Saturday, April 18, 2026
4:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Free with RSVP
Zawaya, meaning “corners” in Arabic, is where edges, lines and sides meet. This book launch event celebrates a number of works published in the last year that explore new literary corners with a panel conversation. Authors include Sahar Mustafa, Eman Quotah, Fargo Tbakhi, and Hind Shoufani. Come for new books & fresh perspectives.
Zawaya: The Latest by Arab American Writers is an independent event organized to celebrate new works by Arab American authors. This event is not affiliated with or associated with the Arab American Book Award program. The two events are distinct, and participation in Zawaya does not imply any involvement with or recognition from the Book Awards program.
Bios:
Eman Quotah is the author of the novels The Night Is Not For You and Bride of the Sea, which won the Arab American Book Award for Fiction. Her writing has appeared in Mizna, The Markaz Review, Kweli, and other publications. She’s been awarded fellowships from MacDowell and Hedgebrook and grants from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. She’s also the secretary of the board for RAWI, which represents writers of Southwest Asian and North African heritage. She lives with her family near Washington, D.C.
Sahar Mustafah is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, an inheritance she explores in her fiction. Her debut novel The Beauty of Your Face was named a 2020 Notable Book and Editor’s Choice by New York Times Book Review and one of Marie Claire Magazine’s 2020 Best Fiction by Women. It was long-listed for the Center for Fiction 2020 First Novel Prize, and was a finalist for the Palestine Book Awards. She was awarded a 2023 Jack Hazard Fellowship from New Literary Project and an Illinois Arts Council Grant. Mustafah writes and teaches outside of Chicago.
Fargo Nissim Tbakhi is a Palestinian performance artist.
Hind Shoufani (coming)
In partnership with
