Saturday, January 06, 12:00 PM EDT
A Reading for the Edward Said Libraries with Mosab Abu Toha & Friends
“In the process of building the library, books became my closest friends, offering wisdom, consolation, and hope, and writing itself became the air I breathe.”
–Mosab Abu Toha, founder of the Edward Said Libraries in Gaza
Brookline Booksmith invites you, with writer and library founder Mosab Abu Toha (Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear), to a virtual reading in support of the Edward Said Libraries in Gaza.
Readers are planned to include Mosab Abu Toha with Kaveh Akbar, Rabih Alameddine, Ammiel Alcalay, Hala Alyan, Peter Balakian, Fatima Bhutto, Leila Farsakh, Nick Flynn, Ru Freeman, Carolyn Forché, Damian Gorman, Jorie Graham, Fanny Howe, Ha Jin, Ilya Kaminsky, Askold Melnyczuk, Eileen Myles, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Shuchi Saraswat, and Lloyd Schwartz.
About the reading - Gaza’s libraries have been destroyed over the course of the last several months of bombing. The Edward Said Public Libraries, the first English-language libraries in the region, have been at risk for months and require support for their continued existence.
Libraries, as Mosab indicates, are critical places of learning, solace, and cultural preservation.
During this virtual event, free to attend and streaming on YouTube, preeminent writers will offer short readings in a show of solidarity with the literary and reading communities of Palestine, and a confirmation of the vital nature of literature and access to written culture.
In support of the libraries and access to literature, we will be running a book donation drive via our website. 100% of donated funds, raised directly through Brookline Booksmith, will be used to purchase and ship books to the Edward Said Libraries upon reconstruction. The link for this fundraiser is to come. Registrants will be alerted when the link is live.
You may view this livestream without registering or logging in on Brookline Booksmith's YouTube channel, at this link, on 1/6/24 at 12PM ET. If you register on the linked Registration page, we will send you email reminders containing the YouTube and fundraising links.