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Tax-deductible
contributions support our programs for Middle East peace & cross-cultural
understanding.
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GuideStar:
the leading source of information on U.S. nonprofits.  |
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 "Sovereign Threads: the History of Palestinian Embroidery" was on display recently at the Craft and Folk Art Museum Sovereign Threads |
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 "The Arab/Muslim Revolution: the Middle East & the West" a conference with Islamic scholar Reza Aslan and Middle East historian Mark LeVine See Calendar, Jan. 12, 2006 |
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 Global Frequency concert att the Levantine Cultural Center, Fri., Dec. 2! Featuring Naked Rhythm, MC RAI and Antoneus Maximus & the Nuthouze Band. Advance tix $10. Reserve now. |
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 Don't miss the next Sultans of Satire show on Thurs., Dec. 15, and read about the first one... Middle East Comic Relief, Thurs., Nov. 17, 8 pm. Click here. |
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 Levantine Cultural Center cosponsored the 2005 Los Angeles Film Festival, which included several films with Middle Eastern themes or subjects. |
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 The
Naser Musa-Adam del Monte Ensemble performed Arab-flamenco fusion
on Dec. 19, 2004. Click
here for info. |
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 Iraqi-American Playwright and Actor Heather Raffo and Her One-Woman Show, "Nine Parts of Desire," Are the Talk of New York and Los Angeles |
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Articles
of Note Palestinian Samia Dodin Talks to Israeli Sami Shalom Chetrit Lian Ensemble Concert Review Turkish news: Snow—the new novel by Orhan Pamuk Can Jews/Arabs Make Peace Through Music? By Ghada Karmi In Search of Fatima—a review of Ghada Karmi's memoir "Heart" of Arab Music by Jim Motavalli Persians on the Pacific by Tara Bahrampour Tariq Ali On Poetry In Turbulent Times in the Mideast (audio) |
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Al-Andalus
to Jerusalem: Levantine Festival at the John Anson Ford  Al-Andalus with Tariq Banzi, Julie Banzi and flamenco dancer Ana Montes Click Here To Read Three Articles on the Concert |
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MIDDLE
EASTERN COMEDIANS ON A PEACE MISSION FEATURED AT THE IMPROV
[Los
Angeles, August 1, 2008] Did you know that Southern California is
home to an estimated one million people of Middle Eastern heritage?
They are doctors, lawyers, engineers, writers, painters, musicians,
bakers, car mechanics and—that’s right—stand-up comedians.
with
authors BERNARD AVISHAI, GHADA KARMI, SAREE MAKDISI & AMY WILENTZ
hosted by ERIC ROBERTS, moderated by DEBORAH KANAFANI
[Los
Angeles, April 11, 2008] Did you know that Southern California is
home to an estimated one million people of Middle Eastern heritage?
They are doctors, lawyers, engineers, writers, painters, musicians,
bakers, car mechanics and—that’s right—stand-up comedians. WHO SPEAKS FOR ISLAM? WHAT A BILLION MUSLIMS REALLY THINK PRESS CONFERENCE & PUBLIC FORUM, APRIL 28/29, 2008 [LOS
ANGELES, APRIL 9, 2008] Who really speaks for Islam?
Based on the largest and most in-depth study of its kind, Who
Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think presents
the remarkable findings of the Gallup Organization's six-year poll
of the Muslim world-the first ever data-based analysis of the points
of view of more than 90% of the global Muslim community, spanning
nearly 40 countries and representing 1.3 Billion Muslims. ANSWERING THE ISRAELI-GAZAN CONFLICT, L.A.’S ARAB/MUSLIM, JEWISH & CHRISTIAN GROUPS SCREEN “ENCOUNTER POINT” DOC ON ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN NON-VIOLENCE, APRIL 3 IN BEVERLY HILLS [Los
Angeles, March 13, 2008] In response to the on-going bloodshed between
Israel and Palestinians in Gaza, Levantine Cultural Center and the
Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics, along with a dozen NGOs whose
Southern California members work on peace and interfaith issues
year-round, have joined forces to present a director’s screening
of ENCOUNTER POINT, featuring a Q & A with co-director
Ronit Avni, on April 3, 2008, 7 pm at Laemmle’s Music Hall.
