Thursday, March 31, 2011

Illuminated Verses: Poetries of the Islamic World

For the past year, City Lore and Poets House, two non-profit cultural groups in New York, have been working to put together a series of programs called Illuminated Verses: Poetries of the Islamic World.  We, along with our cultural partner the Asia Society, are pleased to extend an invitation to you and your constituents to attend these programs, performances, and interpretive panels taking place this spring from April 21st to May 7th.  Illuminated Verses speaks to the variety of poetic forms and styles in the Islamic world, while at the same time demonstrating the central role of poetry in cultures where Islam is practiced.  We explore improvised poetic forms and performances of ancient and venerated work from poets such as Rumi and Hafez, along with contemporary literary poetry in settings ranging from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, North and West Africa. We explore the central role of poetry in the lives of Muslim men and women who memorize poems, buy and sell poetry on cassettes, sing the work of venerated poets, and utilize poems in social and political negotiations.  Scholars and poets Reza Aslan, Mohammed Bennis, Persis Karim, Khaled Mattawa, and Amir Vahab are among the participants. As cultures clash over religion in our world, Illuminated Verses: Poetries of the Islamic World invites us to see one another anew.

Please click on this link
(http://www.citylore.org/events/illuminated_2011/verses.htm ) for further information on forthcoming events; a copy of the postcard for the May 7th forum is also attached.  In addition, if you are interested, we would be pleased to provide both digital and print materials that you might forward to your members.  We warmly encourage you to pass this information on to your peers and constituents at your discretion, and sincerely look forward to seeing you at these vibrant celebrations of cultural expression!


Sincerely,
Catherine Fletcher

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