A Collision with Truth: Palestinian British voices panel Nada Shawa, Mohammed Ghalayini, Azhar Herez, Ra Page
Event details
EUTERPE Spring School Lectures
“Gaza does not propel people to cool contemplation; rather, she propels them to erupt and collide with the truth.” – Mahmoud Darwish, Silence for Gaza (1973)
In collaboration with Comma Press, the EUTERPE project is honoured to present a panel on Palestinian British voices, during which we will delve into the work of Nada Shawa, Mohammed Ghalayini, and Azhar Herez. What does it mean to write, read, and critically engage with literature amidst an ongoing genocide? This is the central question of our panel discussion, followed by a Q&A. Join us at the University of York and take advantage of this opportunity to learn about the positive and challenging experiences of transnational authorship.
The discussion will be moderated by EUTERPE doctoral candidate Ninutsa Nadirashvili.
Photo by Efe Ersoy
About the speakers
Nada Shawa is a Palestinian writer and dancer who moved from Gaza to Scotland at the age of eight to attend school and receive treatment for her Cerebral Palsy. In addition to working extensively in the field of refugee support and human rights, Nada has written and performed material at multiple events and festivals, including the Edinburgh World Justice Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival of Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace. She is currently performing dance and poetry at various solidarity events for Gaza and her most recent publication, “Indigenous Soul: Gaza and Me” is raising money for the Gaza Culture and Development Group – a non-profit and non-governmental organization aiming to achieve a better and sustainable future for all.
Mohammed Ghalayini is a translator and co-author of “Light in me Don’t Die” – a play that bears witness to the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza through the words and testimony of Palestinian survivors and martyrs. He worked as a reporter for New York-based Free Speech Radio News in Gaza and as a presenter on the Palestine Satellite Channel. His translations have appeared in The Book of Khartoum, Palestine + 100, The Book of Ramallah, Egypt + 100, and the Book of Sana’a (Comma Press). He works as an air quality scientist and, in late, 2023 offered extensive firsthand reporting on the genocide being conducted in Gaza.
Azhar Herez is of mixed Palestinian and English heritage, her father's family being from Gaza. She has been writing poetry since her teens and began performing her work in public a year ago, shortly after the genocide began, as a way of raising awareness and supporting the wider community.
Ra Page is the CEO and Founder of Comma Press - a not-for-profit publisher and development agency specialising in short fiction from the UK and beyond. He has edited over 30 anthologies, including The City Life Book of Manchester Short Stories (Penguin, 1999), The New Uncanny (winner of the Shirley Jackson Award, 2008), and most recently The Cuckoo Cage (2022). He has coordinated several publisher development initiatives, including Literature Northwest (2004-2013), and the Northern Fiction Alliance (2016-present). He was also recognised by the h100 Awards two years running (2019/2020) for his contribution to the Publishing & Writing industry in the UK and was included in The Bookseller 150 list in 2020, their annual guide to the book trade’s most influential figures.
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