Donations will be requested. ARABS,
BLACKS & JEWS CULTURE JAM, QUESTION THE MAN
IN [Los
Angeles, March 1, 2008] Arabs, Blacks and Jews are three minority
communities who are rarely brought together, yet have much in common.
A multidisciplinary evening of music, poetry, drama, discussion
and more, "The Art of Resistance" returns following its
innovative first edition in January 2007. Once again this public
program provides an artistic and intellectual forum for participants
and audience members to think about alternatives to the existing
master narrative, and to see/hear how Black, Arab and Jewish artists
and writers "resist" our status quo of received ideas,
questioning for example political leaders, foreign policy in the
Middle East, mainstream media and social, racial and economic divisions.
Humor and intellectual inquiry are characteristic of the program. |
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“CROSSROADS
OF CULTURE” TO FEATURE
JEWS & MUSLIMS OF IRAN IN LACMA/LEVANTINE EVENING JANUARY 24, 2008 7 pm LACMA’S BING AUDITORIUM FREE ADMISSION 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90036
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"MIDDLE
EASTERN COMEDIANS ON A MISSION. NO BOMBS" SHOW COMES TO
INLAND EMPIRE, DECEMBER 2, 2007 @ [November 1, Los Angeles] Levantine Cultural Center,
a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization promoting Middle East
peace through the literary, visual and performing arts, will bring
the Sultans of Satire: Middle East Comic Relief to UC Riversideís
University Theatre for a first Inland Empire performance on Dec.
2, 2007. Subtitled "Middle Eastern comedians on a mission—sans
bombs," the Sultans show consists of a group of young American stand-up
comedians of Arab, Iranian, Sephardic, Armenian, Turkish and Greek
heritage, who have performed together since November 2005 in shows
throughout the Southland. The show had an eight-month run at the
World Famous Laugh Factory and earlier this year sold out
1,200 seats at USC.
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PALESTINIAN ISRAELI
HIP HOP STARS BRING SOCIAL PROTEST TO
ARTISTS FOR PEACE BENEFIT, 11/17/07 NOVEMBER 17, 2007 @ [October 22, Los Angeles] DAM
is a trio of Palestinian Israeli rappers—Tamer Nafar, Suhel
Nafar and Mahmood Grira—that has already captured the hearts
and minds of millions in the Middle East and Europe. Their music
is a fusion of East/West, combining Arabic percussion rhythms, Middle
Eastern melodies and urban hip hop. More than 2 million fans have
downloaded their hit single "Who's the Terrorist?" Another
of their major hits is the Hebrew-language song, "We're Born
Here." Taking their music influences from both American hip
hop artists (Nas, 2Pac, Mos Def, etc.) and Arabic music (Marcel
Khalife, Kazer Saher, George Wasouf et al), the lyrics of DAM are
influenced by the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well
as the Palestinian struggle for freedom and equality. DAM also draws
from such controversial issues as terrorism, drugs and women's rights.
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INTERNATIONAL VOCALIST
SUSSAN DEYHIM
OFFERS "ROMANCE LANGUAGE " TO BRIDGE MIDDLE EAST/WEST OCTOBER 6, 2007 @ [September 6, Los Angeles] In times of war artists
can be a light out of the darkness. Iranian American vocalist Sussan
Deyhim indeed represents a bridge for peace between her native
land and Americans, who will have an opportunity to hear her new
show, "Romance Language""a collection of international
songs of love in Persian, Arabic, English, Italian, Portuguese and
her wordless incantation"on Saturday, October 6, 2007, at
Knitting Factory Hollywood, in a show presented by KCRW
and Levantine Cultural Center.
