Palestine Writes

Palestinian cultural and literary festival

Palestine WritesFormation| 2020

|

Purpose| Celebrating and promoting cultural productions of Palestinian writers and artists
Headquarters| Yardley, PA

Key people

| Susan Abulhawa (executive director)
Website| https://palestinewrites.org/

Palestine Writes, founded as Palestine Writes Back,[1] is a festival that presents Palestinian culture and literature. The festival, which claims to be the largest celebration of Palestinian literature and culture in North America, was first held 2020.[2]

The festival was originally scheduled in March 2020, but was virtually presented in December 2020 due to the pandemic, with an attendance of more than 3000 people. Organizers explicitly aimed to include both Palestinians and non-Palestinians "to imagine a world we want".[3] Among others, it was sponsored by the Lannan Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Columbia University Center for Palestine Studies.[4]

In September 2023, Palestine Writes took place on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Programming included oral storytelling, graphic novels, dress-making, and other displays of Palestinian culture.[2] The event featured more than 100 pro-Palestinian speakers.[5][6] It was criticized based on the participation of speakers with a public history of accused antisemitism and anti-zionism.[7]

The criticism of the festival intensified following the October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.[7]

## References

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1. ^ "Artists on the Frontlines’: The Controversy Over a Pro-Palestinian Mural in Santa Fe, Mountlake Terrace, Wash, 24 Jan 2020
2. ^ a b Mikati, Massarah (23 September 2023). "Literary festival to highlight Palestinian culture - Speakers from around the world are scheduled to gather this weekend at Penn for Palestine Writes". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. B8. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
3. ^ Batarseh, Amanda (August 2021). "Freedom to Imagine: Reflections on the First Palestine Writes Literature Festival". Jerusalem Quarterly (87): 152–159 - via EBSCOHOST.
4. ^ "Palestine Writes Literature Festival Goes Virtual this December Al Bawaba, London. 23 Nov 2020
5. ^ Saul, Stephanie (26 October 2023). "Who Decides Penn's Future: Donors or the University?". New York Times. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
6. ^ Snyder, Susan; Mikati, Massarah (20 September 2023). "Critics in an uproar over speakers at this weekend's Palestine Writes literature festival held at Penn". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
7. ^ a b Maruf, Ramishah (2023-10-25). "UPenn donors were furious about the Palestine Writes Literature Festival. What about it made them pull their funds?". CNN.