London, the New Capital of Middle Eastern and North African Arts, Culture, Music, and Literature, by Malu Halasa

Culture Street mural for Grenfell Tower, with poem by Ben Okri, North Kensington, London, image courtesy of IranWire and #PaintTheChange. London-based writer Malu Halasa canvasses the Middle Eastern and North African culture scene in London, where even in lockdown, there’s still much to experience. London makes travelers think of high tea and empire. For those of us who live here and have a passion for and write about the Middle East, London has emerged, more than New York or Paris, as a capital of Arab and Iranian culture outside the region. London has emerged, more than New York or Paris, as a capital of Arab and Iranian culture outside the region. It was not always like this. In the 1990s, relatively few Middle East–related events took place in London. Yet in the past twenty years that I’ve lived here, London has been transformed. The change started taking place in the 2000s. In part, political events, 9/11, and, ten years later, the 2011 Arab Spring or Awakening, as well as the wars in between and after 2011, prompted writers, journalists, and activists to forgo the usual conversation about winners and losers of regional conflicts. Instead, we began to look to creative expression from these countries and in the diaspora for a different kind of understanding and engagement. It was an approach that continued the conversations many of us were having with the people and voices that came onto the streets and in the squares... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'

[ World Literature Today | 2021-04-19 19:22:28 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "London, the New Capital of Middle Eastern and North African Arts, Culture, Music, and Literature, by Malu Halasa"

Legendary Comics Launches YA Graphic Novel Imprint

The graphic novel division of film producer Legendary Entertainment is launching a young adult imprint, Legendary Comics YA, along with a slate of five graphic novels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Miriam Margolyes memoir goes to John Murray

Actress Miriam Margolyes’ memoir of "extraordinary adventure" will be published by John Murray in September. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-19 23:43:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this

An afternoon inside a bookstore was as glorious as ever. Here’s what I bought.

At the literary haven Powell’s in Portland, I limited myself to 16 books, including a little something for my grandson. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-19 16:44:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Panel Mania: WAKE: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez

'WAKE: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts' by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez is a riveting combination of memoir and inspirational scholarship. In this eight-page excerpt Hall's efforts to research a slave revolt in 1712 mark the first steps of a quest that will take her to 18th... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Publisher stands by 'Flamin' Hot' book after Frito-Lay calls origin story 'urban legend'

'We are proud to stand with our author,' said the head of Portfolio Books, promising that the memoir 'Flamin' Hot' will still be released June 15. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-05-19 00:04:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Honest and Emotional: Lee Lai’s Graphic Novel Debut

Lee Lai's debut graphic novel 'Stone Fruit' digs deep into its characters, offering subtle moments, sharp dialogue and sweeping watercolor washes. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Stone Fruit

From the new graphic novel by artist Lee Lai. The post Stone Fruit appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta

[ Granta | 2021-05-17 15:14:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Review: Billie Eilish's new photo memoir is unpretentious to a fault

The pop star seems to have entered her memoir era at 19. Her new book, "Billie Eilish," uses photos and spare captions to document her life for fans. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-05-11 12:00:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Hay Festival Digital 2021

From 26 May to 6 June, more than 200 acclaimed writers, historians, poets and pioneers will appear at Hay Festival 2021, broadcasting for free online.The British Council is supporting a series of six events at the festival, including the opening gala event ‘A Night of Hope’, featuring HRH The... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2021-05-10 13:40:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this

How an L.A. animator launched a graphic novel about anti-Asian hate

Aminder Dhaliwal's second book, 'Cyclopedia Exotica,' which began on Instagram, depicts one-eyed people who are fetishized, harassed and undervalued. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-05-10 13:00:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Bonnier snaps up Josh Widdicombe's '90s memoir in 'major deal'

Bonnier Books UK has bought comedian Josh Widdicombe’s first book, billed as part-childhood memoir, part-comic history of 1990s television and culture. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-07 23:03:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this

How a 1981 conference kickstarted today’s quantum computing era

Forty years ago, IBM researcher Charlie Bennett helped usher in the study of quantum mechanics’ impact on computing. IBM is still at it—and so is Bennett. In May 1981, at a conference center housed in a chateau-style mansion outside Boston, a few dozen physicists and computer scientists gathered... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2021-05-07 08:00:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Try this easy tactic to trick your brain into making better decisions

When it comes to serious decisions in business or in life, this mental quirk can set us up for catastrophic failure unless we actively work to keep it in check. Imagine this: You’re heading for the cashier at your local bookstore when you pass a display selling coffee mugs for $5. There’s only... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2021-05-07 05:00:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Verso lands human rights lawyer's 'revelatory' memoir

Verso has acquired Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests and the Pursuit of Freedom, a memoir by Derecka Purnell. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-05 20:05:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this

William Collins pre-empts Finkelstein's family memoir of war-time persecution

Williams Collins has pre-empted a memoir by political columnist and commentator Daniel Finkelstein uncovering his family’s devastating experiences of persecution during the Second World War. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-05 16:01:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this

How One Graphic Novel Looks at Anti-Asian Hate

In “Cyclopedia Exotica,” the artist and writer Aminder Dhaliwal created a fictitious community facing xenophobia, fetishization and media misrepresentation. It’s resonating with her thousands of Instagram followers. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-05-05 09:00:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Historic Home of Warwick's Saved After Friends Raise Millions

More than 30 people raised $8.35 million to buy the building that houses Warwick's bookstore in La Jolla, Calif., saving it from having to move from where it has operated since 1952. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Paris Lees | 'I grew up feeling like I wasn’t good enough, so to feel respected for my writing is really moving'

A contributing editor for British Vogue, Paris Lees made her name as the UKs first high-profile transgender woman to break into the mainstream when she was named top of the Pink List of the most influential LGBT people in Britain, and became the first “out” transgender woman to appear on BBC... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-01 02:56:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Notable New England Bookstores Change Owners

Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vt., and its sister store in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., have been sold to new owners, as has the Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, Vt. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-04-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this