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IRAN'S ROCK UNDERGROUND COMES TO LOS ANGELES [Los Angeles, May 31, 2007] While the U.S. administration is only beginning to talk to the Iranian government through its representatives in Iraq, after more than 27 years of diplomatic stalement, American culture has exercised a profound influence on Iran’s underground music scene for decades. U.S. icons of rock and pop, including The Doors, Bruce Springstein, Bob Dylan and The Grateful Dead among others, have their Iranian imitators, who perform in underground concerts despite the theocracy's ban on western music. |
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NEW "ARABS BLACKS &
JEWS COMEDY JAM" [Los Angeles, CA]—Despite having much in common, Arabs, Blacks and Jews are three cultural groups that rarely come together, unless in conflict situations. Historical tensions over the Israeli-Palestinian divide polarizes many Arabs and Jews in the U.S., while the good relations enjoyed between Blacks and Jews during the civil rights movement has largely become a thing of the past. Yet all three cultures have been the victims of racial profiling or sterotypes, and have had to struggle to achieve social equality—although the jury is still out on whether Arab Americans are in good shape after 9/11, and "Driving While Black" can still be dangerous. |
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"COVERING LEBANON: MEDIA
& THE 2006 WAR" [Los Angeles, March 20, 2007] In the summer of 2006, several graduate students from UCLA studying Arabic in Beirut found themselves under siege as a minor border skirmish on the Lebanese/Israeli border suddenly escalated into a full-scale war. No part of Lebanon escaped bombardment. Ports, highways, bridges, border crossings and the international airport in Beirut—all came under attack. The country was effectively cut off from the outside world. The UCLA students were virtually abandoned and left to find an evacuation solution by themselves. |
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"SULTANS OF SATIRE"
USES IRREVERENT HUMOR TO [Los Angeles, CA]—While sectarian violence continues to fracture societies in the Middle East, Americans of Arab, Iranian, Jewish, Armenian and Turkish heritage are increasingly looking for effective ways to heal conflict and create a more peaceful sense of unity between their respective peoples here at home. And they're finding relief in abundance through an unexpected source a gifted group of Middle Eastern comics called the “Sultans of Satire” and on one of the world’s most highly regarded stages that of the World Famous Laugh Factory on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip. |
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MIDDLE EAST WOMEN POETS PERFORM
LIVE [Los Angeles, Feb. 12] On Sunday, March 11, 2007,
at Loyola Marymount University's Ahmanson Theatre, Nathalie Handal,
Vanessa Hidary, Sholeh Wolpé and Tina Demirdjian will perform
new and recent poems in a commemoration of the fourth anniversary
of the Iraq war, in the spirit of peace. Music by DJ Al Fareed,
videography by Yo Suzuki. Followed by reception. |
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"IRAN AND AMERICA MAKE
MUSIC" MELDING EAST-WEST SOUNDS [Los Angeles, Feb. 10, 2007] Legendary drummer and founding member of the Doors, John Densmore, has co-created a new sound that fuses the exotic music of Iran with western instrumentation, performing with master musician Reza Derakshani (vocals, tar, setar, kamancheh and ney). Haunting and spiritual, driving and hypnotic, The Reza Derakshani-John Densmore Group is premiering their music in Southern California on March 9 and 10, with "Iran and America Make Music" shows at the OC Pavilion and the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. The line-up includes the Brazilian-trained Armenian/Italian world percussionist Cristina Berrio and Cuban bass player Carlitos Del Puerto, with American Dennis Hamm on keyboards. "We've got a global village going here," says Densmore, who created the world jazz ensemble Tribal Jazz. He also cofounded the group The Reluctant Gurus, which will open the Los Angeles concert featuring Jordanian oud master/percussionist Hani Naser and vocalist Donna Delory, who regularly tours with Madonna. |
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FORMER ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMBATANTS
ON U.S. TOUR [Los Angeles, January 11, 2007] A former Israeli combat soldier and a former Palestinian militant will appear together on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. at the Skirball Cultural Center’s Magnin Auditorium, to advocate for non-violent alternatives to achieving a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The speakers, who represent the Israeli-Palestinian group Combatants For Peace (“CFP”, http://www.combatantsforpeace.org/), are coming to Los Angeles as part of a 22-city national tour of the United States. Amy Wilentz, former New Yorker correspondent in Jerusalem, author of the acclaimed novel Martyrs’ Crossing, will moderate. |
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Press Releases 2006 SULTANS OF SATIRE [Los Angeles, Dec. 22, 2006] |
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"THE ART OF RESISTANCE:
ARABS, BLACKS & JEWS [Los Angeles, Dec. 20, 2006] On Saturday, Jan.
