Residency at Asheville's Lamplight AVL!
Simurgh Arts artists Keagan Wheat and Aliah Lavonne Tigh are elated to return to Asheville’s LampLight AVL. Keagan Wheat will be directing the project during this residency, and he is planning a series of book arts community workshops! This residency will end in a community reading.
Stay posted here for more info. Simurgh Arts will update this event as more info comes in. We love Asheville, and we’re delighted to return to see our beloved friends.
RAWIFest 2025--in HOUSTON THIS YEAR!
Simurgh Arts is so excited to share that RAWIFest is coming to Houston this year!!! This is a rare oppurtunity to attend a festival presented and featuring some of the country’s—and international community’s—finest artists! Join us in attending this awesome festival at the University of Houston! Register here!
This 2025 RAWIFest conference features keynote addresses by Fady Joudah and Noor Naga; workshops from Leila Chatti, Maryan Nagy Captan, Aisha Abdel Gawad, Nadia Khansa, and Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative; a performance by Fargo Nissim Tbakhi; and panels and readings from many, many more! Learn more about the festival program here!
About RAWIFest:
RAWIFest is a biannual conference that has been held for three decades and running, bringing together Arab and SWANA creatives as well as non-SWANA allies–not only poets, prose writers, and playwrights, but visual artists, performance artists, musicians, educators and scholars–both in diaspora in North America as well as from other regions. At RAWIFest, we aim to create a space where we can talk amongst ourselves and highlight voices and people threatened by erasure. In a global climate where opportunities for Arab and SWANA creatives to share our experiences and insights is limited, RAWI’s biennial gathering provides a rare opportunity to bring a large number of Arab American and SWANA writers, artists, and scholars (and their readers, allies, and admirers) into the same inclusive and welcoming space so we can engage in various dialogues otherwise unavailable to us.
New Orleans Poetry Festival: Reflections on the Water: A Guided Ekphrastic Workshop in Response to Short Conservationist Film and Experimental Art Installations
Join Simurgh Arts artists, Keagan Wheat and Aliah Lavonne Tigh, for the NOLA poetry Festival! They will be leading a generative workshop called, “Reflections on the Water: A Guided Ekphrastic Workshop in Response to Short Conservationist Film and Experimental Art Installations.” Artists and writers Aliah Lavonne Tigh, Keagan Wheat, Liz Williams, and filmmaker Tiffany Westry Womack will present this incredible mixed media practice workshop.
Focused on the sacredness and connectivity of water, this ekphrastic event is part short film screening, part immersive art exhibit, and part guided writing prompt.
WHEN: Sun, 04/13/2025. 2:00 pm
WHERE: Room 224, New Orleans Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Ave
More about this New Orleans Poetry Festival Workshop:
The first half of our journey will begin with a screening of the film(22mins), What About the Drinking Water?, an empowering story of Southern conservation and successful community action. Workshop participants will then be guided through a structured and approachable writing prompt based on Tiffany Westry Womack's film.
For the second portion of this ekphrastic workshop, we'll explore connection and reflection as we write in response to a stunning water-themed immersive digital project by Liz Williams Trader, Mik Mitchell and Shani Kashani.
This is a partnership between Houston and Asheville-based artists. We are meeting in New Orleans, and after Helene, all our artists now share an experience that many New Orleanians know well: ecological vulnerability and devastation. We gather with you to generate writing, yes, and also, something good and healing. This workshop is devoted to beauty, narratives of true community power, and to experiencing environmental joy. The workshop, lasting 1 hour and 50 minutes, is divided into two parts. Part I, the film-based portion (60-75 minutes), begins with a 10-minute introduction to the artists, followed by a 5-7 minute introduction to the film and an overview of the first writing prompt. The film screening and a community update from the director take 27 minutes, leading into a 25-minute guided writing prompt. Part II, the digital art portion (30-45 minutes), starts with a 5-minute introduction to the immersive digital artwork, followed by an 18-20 minute guided writing prompt. The workshop concludes with a 10-15 minute session for participants to share their work.
AWP Conference SWANA Writers Caucus
Simurgh Arts leadership will be present at the conference’s SWANA Writers Caucus, and we invite conference attendees who are South West Asian and North African Writers to join us for the caucus.
Details about the SWANA caucus meeting:
WHEN: Friday, March 28, 2025. 5:00 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. PT
WHERE:Room 501 ABC, Los Angeles Convention Center, Level Two
Simurgh Arts at the National Conference for the Association of Writers and Programs
Join us at the National Conference for Writers and Programs
November Reading at Velvet Oak Tavern Feat. Ching-In Chen!
Join us at the Velvet Oak Tavern for this Evening of Readings From Some of Your Favorite Houstonian or Former Houstonian Poets!!!!!
WITS Writing Workshop with Simurgh Arts Artist Keagan Wheat
Join Simurgh Arts’ Artist Keagan Wheat at this workshop celebrating Poetry and Transgender Awareness Week!