Join us for a poetry reading and discussion on November 19 from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Meader Room in Waldo Library.

Hedy Habra is a multilingual award-winning author and artist, who was born and raised in Egypt and is of Lebanese origin. She lived in both countries and left Lebanon at the onset of the civil war. After a few years in Europe, she came to the US in 1980. In her third poetry book, Habra revisits her upbringing in Heliopolis, Egypt, and her memories of pre-strife Lebanon, contrasting them with her impressions upon revisiting these countries after decades of absence. Habra weaves history, distant and more recent, into the present and reflects about the aftermath of violence in the area from the perspective of exile. Her poems give voice to silent witnesses, trees, plants, houses, jugs, fountains, and arched windows, expressing longing and loss and conjuring happier moments in the midst of sorrow. The poems delve into the interconnectedness of roots and rhizomes as well as languages.

This event will consist of the author discussing her background, the development of the book, a short reading, a display of related artwork, and a Q&A segment.

This event is designated as a WMU Signature experience.