Demo fur Gaza, Sa 24.11, Helvetiaplatz

Liebe Freunde

Am nächsten Samstag organiesieren einige Vereine eine Demo

gegen den barbarischen Krieg gegen Gaza.

Es laden ein:

1. GSP Gesellschaft Shweiz-Palästina (www.palaestina.ch)
2. BDS Zürich/BDS Schweiz (www.bds-info.ch)
3. Gruppe Café Palestine (www.cafe-palestine.ch)
 4. Verein der Ägypter
 5. Komitee zur Unterstützung Syriens

Schweigen ist Komplizenschaft!

Mit Beteiligung und ein Referat von Herrn Nationalrat Daniel Vischer

(evtl. auch Hrn. NR Geri Müller und Hrn. NR Balthasar Glättli)

Lieber Gruss

Ahmed Afifi (Bitte weiterleiten)

الاخوة والاخوات الاعزاء

ستنظم إن شاء الله يوم السبت القادم 11.24. الساعة الواحدة والنصف ظهرا

 من ميدان هيلفتسيا بزيوريخ مظاهرة ضد العدوان على اهلنا في غزة

 بدعوة من

1. BDSحملة مقاطعة الكيان الصهيوني  

2. اتحاد المصريين بزيوريخ

3. فريق مقهى فلسطين

4. الجمعية الثقافية الفلسطينية

5. لجنة مناصرة سوريا

فالسكوت على هذه الجرائم الصهيونية يعني الرضا بها والمشاركة في إثمها

سيتكلم في المظاهرة السيد دانيل فيشر البرلماني السويسري

 وربما ايضا كل من السيد جيري ميللر وبالتزار جلاتلي

مع تحياتي

(أحمد عفيفي (برجاء إرسالها لكل من تعرفونهم

SYRIA – THERE AND HERE

The difficult and complex situation in Syria leads to a fragmentation of society into various isolated parts. Some of these parts seem to be in line with each other better than others. Sometimes it appears to be a unified. And then again it falls to pieces. Syria as concept has become a synonym for itself and all the questions that arise when the red line is crossed: be they existential, ethical, humanitarian, political, religious, economic, military or in terms of international law.

WARM UP: CORNER COLLEGE

November 22nd, bar from 7 pm

Presentation in English: Social Media tools in Times of Transition

Discussion and talk, start 7.30 pm

In order to understand the development in Syria we take a closer look at the Egyptian revolution and the struggle for information, media coverage and connectivity. Battuta, Muhammed Radwan is an engineer, activist and social media entrepreneur from Cairo. He visualises and analyses the complexity and multiple layers of the Egyptian revolution, and its use of language on the basis of flyers, stickers, etc. Also, besides Facebook and Twitter, other transnational social media platforms with a simplified operation mode, such as Bambuser or Ushahidi, are used to promote identities and opinions. Battuta draws on his own experiences from the streets, digital spaces and the financial market. He links this to the opportunities of social media tools in times of transition and their field of application – a cultural landscape oscillating between representation and archive; one of his theses states that the speed of technical development is overtaking history.

For sale: “sold out… for now”, original revolution T-shirts from Cairo

To see: collection of printed things, stamps, stickers and flyers

Music and open bar with Ashraf Osman, Architect from Beirut, Lebanon/Switzerland

SYRIA – A DAY BETWEEN CULTURE/S AND FACTS
CABARET VOLTAIRE
November 25th, 12 am – 10 pm

During our second event visual impressions of current artistic works from Syria, such as videos, cartoons, graffiti and illustrations will be displayed digitally on screens. The artist duo Germann/Lorenzi from Zurich outlines a map of Syria without drawing a defined final stroke according to geopolitical and ethnic borders. They rather investigate the fraying, the blind spots and the mental landscape. The presentations will give an insight into the complexity of the Syrian way of thinking, creating and living. Taking into account an Egyptian perspective and position will broaden the context. Private initiatives are often more flexible than institutions and organisations. The approaches differ. Two positions pursue an objective. Finally, to round of the day, which will offer time for discussions and talks besides the exhibition and presentations, a scenographic documentary investigates the influence of the ruling Baath Party on education and self-perception.

