In-Person Events

Mizrahi (Eastern) Jews have had a consistent presence in the Middle East since antiquity. Their cultural and historical memory predates the advent of both Christianity and Islam. Their cumulative experience fosters a unique understanding of the forces at play in the region. Today, the United States is home to the second-largest Mizrahi Jewish community in the world. How can writers with firsthand experience of the region contribute freely their understanding of the post–October 7, 2023 events?

The Jewish Writers Caucus invites writers to meet each other, discuss challenges and opportunities, share resources, and suggest how AWP can better support Jewish writers, all in a space welcoming to Jews of all denominations, degrees of religious engagement, races, ethnicities, sexualities, genders, socioeconomic backgrounds, and political affiliations. An often-invisible minority—invisible at times even to each other—we aim to connect Jewish writers and celebrate the significance of our stories.

This multigenre panel brings together Muslim and Jewish authors with complex cultural, ethnic, or racial identities at a time of escalated antisemitism and Islamophobia. Each will reflect on what it means to be a Jewish or Muslim author now, the struggles of belonging that inform their work, and how literary art fosters understanding amidst heightened conflicts. Join us to grapple with what it means to be an outsider within and beyond the communities we inhabit while working to build solidarity and collective liberation through literature.

You are not as alone as you think. Join a diverse intersectional group of women and femme leaders in Southern California as we share how we empower each other in the poetry community. Our panelists will offer insights on literary activism, identity complexities, collaboration pitfalls, and best practices. We hope to acknowledge the work of women and femmes and ignite a new cohort of community leaders, hosts, teaching artists, and organizers.