Novelist and essayist Maaza Mengiste is the author of "Beneath the Lion’s Gaze." (Photo: by Juergen Bauer)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Monday, April 25th, 2016
Maaza Mengiste Speaks on Refugee Crisis at Pen World Voices Festival
New York (TADIAS) — Ethiopian-American writer Maaza Mengiste is one of the featured speakers at a panel discussion in NYC this week entitled Country of Nowhere: The Refugee Crisis that will be held at Nuyorican Poets Cafe as part of the 2016 PEN World Voices Festival. Panelists include Naila Al Atrash, Marlon James, Laila Lalami and Sunjeev Sahota.
“What is the responsibility of writers in humanitarian crises such as the Syrian refugee crisis? Few countries have offered shelter. Politicians and pundits have responded with hateful rhetoric and fear mongering,” states the announcement from PEN America. “Join a conversation with writers whose work contributes to an understanding of displacement, dislocation, and collective responsibility.”
Maaza Mengiste is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Beneath the Lion’s Gaze. She was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University. Maaza is also the “writer for the Ethiopia segment of GIRL RISING,” a feature film that tells the stories of 10 extraordinary girls from 10 developing countries around the world. Maaza’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC Radio, The Granta Anthology of the African Short Story, and Lettre International.
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If You Go:
Country of Nowhere: The Refugee Crisis
Tuesday, April 26, 2016, 7:00pm
Nuyorican Poets Cafe
236 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10009
Tickets: $12 in advance/$15 at the door/$10 students only at the door.
Purchase tickets here.
Related:
Tadias Q & A With Maaza Mengiste
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