Author and professor Diana Abu-Jaber joins us to chat about her new young adult fantasy novel, Silverworld (2020), which she reads a short passage from! She shares with us her trajectory as a writer who often focuses on food and identity.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/seenjeempodcast/message ..read more

In this episode of the Seen Jeem podcast, Arab American National Museum (AANM) Director Diana Abouali chats with award-winning author Massoud Hayoun about his book, When We Were Arabs: A Jewish Family's Forgotten History. In this decolonial memoir, Massoud explores his grandparent's remarkable story as Jewish Arabs whose experiences were shaped by colonial ambitions in North Africa. Listen to this episode to hear from Massoud about his investigation of regional politics and how it helped him uncover his incredible family history. To watch a recording of Massoud's reading visit https://seenjeem ..read more

In this episode of the Seen Jeem Podcast, Sally Howell interviews author Safia Elhillo about her latest book, Home is Not a Country. The novel in verse explores themes of diasporic belonging through the experiences of the main character, 15-year-old Nima. Elhillo reads several excerpts from the book including "America," "Nostalgia Monster," "Haytham," and "Baba." Recordings of the readings are available on our website at  seenjeempodcast.org. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/seenjeempodcast/message ..read more

In this episode, acclaimed poet Naomi Shihab Nye discusses her collection of poems, The Tiny Journalist (2019), with Diana Abouali, director of the Arab American National Museum. The “tiny journalist” refers to Janna Jihad Ayyad, the Palestinian citizen journalist who has been documenting and reporting Israel’s colonization of her homeland since she was a young girl. Recorded a few weeks after the 2021 Israel attacks on Gaza, Shihab Nye reflects on her identity as a Palestinian-American as well as the resilience of Palestinians in the face of ongoing adversity. For video recordings of her read ..read more

Sally Howell interviews poet Kamelya Omaya Youssef about her book, A book with a hole in it, composed of Youssef's journal entries from a four month period in 2019. A book with a hole in it is "an experiment" and a lyrical processing of various traumas Youssef experiences and witnesses in her life. Today's episode was originally published on the Halal Metropolis Podcast. Learn more at https://seenjeempodcast.org/season-two-episodes/kamelya --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/seenjeempodcast/message ..read more

On today’s episode, Pauline Homsi Vinson speaks with Rabih Alameddine, an award-winning Lebanese-American painter and writer. They discuss Rabih's book, The Wrong End of the Telescope. This powerful book showcases the story of an Arab American trans women doctor's work with Syrian refugees on the island of Lesbos, and her connection with a refugee mother who hid her cancer diagnosis from her recently displaced family. This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Anchor.  Watch Rabih's reading and learn more at https://seenjeempodcast.org/season-two-e ..read more

On the final episode of the first season of the Seen Jeem podcast, we have the pleasure of speaking with journalist, cartoonist and author Malaka Gharib about her award-winning graphic memoir, I Was Their American Dream, which explores themes related to the immigrant experience. Listen to this episode to learn more about how Malaka's identity as a Filipino-Egyptian-American person inspired her book! View videos of Malaka's reading here: www.seenjeempodcast.org/episodes/episode-15-malaka-gharib --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/seenjeempodcast/messa ..read more

In this episode, we catch up with award-winning author Randa Jarrar! She joins us for the third episode of the Seen Jeem podcast to discuss her unapologetically defiant book, Love is an Ex-Country (2021), with the Arab American National Museum's Research and Content Manager Matthew Jaber Stiffler. Randa also talks about finding community as an Arab American woman writer and even shares some details of her budding film career. A video recording of Randa's reading can be viewed at www.seenjeempodcast.org This interview took place in the Spring of 2021. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcas ..read more

In this week's episode of the Seen Jeem podcast, Rajia Hassib discusses her second novel A Pure Heart. She explains her process of dramatizing the Arab Spring, contemporary Egyptian society, sisterhood, religion and secularism, the pursuit of purity, immigration, the importance of historical artifacts, and finding a sense of home in a foreign place. To watch recordings of Rajia's reading, visit https://seenjeempodcast.org/episodes/episode-14-rajia-hassib --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/seenjeempodcast/message ..read more

Mohja Kahf discusses two of her books of poetry with Sally Howell. Hagar Poems was released in 2016 and My Lover Brings Me Grapefruit came out in 2020. Listen to this episode to hear about what inspires Kahf's poetry, which often challenges patriarchal dynamics while advancing discussions on religion, race, women's empowerment and love. She read several poems for us: More than One Way to Break a Fast, Ramadan Godsend, Wet Chastity and more. To watch her readings visit www.seenjeempodcast.org/episodes/episode12-mohja-kahf --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters ..read more