Poetry Reading & Discussion with Yahya Ashour, 2/16
The SMFA, in conjunction with ILCS, CHAT, and RCD invite everyone to join them for a special event with poet Yahya Ashour. This event will feature readings of Yahya’s poetry as well as discussions of how daily life – and frequent trauma – in Gaza have affected his writing. This event will also explore his work mentoring other writers and his time at the prestigious International Writing Program Residency at the University of Iowa.
The SMFA is hosting Poster making, Poetry & Calligraphy with Yahya Ashour in the SMFA graphic arts studio (SMFA A207) from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on February 16 as well, for all who are interested.
About the Poet:
Yahya Ashour was born in Gaza, Palestine. He published two books in Arabic, That’s Why Ryan Walks This way (a Children’s book) and You’re a Window, They’re Clouds (a poetry collection). His children’s book won the Arab Children’s Books Publishers Forum Award in 2022. Yahya will be a resident of the International City of Arts in Paris, France from March to May 2024. He is an honorary fellow at the University of Iowa and a 2022 Fall Resident of the International Writing Program there. He was the youngest poet to be featured in the anthology of Palestinian Poetry Today which featured poets born between the 1970s and the 1990s, edited and translated by the renowned French-Moroccan poet Abdellatif Laabi. Yahya worked as a mentor for children and youth in creative writing and critical thinking at some of the most prominent organizations in Gaza, like Tamer, Qattan, Nawa, and Amideast. He earned a BA in Sociology/Psychology in 2020. He has survived six Israeli military aggressions in Gaza. During this war, his family's house of five floors and his family's business were destroyed and he lost one cousin and seven friends. His family of 19 was forced to flee to the south of Gaza and has been surviving under severe circumstances since the beginning of the war.
All are welcome. For questions, please contact Nicole Frechette, nicole.frechette@tufts.edu.
