WHAT: The Suffering Grasses, Nov 29 2012 7:30pm - 9:00pm
& Dec 6 2012 7:30pm - 9:00pm
WHO: Jihad Abdo & Fadia Afashe, Syrian Exiles
WHERE: Levantine Cultural Center, 5998 W. Pico Blvd., LA 90035, street parking.
PRICE: $7/$5 students, Levantine café open
INFO/RSVPs: Levantine Cultural Center, 323.413.2001, online, levantinecenter.org.

[LOS ANGELES -- Nov. 15, 2012] The Syrian civil war has raged for a year and a half, with over 30,000 dead, an estimated 200,000 external refugees and as many as 1.5 million refugees inside the country, according to the United Nations. The conflict has become a microcosm for the complicated politics of the Middle East against the backdrop of the Arab Spring and continued unrest throughout the region. The Suffering Grasses, a film by Iara Lee, seeks to explore the Syrian conflict through the humanity of the civilians who have been killed, abused, and displaced, telling stories of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

By Juliana Maio

During her recent talk at UCLA, Lucette Lagnado, an investigative reporter for the Wall Street Journal, expressed nostalgia for a lost world as she discussed her memoirs about her family's life in Egypt and subsequent exile in America.

Rania MatarBorn and raised in Lebanon, Rania Matar moved to the U.S. in 1984. Trained as an architect at AUB and at the American University of Beirut and at Cornell University, she worked as an architect before studying photography at the New England School of Photography, and at the Maine Photographic Workshops in Mexico with Magnum photographer Constantine Manos. She currently works full-time as a photographer, and started teaching photography to teenage girls in refugee camps in Lebanon, with the assistance of non-governmental organizations, and to teenage refugees in Boston with the assistance of Children's Hospital.

Matar's work focuses mainly on women and girls. Her previous work has focused on the Middle East on women and children, and her projects—which examined the Palestinian refugee camps, the veil and its meanings, the aftermath of war, and the Forgotten Christians: the Christians of the Middle East—intend to give a voice to people who have been forgotten or misunderstood. In Boston, where she lives, she photographs her four children at all stages of their lives, and is currently working on a new body of work "A Girl and her Room," photographing teenage girls from different backgrounds.

Los Angeles-TehranThis is the first working committee meeting and leadership dinner of the new Los Angeles-Tehran "World Cities" Online Dialogue.

Only the first 25 to RSVP will be seated. A delicious Middle Eastern buffet will be served. RSVPS to 310.657.5511. No reservations will be accepted via email. Calls only.

Levantine Cultural Center in association with The Writing Studio^TM offers ongoing classes in creative writing, autobiography, memoir and fiction, with Elana Golden.

Every Saturday except the 4th Saturday in the month

CLASS CAN BE JOINED AT ANY TIME, SIGN UP FOR A SET OF FOUR CLASSES.
2:15 - 5:15 PM

At Levantine Cultural Center, 5998 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035
$120 for four (4) consecutive classes paid in advance
Suitable for new and experienced writers - limited to 10 participants

In each class, participants write and read in the group in an atmosphere of respect and artistic passion. The skills of creative writing are taught and explored, as well as methods to put aside the critical mind and free the writer's personal voice.