20, 2007, Levantine Cultural Center and the literary journal The
Truth About the Fact, with Loyola Marymount University's Dept.
of English and Dept. of Theological Studies Graduate Program, and
The Whole 9,
feature "The Art of Resistance", in which Arab, Black
and Jewish artists come together to share points of view and challenge
audience members with their art and ideas. |
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WHAT'S SO FUNNY? American Stand-up
Comedians [Los Angeles, Dec. 22, 2006] |
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PAN-CULTURAL CENTER FOCUSING
ON MIDEAST/MEDITERRANEAN [Los Angeles, Nov. 8, 2006] Founded in the summer
of 2001 by several Americans of North African/Middle Eastern heritage,
Levantine Cultural Center (LCC) has become a highly visible and
prolific pan-cultural arts project for Middle Eastern cultures,
producing numerous groundbreaking performances and lectures. LCC
often forms cross-cultural partnerships with like-minded organizations,
curates multidisciplinary programs, and regularly includes Arabs/Muslims,
Christians and Jews in its outreach, attracting culturally and religiously
diverse audiences. LCC celebrates its fifth anniversary in 2006
with a series of worldbeat shows, literary events in the series
"Maktub: New Writing From/To the Mideast", the monthly
comedy/satire show "Sultans of Satire: Middle East Comic Relief",
and a forthcoming Middle East film series. |
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RASHID KHALIDI PRESENTS "THE
IRON CAGE" ON THE [Los Angeles, Oct. 6, 2006] On Thursday, Oct. 26,
2006, Levantine Cultural Center, UCLA's Center for Near Eastern
Studies and the UCLA Department of Comparitive Literature, with
support from L.A. Jews for Peace and Women in Black-L.A., host Columbia
University historian Rashid Khalidi in a discussion moderated by
UCLA historians Gabi Piterberg and Aamir Mufti. |
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"TURQUOISE" FEATURES
TURKISH, TUNISIAN JAZZ/WORLD MUSIC WITH [Los Angeles, September 30, 2006] On Sat., Oct. 21, Levantine Cultural Center @ Fais Do-Do presents a unique evening of jazz and world music. The Emir Isilay Group and Evren Edler Ensemble play new jazz, while Nyofu and the iST-WEST Ensemble perform Turkish world beat. Zera Vaughan is a Tunisian-born vocalist supported by an eclectic, multicultural ensemble presenting worldbeat music with elements of electronica and pop. |
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SULTANS OF SATIRE 7: MIDDLE
EAST COMIC RELIEF
FEATURES ALL NEW SATIRE/COMEDY [Los Angeles, Sept. 14, 2006] On Friday, Sept.