HANGING
mapping Syria, by Germann/Lorenzi, Zürich

DIGITAL EXHIBITION
– Video clips by Abou Naddara, video and film workshop
– Video animation by Dani Abo Louh, film and theatre director and Mohamed Omran, painter, sculptor
– Illustrations and drawings by Sulafa Hijazi, a.o. director, producer, writer of educational children series
– Random images – visual messages from social media

TALKS AND DISCUSSIONS

1.30 pm Welcome
1.40 – 2.25 pm A revolution seen from an inner perspective
Odai Alzoubi, Ph.D. candidate for philosophy
2.30 – 3.15 pm From Egypt to Syria and back
Battuta, Muhammed Radwan, engineer, activist and social media entrepreneur from Cairo.

Break

3.45 – 4.30 pm Work that should effectuate a difference in others’ lives
Reto Rufer, Amnesty International, Switzerland
4.35 – 5.20 pm From the Limmat to the Euphrates, a personal story
Ziad Malki, economist
5.25 – 5.50 pm Artistic and activist strategies during the revolution
Bissane Al Charif, film and theatre scenographer

Open Discussion and Break

7.00 – 8.00 pm Film, short introduction by Ziad Malki
Flood in the Baath Country, 2003, colour, 48min, Arabic, with English subtitles
by Omar Amiralay, Syrian documentary filmmaker, 1944 – 5 Feb. 2011 
an approach to examine the influence of the Baath Party in Syria
Courtesy http://www.proactionfilm.com

Open discussion and bar until 10 pm

Concept and realization: Rayelle Niemann, Cordula Bieri/GsoA
Translation: Edmond Alkhal, Ziad Malki, Ashraf Osman
Technical support: Robin Angst / Pastry: Le Mur
Grafic design: Moiré. Marc Kappeler

Admission CHF 15 / 10

New year, new beginnings!

Just like one year has to end for another to begin, new beginnings often mean new endings, as well. I have finally handed over the reins of PhillyPoetry.com, and the new administrator of the site, Sherone, has kindly featured me as the Spotlight Artist of the month.

Thank you, Sherone, for that, and for taking on this labor of love. I wish you the best of luck with the site in the New Year & beyond! And I kindly ask all of you to continue to use and support the site so that poetry may continue to flourish in Philadelphia.

PhilaNOMA Art Expo 2010

I'll be showing some of my artwork (wax collage / conceptual sculpture / video installation) tomorrow at the PhilaNOMA 2nd Annual Art Expo and Networking Event. That'll be at Triumph Brewery in Old City; so you can grab some good locally grown organic food and a couple of their great craft beers, as well, while you’re there:

PHILANOMA ART EXPO 2010
@ 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Triumph Brewing Company (2nd Flr Gallery)
117 Chestnut Street - Philadelphia, PA 19106

 

This unique exhibition showcases works of art created by some of Philadelphia's finest urban architects, artists, photographers, graphic artists, fashion and interior designers.

Enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres while networking amongst entrepreneurs and artistic individuals from various professions. There will be something for all art lovers to enjoy, including photography, illustration, paintings, poetry, fashion and more! COME to browse, buy or just mingle amongst friends...

Happy hour drink specials are available until 9:30pm.

MAKE SURE TO RSVP!
Admission is $5 donation* at the door WITH EVENTBRITE RSVP.

*Proceeds from this event will help benefit PhilaNOMA's CAMP Sustain.Ability program for 8th & 9th grade students interested in architecture. Visit http://philanoma.noma.net for more information.

I hope you can make it!

Handing over the Reins

Since I haven't been very active in the Philadelphia poetry circles recently, I've been thinking of handing over the Philly Poetry website, calendar and Facebook group to someone else who's more involved these days. And as readers of this blog, I thought I'd offer you this opportunity and see if any of you would be interested in taking it on.

