An evening of reading and music based on travel, anti-travel, epistles, history, and other weary geographies. Maryam Monalisa Gharavi will read from two forthcoming books: epistolary fiction from American Letters (Zer0, 2014) and poetry in translation from Syrian-Brazilian poet Waly Salomão’s book Algaravias. Nicolas Royer-Artuso will deliver a musical performance based on Salomão’s "Jet-Lagged Poem."
Reading will be in English, with poetry accompaniment in Portuguese.
Maryam Monalisa Gharavi is a poet, writer, and visual artist. She has contributed essays, critical writing, poetry, and solo/collaborative videos and films to a variety of venues. She is the author of the blog/open text South/South and Editor-at-Large at The New Inquiry. She currently teaches at Harvard University, where she completed a doctorate in Comparative Literature and Film & Visual Studies.
Nicolas Royer-Artuso is a linguist, musicologist, Oud player, and violinist. Starting off as a jazz player and electro-acoustic composer, he soon after devoted himself to maqam music, studying in Morocco, Tunisia, Syria, and Turkey. A key concept of his work is the the theoretical and practical use of "heterophony." He is a founding member of nu.kolektif, where he composes, co-directs, and acts in the theater-oriented political collective. He lives in Istanbul, where he is an active part of the city's traditional music and free improvisational scene.
Tuesday, Jan 14
8 pm
Mansion
Zouqaq El Blatt, Beirut