2011 pdf - International Writing Program - University of Iowa

BETWEEN THE LINES
A Summer Writing Program for Teens from the Middle East
Between the Lines participants meet with their American
counterparts during a literary salon in which they discuss
everything from the nature of authorship to particular
traditions in Arabic and American letters.
The fourth year of Between the Lines was held in
the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Consequently it
was never far from the minds of our participants,
their American peers, and our staff. Students from
several of the most high-profile countries in the
news—including Tunisia and Egypt, both participating
in BTL for the first time, as well as Bahrainjoined
others from Algeria, Israel, Lebanon,
Morocco, and Syria to form a diverse and dynamic
group. Their stay, tinged with the fervor and emotion
of recent events, was highlighted by a spirited
discussion in which they described their experiences
in their home countries to an audience of
more than 40 American students attending the
Iowa Young Writers’ Studio (IYWS) and members
from the Iowa City community.
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As always, BTL students roomed with
and studied creative writing alongside IYWS
students. The typical weekday consisted of an
Arabic-language writing workshop, an Englishlanguage
writing workshop, as well as a variety
of extracurricular activities that followed the
classwork. Public programming included a
panel discussion where students representing
BTL, IYWS, and the Iowa Youth Writing Project
spoke on the subject of “Young Writers and
Writing” at the Iowa City Book Festival. Students
also conducted a lively evening of “Arabic 101”
that concluded with protest chants similar to
those used in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
For the second year in a row, BTL came
to a close with a two-day trip to Chicago, where
the students participated in a children’s book
workshop at the nonprofit youth writing center
826 Chicago, attended the performance of the
improvisational play “Too Much Light Makes
The Baby Go Blind,” and celebrated with a
graduation ceremony at the John Hancock
Observatory with Navy Pier fireworks as a backdrop.
Since their departure, students have
stayed in touch with the IWP and with each
other via Facebook, Skype, and a few face-toface
visits. The class of 2011 is a welcome addition
to the community of young Arab writers
and readers that BTL and the IWP helped create.
MORE INFO:
http://iwp.uiowa.edu/programs/between-the-lines
Participants:
Ghada Abdel Aal
Chaperone, Egypt
Mohammad Al-Hemaid
Chaperone, Saudi Arabia
Hadeel Al-Haddad
Student, Bahrain
Lana Najjar
Student, Israel
Saria Al-Midani
Student, Syria
Hind Rahmoun
Student, Algeria
Sally El-Hak
Student, Egypt
Roula Seghaier
Student, Tunisia
Abdellatif El Yaacoub
Student, Lebanon
Johnny Yaacoub
Student, Lebanon
Maïsa Farid
Student, Morocco
Maha Zidan
Student, Israel
Oussama Ghajjou
Student, Morocco