The calendar and the website are still the no. 1 & 2 search results on Google for "Philadelphia poetry", so they get some decent exposure. I currently pay $30 every 6 months for the web-hosting of the site (along with my own personal site, through 1&1). I have ads on it, but I have to say I have yet to collect any revenue from them. We can figure out how to transfer the hosting of the site and other details, if you're interested. Let me know...

Language Rooms @ Wilma Theater: Special Offer!

The Wilma Theater presents the world premiere of Yussef El Guindi's LANGUAGE ROOMS, March 3 - April 4, a riveting dark comedy directed by Blanka Zizka about misguided patriotism and the true meaning of 'loyalty.'


Tickets start at $36, and the Wilma offers discounts for students and those in their 20s. Get $5 off full price tickets with code "Al Bustan" (not valid on Sat or Opening nights, cannot be combined with any other offer or applied to tickets previously purchased).
Click here to read an interview with playwright Yussef El Guindi who is of Egyptian heritage.

Thanks to Al Bustan!
Parental advisory: thematic content not appropriate for children.

"Contemporary Arab Thought: Cultural Critique in Comparative Perspective" by E.S. Kassab

A new book by a former (and favorite) professor of mine, the wonderful Elizabeth Suzanne Kassab, has recently been published by Columbia University Press: Contemporary Arab Thought: Cultural Critique in Comparative Perspective

The book is a study of contemporary Arab debates on culture. It examines the analyses presented by prominent Arab thinkers in the second half of the twentieth century regarding questions of cultural malaise, cultural decline and cultural renaissance. It puts these debates in the historical context of modern Arab thought spanning the last two centuries and focuses on the post 1967-defeat (in the war against Israel) period that witnessed a mounting polarization between holistic ideologies on the one hand and self-reflective critiques on the other. It breaks new ground in the understanding of contemporary Arab intellectual life by viewing it from three original perspectives:

1. First by focusing on the self-reflective critical turn at a time when attention has been almost exclusively devoted to the ideological side of this intellectual life, whether islamist or nationalist.

2. Secondly by recognizing and examining the political understanding of the cultural malaise among critical thinkers, an understanding that has been systematically overshadowed by a culturalist reading of the malaise, by actors and observers alike.

3. And thirdly by breaking the isolation to which the production and study of the Arab debates on culture have been hitherto confined, by putting them in a comparative post-colonial perspective. Indeed, more than any other region, the Arab world has been consistently stigmatised with exceptionalism.

Hence the main questions the book explores are the following:

1. How has contemporary Arab critique approached questions of cultural malaise? Which issues has it addressed and what shape has this critique taken?

2. To what extent and in what sense have Arab critical thinkers of the post 1967 era seen the cultural crisis as a political one? How old is this political perception of cultural problems in modern Arab thought and what are its implications for the democratic struggle in the Arab world?

3. How do the concerns expressed and approaches adopted in these Arab debates compare with debates in other post-colonial regions of the world such as Africa and Latin America? What patterns of thought does such a comparison reveal across regions, cultures, religions and races? What does it tell us about the post-colonial nature of the Arab debates and what significance does this telling have for our understanding of contemporary Arab thought?

(From Press Release)

Queer Literary Festival in Mt. Airy

The queer literary community of Philadelphia is at the forefront again in Mt. Airy's second annual Queer Literary Festival at the Big Blue Marble Bookstore on Saturday, November 14, 2009 from 11am to 3:00pm. Diverse selections of prose, poetry, and creative non-fiction will be presented by writers Ashraf Osman, Jane Cassady, Laura Neuman, Nathan Long, Misia Denea, Saida Agostini, Kelli Dunham, Cassendre Xavier, and Janet Mason. The festival is free and open to everyone.