29, 2006, Levantine Cultural Center returns from a summer hiatus
with the popular satire/comedy series, Sultans of Satire, featuring
all new material from Rasika Mathur, Noel Elgrably, Aron Kader,
Mike Bataeyh, Max Amini and, for the first time, Shari Vassehgi. |
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WORLD SPIRIT FESTIVAL BRINGS TOGETHER GRAMMY-WINNER ANI, L.A. MUSIC AWARD WINNER LARISA STOW & GATHERING GURU, &HAMAN'S DREAM WORLD GROOVE ENSEMBLE [Los Angeles, September 14, 2006] On Thursday, September 28, 2006, Levantine Cultural Center presents World Spirit Festival at Café-Club Fais Do-Do, uniting for the first time three performing powerhouses—the Grammy-Award winning singer-songwriter Ani, Los Angeles Music Award winner Larisa Stow & Gathering Guru, and Zen Dancing's celebrated musical collective, Shaman's Dream World Groove Ensemble. Celebrate world music and the spiritual quest for peace with this festival for the heart and soul. |
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THE ARAB STREET: HIP HOP-FUNK-ROCK
FOR PEACE, SEPT. 23, FEATURES [Los Angeles, September 8, 2006] On Saturday, September
23, 2006, Levantine Cultural Center presents "The Arab Street:
Hip Hop-Funk-Rock for Peace" in its regular series of worldbeat/new
music concerts. |
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SULTANS OF SATIRE: MIDDLE EAST
COMIC RELIEF 6, JUNE 30 [LOS ANGELES, June 13, 2006]– Each month,
the Levantine Cultural Center's "Sultans of Satire" series
dissects Middle East news, skewering sacred cows and questioning
government press releases. On June 9, three detainees at Guantanamo
committed suicide by hanging, which one U.S. military official described
as "a good PR move to draw attention." The camp commander,
Rear Admiral Harry Harris, declared, "I believe this was not
an act of desperation, but an act of warfare waged against us."
While there were no other casualities at Guantanamo as a result
of the suicides, several camp guards expressed relief to have survived
the attack. |
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"BACK OF THE THROAT", DARK COMEDY BY YUSSEF EL GUINDI ON THE POST-9/11 WORLD OF THE U.S.A. PATRIOT ACT, OPENS FOR 6-WEEK RUN AT PASADENA'S FURIOUS THEATRE, WITH SPECIAL PREVIEW FRI, JUNE 23, 2006 [LOS ANGELES, June 1, 2006] Yussef El Guindi is
among a small crop of Arab American playwrights who are creating
new work that in part examines our fear and paranoia in the post-9/11
world. His latest play, the dark comedy "Back of the Throat",
about an Arab American writer who is visited by two Homeland Security
agents, opens for a six-week run at Pasadena's provocative young
playhouse, the Furious Theatre. |
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"NEW WRITING BY IRANIAN WOMEN IN DIASPORA" DEALS WITH DISLOCATION, REVOLUTION, FAMILY AND NEW IDENTITIES, JUNE 18, 2006 [LOS ANGELES, May 18, 2006) – On Sunday, June 18, 7 pm, four Iranian women will present a new anthology, "Let Me Tell You Where I've Been", edited by Persis Karim. The writing in this anthology challenges our notions of Middle Eastern culture, politics and society. Writers Persis Karim, Elham Gheytanchi, Roxanne Varzi and Sholeh Wolpé (see artist bios below) are copresented by Levantine Cultural Center, Namak magazine, PEN Center USA, Poets & Writers and others cosponsors in the broader Los Angeles community, at the Beverly Hills Library Auditorium, 444 N. Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills CA 90210. |
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SULTANS OF SATIRE: MIDDLE EAST COMIC RELIEF 5 CHALLENGES "CLASH OF CIVILIZATION" DEBATE MAY 26 [LOS ANGELES, April 30, 2006) – What? There
is a "clash of civilizations" between us and them—between
America and the West and the Arab/Muslim east? Seven young satirists
and comedians challenge these binary notions, each with their own
brand of provocative humor, in the next "Sultans of Satire:
Middle East Comic Relief," the fifth such evening in the series
to come to Levantine Cultural Center, at Fais Do-Do, on Friday,
May 26. |
