Keeping Hope Alive: A Poetry Event for Palestine
"Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise"
— Maya Angelou
Join us for an evening of good food and poetry (including song, story, and/or dance) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn!
We will together bear witness to the atrocities that have killed thousands and thrust millions into displacement, hunger, and life-threatening fear.
The theme for the evening will be "Keeping Hope Alive". Known as a kobita pather ashor (কবিতা পাঠের আসর) or a mushaira (مشاعرہ), the poetry circle is a place of community and shared imagining.
PROGRAM
6pm: Guests Arrive
6:30–7:00pm: Dinner Begins
7:00–9:00pm: Poetry Performances
FOOD & DRINK
Chicken Maqluba
Maqluba translates to "flipped upside down" and is a popular dish in the Levant, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. It's a layered dish, made of rice, meat, vegetables and spices, all cooked together in one pot so the wonderful flavors travel throughout.
(Vegan "Impossible" option available)
Aaloo Qeema
Minced halal chicken and potatoes in garam masala and other south asian spices. Served with purple rice.
(Vegan "Impossible" option available)
Kanafeh from Al Shams Sweets
Kanafeh is a sweet traditional Palestinian dessert made with a cheese filling. It has a crispy exterior and creamy interior, with a drizzling of sweet floral syrup.
Kashmiri Chai
Gunpowder tea with lactaid milk, star anise, and cardamom.
POETRY AND PERFORMANCES
(Draft Program; translations will be projected)
Sneha Jayaraj and Ayush Jain
Abhi Na Jao Chhor Kar
Andy Chen
You Are Not Alone, by Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy
Yash Bhambhani
Mere HumDum Mere Dost, by Faiz Ahmad Faiz
Chinmay Tompe
I know why the caged bird sings, by Maya Angelou
Musaub Khan
TBD
Matin Yaqubi
TBD
Sikander Rahman
TBD
Tanaïs
TBD
Priyanka Jain
Gayatri Mantra followed by reading from Arundhati's Stop This Slaughter on Palestine essay
Laila Farzana and Tashnuva Anan
TBD
WANT TO PERFORM OR RECITE?
Email me at waqas@isometricstudio.com. Select something that is ideally shorter than 5 minutes, though we are flexible.
TICKET
The event ticket is $40 per person. (Out of this, $10 will go towards food preparation, and the rest will go to Human Concern International, Canada's first and oldest Muslim relief charity that is doing direct relief work in Gaza). Please send your payment via Venmo to @waqas-jawaid. Please cancel four days (96 hours) before the event to receive a full refund. Please email waqas@isometricstudio.com if you want to attend but the cost presents a barrier.
WHAT TO BRING
You are welcome to bring along alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks to share. We hope to see you there!
Guest List
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*⏖*💫 Open Invite
All Hosts' Mutuals