A special collaboration for this year's festival is the partnership of Mt. Airy's independent Big Blue Marble Bookstore and Philadelphia's premiere GBLT bookstore Giovanni's Room. Big Blue Marble Bookstore will give a percentage of the day's proceeds to Giovanni's Room to add to their fundraising efforts for the massive renovation project of the store's building. A schedule of the readings and biographies of the readers are below:

11:00am- Ashraf Osman
11:20am-Jane Cassady
11:40am-Laura Neuman

12:00-12:30pm-Break (Literary Lunch)

12:30pm-Nathan Long
12:50pm-Misia Denea
1:10pm-Saida Agostini

1:30-2:00pm-Break (Open Mic)

2:00pm:Kelli Dunham
2:20pm-Cassendre Xavier
2:40pm: Janet Mason

For bio info on the readers, please check the event listing in the PhillyPoetry Calendar. For more information on the Queer Literary Festival or for picture requests please contact Maleka Fruean, events coordinator: 215-844-1870, maleka(at)bigbluemarblebooks(dot)com.

The Symposium: Identity, Community, Race, Sexuality and Philly Poetry

On Sunday, November 8, 2009, I'll be part of the Poetic Arts Performance Project (PAPP) 2nd Symposium on Identity, Community, Race, Ethnicity, Sex, Sexuality and Philly Poetry. The symposium will be moderated by Debrah Morkun, and will include Alyesha Wise, Frank Walsh, and Frank Sherlock.

Where: University City Arts League, 4226 Spruce St.
When: 2:00 - 4:30 pm
Cost: $3.00 (some proceeds to benefit Rubye's Kids)

I hope you can make it!

Rabih Alameddine at the Central Library!

One of my all-time favorite authors (and my dear friend), the incredibly talented Rabih Alameddine will be at the Central Library in Philadelphia on Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 7:30 pm. Rabih will be reading from his latest highly-acclaimed novel, The Hakawati.

The Hakawati takes readers from the shimmering dunes of ancient Egypt to the war-torn streets of 21st-century Lebanon. "If any work of fiction might be powerful enough to transcend the mountain of polemic, historical inquiry, policy analysis, and reportage that stands between the Western reader and the Arab soul, it's this wonder of a book," according to the New York Times Book Review. Alameddine is the author of Koolaids and I, the Divine, as well as the story collection The Perv.

Reading at Media Borough Hall

On Friday, September 25, at 7 pm, I’ll be joining a group of exciting poets and musicians for a reading at the Mansion Parlor of Media Borough Hall (3rd & Jackson St.- Media, PA):

Poets:
Ashraf Osman
Brian Sammond
Lisa DeVuona (accompanied by Joseph Nocella)

Musicians:
Tom Mullian
Johnny Never
Silver Wind (Jackie Newman & Mike Mascia)

Hosted by Arlene Arlene Bernstein, the formal program will be followed by an Open Mic. Refreshments will be served, and you’ll be able to converse with congenial and interesting people. Come join us & bring your friends! There's lots of Parking!

Co-sponsored by the Media Upper Providence Library & Mad Poets Society.

Blend @ Blue Bananas Café

Poetic Arts Performance Project Presents:
Blend @ Blue Bananas Café
(A new series featuring poetry, spoken word, and music;
1st Thursdays of every month)

Ashraf Osman & Brian Markley
May 7th, 2009 @ 7:30 – 9:30 PM
$5 for entry

Blue Bananas Café is located next to the Laff House, 223 South Street, Philadelphia PA. Their website features their tasty menu as well as directions to the restaurant:
www.bluebananascafe.com

Ashraf Osman was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon and has been living in Philadelphia since 2002 where he works as an architect. Ashraf has been engaged in online poetry since 2002: in addition to his award-winning personal poetry blog, arch.memory, Ashraf hosts a website of Philadelphia poetry links and calendars called PhillyPoetry.com. His poetry has been featured in the Mad Poets Review, Comstock Review, Schuylkill Valley Journal and Islamica magazine, and has been selected for inclusion in several anthologies including Queering Language and The Other Voices International Project.

