An Evening with Monia Mazigh and Barâa Arar

“Being a person of colour, being a Muslim woman who wears the hijab, or being anyone who identifies publicly with a minority group, that identity becomes politicized by others whether you like it or not.”
— Barâa Arar

The more one knows about author Monia Mazigh, the more inspiring she becomes. Since her groundbreaking debut, Hope and Despair: My Struggle to Free My Husband, Maher Arar (translated by Patricia Claxton and Fred Reed) in 2008, she has gone on to publish two novels and edit a third (written in French) while writer-in-residence at Historic Joy Kogawa House this summer. Monia will read from her second novel, Hope Has Two Daughters.

Spoken-word artist Barâa Arar joins Monia Mazigh to share stories and poems that consider the reciprocal and inextricable relationship between our narratives and our lived experiences. Sarah Kay writes in her poem “The Paradox,” “When I am inside writing, / All I can think about is how I should be outside living. / When I am outside living, / All I can do is notice all there is to write about.” Barâa will use her time on stage to think through these ideas.

When: Wednesday, September 5, 7:30 to 9:00pm
Where: Historic Joy Kogawa House, 1450 West 64th Avenue
Cost: By donation ($15 would be wonderful to cover the cost of cleaning and refreshments)
RSVP: info@kogawahouse.com

Monia Mazigh

Monia Mazigh is a human rights advocate and the author of a memoir and two novels. Monia writes on national security and women in Islam on her website https://moniamazigh.wordpress.com

Barâa Arar by Ainslie Coghill

Barâa Arar studies Humanities at Carleton University, with a focus on art, politics, and resistance. She is a community organizer, writer, and the co-host of The Watering Hole podcast.