Suleiman | Zahie el-Kouri | & RAWI Project Coordinator Sonia Ali

MIZNA BOARD: Abir Abukhadra | Charlotte Karem Albrecht | Ziad Amra | Amy Kamel | Nahid Khan | Linda Mokdad | Dipankar Mukherjee | Rabi’h Nahas | P. Niny Salem | & Mizna staff members Lana Barkawi & Moheb Soliman

PREMIER SPONSORS

ADDITIONAL SPONSORS
Creative Writing Program at the University of Minnesota
Guthrie Theater
Jerusalem Halaal Market and Grocery
World Street Kitchen
Zakia Deli
Ghandi Mahal Restaurant