Brian Markley is an emerging song writer and musician from South Jersey. While being classically trained on the trumpet for over twenty years, Brian has studied and explored other instruments such as the guitar, mandolin, piano, and harmonica, as well as various tribal instruments such as the didgeridoo and wooden flute. His musical journey has taken him on both American and European tours and has afforded him opportunities to work with and learn from accomplished musicians such as Frank Foster, Dennis DeBlasio, Maynard Ferguson, Nathan Davis, Toby Lightman, and other rising South Jersey artists. These experiences have inspired him to pursue a very eclectic approach to music incorporating acoustic, funk, spoken word, bluegrass, political folk, hip-hop, reggae, rock, country, blues, and of course jazz.

* To sign up for the open mic, or if you have any questions please email allavilnyanskaya@earthlink.net
* Blue Bananas Café can validate parking at Abbott Square Parking Lot, 3rd & South. ($4.00 to park all night!)

This Sunday: Playgrounds for Palestine's Gala Dinner & Concert for Gaza, featuring sublime Lebanese Singer, May Nasr

What:
Playgrounds for Palestine is hosting a Gala for the benefit of the children of Gaza. The evening will feature a concert by renowned Lebanese singer/songwriter May Nasr. (You can listen to her music online. Her voice is mesmerizing!) Trained by Zaki Nassif, a composer for Fairuz, she is one of the few artists who can truly sing Fairuz songs with their full meaning and liveliness. It was the knowledge of this potential that brought Zaki Nassif out of retirement upon hearing May’s voice.

Why:
Because we want to bring joy to children in Gaza.
Because we believe that they deserve to play.
Because they have suffered what no child should suffer.
Because we have so much to give, even in this economy.
Because building playgrounds is an act of Love.

When:
Sunday, May 3rd @ 4-9pm

Where:
ACE Conference Center
800 Ridge Pike
Lafayette Hill, PA 19444
610-825-8000

How much:
Adults: $85
Children, Seniors, Students: $50

What else:
Dinner, raffles, silent auction, children's activities, music, community, awards, and more.

For more information, go to http://www.playgroundsforpalestine.org/news.php?ID=46 or call 267.391.5386.

Fabulous Fundraiser for the Courageous People of Gaza

Saturday February 28 from 5-8pm
@ Calvary Church
(48th & Baltimore Streets - Philadelphia, PA)

Featuring: Middle Eastern Food

Presentations: Dr. Labiq Syed & Dr. Labib Syed, brothers out of John Hopkins & members of the Islamic Medical Association of North America, who recently traveled overseas to provide care in war-torn Gaza and will share information about their trip.

Informational Loop Presentation created by Aine Fox

Spoken Word: Poets Aysha El Shamayleh & Ashraf Osman

Music by: Paddy Corcoran (of Paddy and the Hostages)

Tickets:
$10 - General Admission
$25 & Above - Solidarity
$5 for unemployed & students

Call 215-724-1618 or email phillyiac@action-mail.org for ticket information or to make reservations.

All proceeds go to the Emergency Gaza Appeal of the United Palestinian Appeal

Sponsors:
Philadelphia International Action Center
EON (End Oppression Now)
PRAWN (Philadelphia Regional Anti-War Network)
FIST (Fight Imperialism Stand Together)

The Comstock Review

I am thrilled to let you know that, amid all the rejections I garnered this fall, I had one bright spot of good news: my poems Tired and The Coming were chosen by the Comstock Review as Poems of Special Merit in the 2008 Muriel Craft Bailey Award Contest. They were two of the twenty-six poems that were sent on to the final Judge this year, one of my all time favorites, the incomparable Marie Howe!

Here's an excerpt from the e-mail from the Comstock Review's Managing Editor, John M. Bellinger:

We had an outstanding group of poems this year, and to land anywhere near the top of the thousands of entries we received is an accomplishment to be proud of. All of the top poems ranked very closely in overall score, and I am certain Ms. Howe will have a tough decision on her hands in awarding the top three prizes.

As Poems of Special Merit, my poems will be published in issue 22.2 of The Comstock Review, due out in January of 2009. You can find a list of all Winners, Poems of Special Merit, and Finalists on the journal's website at:
http://www.comstockreview.org/contestwinners.html

You can see me read Tired here. Thank you, Comstock Review! Please support the journal by subscribing today.

