When
Where
Why
Writers and thinkers from First Nations, Palestinian and Arab backgrounds will unite for Palestine.
Agenda
3:00 PM - 3:10 PM -Introduction by Dr Mehreen Faruqi
3:10 PM - 4:00 PM -ÌýPanel 1: For the Record
Facilitator: Dr Jumana Bayeh | Panellists: Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, Meyne Wyatt, Sara M. Saleh and Dr Michael Mohammed Ahmad
4:10 PM - 5:00 PM -ÌýPanel 2: Bringing Hope
Facilitator: Dr Sarah Ayoub | Panellists: Jazz Money, Dr Lana Tatour, Fahad Ali and Amani Haydar
On 6 December 2023, beloved Palestinian poet and scholar, Professor Refaat Alareer, was killed in an airstrike during the Israeli genocide in Gaza. In the aftermath of his murder, Professor Alareer’s final poem,Ìý, was shared worldwide and translated into more than fifty languages.
In memory of Professor Alareer’s life and legacy, nationally acclaimed writers and thinkers from First Nations, Palestinian and Arab backgrounds will unite on January 13th for two back-to-back panels which critically examine the current crisis in Palestine. With a focus on literary and arts activism, these urgent and necessary dialogues will explore themes of sovereignty, self-determination, solidarity and bearing witness.
All ticket sales will be donated to Australian-Palestinian charity,ÌýÌý— a respected and ethical organisation that provides ongoing aid to the children of Gaza.
Newtown-based bookstore,Ìý, will also be selling the authors’ books at the event, and have generously offered to donate a percentage of their book sales to the fundraiser.
Proudly presented by Utp and Sweatshop Literacy Movement.
Ìý
Featuring
Dr Mehreen FaruqiÌýis the Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens and Senator for New South Wales. In 2013, she became the first Muslim woman to sit in any Australian Parliament and she officially joined the senate in 2018. Mehreen has been an unflinching voice on social, feminist, environmental and racial justice as well as a staunch advocate for justice for Palestinian people.
Dr Randa Abdel-FattahÌýis a Future Fellow in the Department of Sociology at Macquarie University. She is also a Palestine activist, former lawyer and the multi-award-winning author of 11 novels published in over 20 countries. Randa’s most recent non-fiction book, Coming of Age in the War on Terror, was shortlisted for the 2022 Stella Awards, the 2022 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards and the 2022 NSW Premier's Literary Awards. Randa’s first picture book,Ìý11 Words for LoveÌý(illustrated by Maxine Beneba Clarke) was shortlisted for the 2023 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and listed as a Notable book in the 2023 Children's Book Council Award.
Sara M. SalehÌýis the daughter of migrants from Palestine, Egypt, and Lebanon and lives on Gadigal land. She is the first poet to win both the Australian Book Review’s Peter Porter Poetry Prize (2021) and Overland’s Judith Wright Poetry Prize (2020). Sara is the author ofÌýSongs for the Dead and the LivingÌý(Affirm Press, 2023) and the poetry collection,ÌýThe Flirtation of Girls/Ghazal el-BanatÌý(UQP, 2023).
Dr Lana TatourÌýis a Lecturer at the University of New South Wales. She was the 2019-2020 Ibrahim Abu Lughod Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Palestine Studies at Columbia University. She is currently completing her monograph provisionally titledÌýAmbivalent Resistance: Palestinians in Israel and the LiberalÌýPolitics of Settler ColonialismÌýand Human Rights. She is also co-editing a book provisionally titledÌýRace and theÌýQuestion of Palestine.
Fahad AliÌýis an academic, writer, and educator in molecular and computational genetics at the University of Sydney. He is a Palestinian community organiser and lives and works on unceded Dharug land.
Meyne WyattÌýis an award-winning Wongutha-Yamatji writer, director, performer and activist. Meyne's film and television credits include:ÌýThe Sapphires,ÌýThe Turning,ÌýStrangerlandÌýandÌýRedfern NowÌý(for which he was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama and a Logie Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer). His debut play,ÌýCity of GoldÌýwas critically acclaimed and established him as a writer with a powerful and distinctive voice. In 2020, Meyne became the first Indigenous artist to win the Archibald Packing Room Prize. His debut children’s bookÌýMaku, was published by Pan Macmillan in 2022.
Jazz MoneyÌýis a Wiradjuri poet and artist currently based on Gadigal land. Their practice is centred around the written word while producing works that encompass installation, digital, film and print. Jazz’s writing has been widely performed and published nationally and internationally. Their David Unaipon Award-winning debut collectionÌýhow to make a basketÌý(UQP, 2021) was released to much acclaim.
Dr Sarah AyoubÌýis a freelance journalist and bestselling author based. Her work has appeared inÌýThe Guardian,ÌýThe Australian,ÌýThe Sydney Morning Herald,ÌýMarie-Claire,ÌýELLE,ÌýSBS,ÌýSydney Review of BooksÌýand more. Sarah attained her PhD with a thesis examining migrant narratives in Australian teen lit and currently lectures in journalism and writing at the University of Sydney and the University of Notre Dame. Sarah is an advocate for education and Australian stories, appearing at schools and festivals where she promotes her YA novelsÌýHate isÌýSuch a Strong Word,ÌýThe Yearbook CommitteeÌýandÌýThe Cult of RomanceÌýas well as her picture books,ÌýThe LoveÌýthat GrewÌýandÌýHow to be a Friend.
Dr Jumana BayehÌýis Associate Professor at Macquarie University, and author of The Literature of the LebaneseÌýDiasporaÌý(2015) and the recently co-edited collectionÌýWriting the Global Riot. Her current project includes an examination of the nation-state in Arab diaspora writing over the last century.
Amani HaydarÌýis an award-winning writer, visual artist, lawyer and advocate for women’s health and safety based in Western Sydney. Amani’s debut memoirÌýThe Mother WoundÌýhas been the recipient of multiple accolades, including the 2022 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Non-fiction. Amani is also the recipient of the 2021 UTS Faculty of Law Alumni Award. She was also named Local Woman of the Year for Bankstown at the 2020 NSW Premier’s Woman of the Year Awards in recognition of her advocacy against domestic violence. As a distinguished visual artist, Amani is also a former Archibald Prize finalist.
Dr Michael Mohammed AhmadÌýis the founding director of Sweatshop Literacy Movement and the author of three award-winning novels:ÌýThe TribeÌý(Giramondo, 2014),ÌýThe LebsÌý(Hachette, 2018) andÌýThe Other Half ofÌýYouÌý(Hachette, 2021). He is also the editor of several critically acclaimed anthologies, includingÌýAfter AustraliaÌý(Affirm Press, 2020). Mohammed received his Doctorate of Creative Arts from Western Sydney University in 2017.