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CELEBRATED IRANIANS READ FROM "UNCENSORED IRANIAN VOICES" ANTHOLOGY APRIL 9, KICKING OFF LEVANTINE CENTER'S SPRING LITERARY SERIES, "MAKTUB: NEW WRITING FROM/TO THE MIDEAST" FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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SULTANS OF SATIRE: MIDDLE EAST COMIC RELIEF 3 COMES TO LEVANTINE AT FAIS DO-DO FRI, MARCH 24 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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FEB. 25, NEW PALESTINE NOVEL, CALLED MAGNUS OPUS IN ARAB WORLD & ISRAEL, TO BE FOCUS OF "GATE OF THE SUN" READING/CONCERT AT LEVANTINE CENTER FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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JAN. 27, "MIDDLE EAST COMIC RELIEF 2" FEATURES SEVEN COMICS, SATIRE & COMEDY ON THE MIDDLE EAST AND LIFE IN THE U.S. AFTER 9/11 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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RARE MACEDONIAN-ARABIC FUSION CONCERT OF MUSICAND DANCE AT LEVANTINE CULTURAL CENTER JAN. 15 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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PEN/LCC CONFERENCE TO ADDRESS
“THE ARAB/MUSLIM REVOLUTION: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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Press Releases 2005 "GLOBAL FREQUENCY"
PRESENTS NEW HYBRID MUSIC FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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SULTANS OF SATIRE, WITH SULTANA IRIS, PROVIDE MIDDLE EAST COMIC RELIEF, NOV. 17 [LOS ANGELES, OCT. 28, 2005] When the news out
of Iraq, Israel-Palestine, Syria, Lebanon or Iran is gloomy, we
can always turn to the Sultans of Satire, with Sultana Iris, to
provide comic relief and political insight into some of our worst
nightmares. Post-9/11 paranoia? Call the Sultans! Got the Arab-Jewish
blues? The Sultans have a bittersweet cure. |
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AHARONIAN MARCOM, "THE DAYDREAMING BOY" AUTHOR, WINNER OF THE 2005 PEN USA FICTION AWARD, COMES TO LEVANTINE CULTURAL CENTER NOV. 10 [LOS ANGELES, OCT. 23, 2005] On Thursday, Nov.
10, Micheline Aharonian Marcom comes to Levantine Cultural Center
for an evening of readings and conversation. She will be introduced
by José Rivera, screenwriter of the hit film "Motorcycle
Diaries," with whom the author and Rivera's wife toured Turkey
and historical Armenia this past summer while Aharonian Marcom was
doing research. She will talk about her novel "The Daydreaming
Boy" (Riverhead Books), which is set largely in Beirut, Lebanon.
The novel |
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"FUNNY IN FARSI" AUTHOR, NOMINATED FOR 2005 THURBER PRIZE FOR AMERICAN HUMOR, IN RUNNING AGAINST JON STEWART, COMES TO LEVANTINE CULTURAL CENTER NOV. 7 [LOS ANGELES, OCT. 20, 2005] Firoozeh Dumas, author
of the popular memoir, "Funny in Farsi" (Random House),
is the first American author of Middle Eastern heritage to have
been nominated for the annual Thurber Prize for American Humor.
She is one of three finalists for the award. The others are the
Daily Show's Jon Stewart, and Andy Borowitz, author of "The
Borowitz Report: The Big Book of Shockers." She comes to Levantine
Cultural Center on Monday, Nov. 7, 7:30 pm. |
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ALCHEMY OF DREAMS Sept. 24,
2005, 8 pm, Ford Amphitheater
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"AXIS OF PEOPLE: ARGUMENTS AGAINST 'US AND THEM'" WITH MIDDLE EAST EXPERT MARK LEVINE, SALAM AL-MARAYATI, JODIE EVANS AND MODERATOR SUZI WEISSMAN
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"STRANGE TIMES LIVE" PRESENTS IRANIAN CULTURE UNCENSORED SEPT. 10 WITH MAZ JOBRANI, ZIBA SHIRAZI AND CONTRIBUTORS TO "STRANGE TIMES, MY DEAR" ANTHOLOGY
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CAMEL JOCKIES & FLYING CARPETS,”
GRAND OPENING CONCERT
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"SULHA RAIVOLUTION, CONCERT IN THE KEY OF PEACE" with the MC RAI ENSEMBLE & GLENDA BENEVIDES & NISSIM MALUL, JULY 10, LOS ANGELES BAHAI CENTER
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Sulha
is an indigenous, Middle Eastern way of reconciliation, and the
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