Who We Are
THE TEAM: The Palestine Writing Workshop team is composed of 1 dedicated director with the vision, 3 student interns with the motivation, 3 writers in residence with the experience, and dozens and dozens of inspired, emerging writers.
THE ADVISORY BOARD:
Ruanne Abou-Rahme is a visual artist and filmmaker as well as a poet and graphic designer. She is part of the audio visual group Tashweesh while also creating solo and collaborative art installations.
Sam Bahour is a Palestinian-American based in Al-Bireh/Ramallah, Palestine. He is a freelance business consultant operating as Applied Information Management (AIM), specializing in business development with a niche focus on the information technology sector and start-ups. Sam was instrumental in the establishment of PALTEL and the PLAZA Shopping Center and currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Birzeit University. He is also a Director at the Arab Islamic Bank and the community foundation Dalia Association. Sam writes frequently on Palestinian affairs and has been widely published. Sam is co-editor of HOMELAND: Oral History of Palestine and Palestinians
Najwan Darwish was born in Jerusalem, Palestine, in 1978. His first poetry collection, He was Knocking at the Last Door, was published in 2000, and some of his poems have been translated into Spanish and French, as well as of course into English. He is the editor of Min wa Illa, the From and To magazine which publishes the works of the current generation of Arab writers and artists in the region. Najwan is active in diverse media and art projects in Palestine, the Arab world and Europe. His poems evoke the Palestinian situation in various modes of
resistance—-through lyricism mixed with irony, and a strong sense of immediacy
as defiant melancholy.
Remi Kanazi is a Palestinian-American poet and writer based in New York City. He is the editor of Poets For Palestine, an anthology of poetry, spoken word, hip hop, and art. His political commentary has been featured in print and online media throughout the world. He has performed poetry across North America and has appeared in the New York Arab American Comedy Festival. He is a recurring writer in residence for the Palestine Writing Workshop as well as a member of its advisory committee. He is currently working on his first collection of poetry, due out in the fall.
Dolly Kaibni Nammour is the Chairperson of the Department of English Language and Literature at Birzeit University as well as the Director of Development at MIFTAH.
Rumzi lyddawi founded 7iber.com, where he works with communities around the Middle East in using new media as an outlet of expression, a space for critical conversations, and for organizing collective actions. He has a B.S. in rhetoric and communication from Iowa State University, and an M.S. in technical communication from the University of Washington in Seattle.
PARTNERS:
Birzeit University Center for Continuing Education: The CCE is a non-profit organization founded by the university, which offers training in professional skills and development. The CCE hosts the program, providing facilities, technical support and guidance.
Birzeit University Department of Language and Literature: The Department of English provides feedback, direction and administrative support, as the Writing Workshop reaches out to department students in particular.
The Palestine Festival of Literature: PalFest collaborates with the Palestine Writing Workshop on the Writers in Residence portion of the Programme. PalFest serves as an orientation of sorts, upon which the Workshop builds by inviting PalFest participants back for more in depth workshops. PalFest is not only a partner, but an integral part of the origin story of the Workshop, interwoven into the very foundation of the programme’s initial conception.
The British Council: The British Council supports PalFest as well as the Writers in Residence Workshop. The British Council further supports the Workshop through the book club programme, shipping books from the UK and delivering them directly to us.
