A Literary Dialogue of Arab-American Identities | Randa Jarrar & Zaina Arafat
We talked to Randa Jarrar about her work as a performer and author of the forthcoming memoir “Love Is An Ex-Country”, the novel “A Map of Home”, and the collection of stories “Him, Me, Muhammad Ali”.
We also talked to Zaina Arafat about her work as an author and about her novel “You Exist Too Much”.
Zaina Arafat is an LGBTQ Arab/Muslim-American fiction and nonfiction writer. She is the author of the novel, You Exist Too Much, which was selected as a most anticipated book for 2020. Her stories and essays have appeared in publications including The New York Times, Granta, The Believer, and many others. In recognition of her work, she was awarded the Arab Women/Migrants from the Middle East fellowship at Jack Jones Literary Arts. She holds an M.A. in international affairs from Columbia University and an M.F.A. from Iowa. She lives in Brooklyn and is currently at work on a collection of essays.
Randa Jarrar is the author of a highly successful novel, A Map of Home, which received an Arab-American Book Award and was named one of the best novels of 2008 by the Barnes & Noble Review. She grew up in Kuwait and Egypt, and moved to the United States after the first Gulf War. She is the translator of several Arabic short stories and a novel, and has taught creative writing for over 15 years. She is also a performer who has recently appeared in Hulu’s Ramy, as well as the short films Got Game and Finjan. Jarrar is the Executive Director of RAWI, a literary nonprofit that serves Arab-American writers. Her forthcoming book of nonfiction, Love Is An Ex-Country, will be released by Catapult in February of 2021.
Twitter: Zaina Arafat & Randa Jarrar
Instagram: Zaina Arafat & Randa Jarrar
The afikra Podcast
The afikra Podcast is our flagship series featuring experts from academia, art, media, urban planning, and beyond, who are helping document and shape the histories and cultures of the Arab world through their work.
