(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha: HBKU Press will once again work in collaboration with the esteemed Art Omi to hone the literary skills of writers from across the Middle East this fall. This partnership has been successfully renewed annually since 2019 as a consistent demonstration of the shared understanding of the importance of literary education, collaboration, and nurturing the creative spirit.
As in years past, this programme will fully sponsor one Arab writer to attend the annual Art Omi: Writers residency in Ghent, New York. HBKU Press has worked with Art Omi in the previous years to platform unique talents and voices from the region, who have each begun their journeys as aspiring writers and have since gone on to become accomplished, prolific authors.
“HBKU Press is proud to continue this ongoing creative collaboration with Art Omi,” said Bachar Chebaro, Executive Director of HBKU Press.“We not only prioritise cross-cultural exchange as strategic practice here at HBKU Press, but as a way to empower Arab authors to use their voices and tell unique stories from our region to the rest of the world.”
HBKU Press is steadily expanding in growth and visibility as it introduces its catalogs to an increasingly global audience and provides readers everywhere with high quality literature. During the residency, writers from around the world are invited to attend a month-long retreat and take advantage of the opportunity to focus on their craft in a quiet, conducive environment away from the stressors of everyday life. Writers will be able to engage and connect with literary talents such as other writers, publishers, editors, and industry professionals in the picturesque farmland with inspiring views of the Hudson River Valley.
“The community at Art Omi is richer because of our partnership with HBKU Press,” said Art Omi Director, DW Gibson.“Our collaborative work to support a promising writer from the Middle East helps us fulfill our mission to encourage the development of contemporary literature across languages and cultures. We're grateful to be working with HBKU Press to fulfill this mission and we look forward to finding the perfect candidate for 2023.”
Lilas Taha was the first author selected by the programme in 2019 to attend the residency. Award-winning Taha is the author of Shadows of Damascus (Soul Mate Publishing, 2014), Bitter Almonds (Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press, 2016), Lost in Thyme (Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press, 2018), and its sequel Found in Thyme (Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press, 2023), her latest novel slated for release later this year. Taha was born in Kuwait to a Syrian mother and a Palestinian father and immigrated to the US as a result of the Gulf war in 1990. She earned a master's degree in Human Factors Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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