By Rachel Donadio

From the war in Iraq to the rumblings in Iran to the heightening tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, there are few bright spots in the Middle East these days. But one boutique Jerusalem press has cleared a space for conversation in a contentious region. Started in 1998 by a husband-and-wife team, Ibis Editions has published English translations of works in Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, French, German and Judeo-Spanish—all relating to the Levant.

From October 24-26 in Hollywood, Arpa International Film Festival will screen 50 films from 21 nations, including Armenia, Australia, Canada, China, Congo, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tobago, Trinidad, Turkey, UK, and Venezuela.

Arpa International Film Festival, which goes green in 2008, is produced by Arpa Foundation for Film, Music, and Art (AFFMA), a non-profit organization dedicated to artists exploring identity, multi-culturalism, war, exile, genocide and global empathy.

Sultans of Satire—The Barama-McPain Election Special!Can't decide between Barak Obama-Joe Biden (Barama) and John McCain-Sarah Palin (McPain)? Is this election looking particularly painful? Wanna laugh about it all?

Join some of the best stand-up comedians today of Arab, Greek, Iranian, Turkish, Armenian and Jewish heritage starring in the popular and long-running Sultans of Satire show, a monthly feature of the world-famous Improv and Levantine Cultural Center. Call 310.657.5511 for tickets.

Alabina-Demis Roussos: world? pop? gypsy? see the concert that benefits diabetes research...Two Levantine stars come to the Shrine in a benefit for diabetes

Concerts To Cure Diabetes presents Arab/Israeli world pop star Ishtar of Ishtar Alabina and Greek vocalist Demis Roussos in a benefit concert at the Shrine Auditorium.

Alabina of course is a Arabic-based group that performs a mix of world music: Middle Eastern, Arabic, French, Hebrew, and Spanish Gypsy music. Alabina consists of lead singer Ishtar, who does the female vocals, and the band Los Niños de Sara, who provide male vocals and music.

Ishtar was born and raised in Israel; her parents are Moroccan and Egyptian. She speaks and sings in Arabic, Hebrew, French, Spanish, and English; she also says she "half-speaks" "Moroccan.” She chose the name "Ishtar," a Mesopotamian goddess, because her grandmother called her Ester, which “with her Egyptian accent it sounded like Ishtar,” she says.

Language for a New Century: your purchase benefits LCC programmingKudos to Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia, and Beyond. This handsome new anthology (Norton 2008) celebrates the artistic and cultural forces flourishing today in the East—gathering an unprecedented selection of works by East Asian, Middle Eastern, South Asian and Central Asian poets as well as poets living in the diaspora. The volume is organized around nine themes—including childhood, politics and oppression, identity, war, homeland and love—and includes more than 400 unique voices from 59 countries. Each section of the anthology—organized by theme rather than national affiliation—is preceded by a personal essay from the editors that introduces the poetry and invokes the readers to examine their own identities in light of these powerful poems.