This event will feature readings of Yahya’s poetry as well as discussions of how daily life – and frequent trauma – in Gaza have affected his writing. We will also explore his work mentoring other writers and his time at the prestigious International Writing Program Residency at the University of Iowa. Conversation will include Q&A. Coffee, tea and baklava will be served.

Yahya Ashour was born on April 22, 1998, in Gaza City, Palestine. He is a touring poet, an award-winning children's author, and he has worked as a creative writing mentor at several organizations in Gaza. He is a 2022 Honorary Fellow in Writing at the University of Iowa who has published a poetry collection in 2018 and a children's book in 2021 (in Arabic). He also contributed to several anthologies and online journals, and his writings have been translated into English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Finnish.

Photo by Tariq Sultan