Reading at Robin's

I will be reading at Robin's Bookstore on Tuesday, November 11 at 6pm. The reading is part of the bookstore's Moonstone Poetry Series, features Hanoch Guy, and is coordinated by Justin Vitiello. An open reading will follow:
http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/111108.html

Mad Poets at the First Friday Main Line

I will be reading tonight, Friday, October 03 2008, between 6:30-10:00 pm, part of the Mad Poets Society at the Main Line First Friday. The reading will be at:
Suburban Office Equipment
49 E. Lancaster Avenue
Ardmore, PA 19003
610.896.7022

I will be reading along with RICHARD S. BANK, DAVID W. WORREL & EILEEN M. D’ANGELO, Editor of the Mad Poets Review and Director of the Mad Poets Society. For more information, see: www.firstfridaymainline.com/events.asp

Mad Poets Festival

I will be reading at the Mad Poets Festival, which is on Sunday, October 5 2008, from 12 pm - 5 pm at the Media Borough Hall (at 3rd & Jackson Streets in Media, PA). I'll be in the last set which features Leonard Gontarek, Richard Bank, Ray Greenblatt, Alison Hicks, Amy Laub, and lots of other great local poets!

Since 1987, the Mad Poets Society has proudly hosted the Festival on the first Sunday in October, in conjunction with the Media Food & Arts Festival (which packs State St. in downtown Media with a wide variety arts, crafts, live music, and fresh food). The Mad Poets Festival features five hours of short readings (approx. 5 minutes) by 40 locally and nationally known poets, followed by a reception.

There will also be munchies. But you can walk up to State Street (only two blocks or so) and be at the Media Food Festival where there's lots of good food, bands in the streets, etc. So come to town early, catch some poetry, run up to the fair, eat yummy stuff, and be back in time to hear me read! It’s a party, get together day.

And if you want to read your work at this special event, contact Eileen D'Angelo at madpoets@comcast.net.

East Falls Rise: A Multi-Cultural Extravaganza

Join me on Saturday, October 11 2008, from 1:00pm - 3:00pm at McMichael Park in East Falls (Henry Ave & Coulter - Philadelphia, PA 19129) where poets from nearby neighborhoods gather to celebrate the diversity of our community. Here's the schedule:

1:00 -- Intro/Welcome/General Plug for author books, etc.

1:05 -- PETER KROK, editor of the Schuylkill Valley Journal and humanities/poetry director of the Manayunk Art Center

1:15 -- PHYLINDA REYNOLDS, native Oklahoman and current Germantonian

1:25 -- SYDNEY COFFIN, East Falls resident and University City High School English teacher

1:35 -- YOLANDA WISHER, Germantown Friends School English teacher

1:45 -- ASHRAF OSMAN, Mount Airy resident and administrator of PhillyPoetry.com

1:55 -- Catch-up/Reintroduce event/Plug author books, events, etc.

2:00 -- DONNA WOLF-PALACIO, UArts workshop leader and author of an Academy of Fine Arts’ Print Award-winning book of translated and illustrated Chinese poems

2:10 -- MIKE COHEN, host of Poetry Aloud and Alive at Big Blue Marble in Mount Airy

2:20 -- MELISSA DEGEZELLE, Manayunk resident and new mother

2:30 -- HAL SIROWITZ, author of Mother Said, the best-selling translated book of poetry in Norway

2:40 -- TRAPETA MAYSON, Germantown resident and Pew and PCA fellow and Leeway awardee

2:50 -- Closing/Plugs/Spillover/etc.

For more info:
www.eastfallscommunity.org/fallfestschedule08.htm

Fairmount Arts Crawl

I will be reading tomorrow, Sunday April 27th, at 3:00 pm at the Fairmount Arts Crawl's "Poetry Corner" at Ward Park, on 24th & Aspen Streets. You can find a full listing of the program at the Events page of the site. I hope to see you there!

Program:

1. What Remains
2. We Did
3. A Dozen
4. Nudity
5. Reasons
6. Home
7. Nothing