Poetry Workshop in Nazareth [English]

We gathered in Blebel Youth Center in the old market of Nazareth. It’s the 3rd of September, 2021 and the weather is hot bordering cool, especially as the sun sets down and only the cold breeze saved in between the limestone blocks that shape the old alleys of Nazareth’s Market. People gather in Sibat al Sheikh, not only for our event tonight, but also for another event in Baladna- another youth center next to Blebel. As we say in Arabic, الخير خيرين- the more the better! I am really happy to see many people- young and old, from Nazareth and from towns around it gathering for cultural events in the heart of the city.

We arrived a bit early to organize the venue, to prepare for the tea and set up the chairs. Though we said we will start at 18:30- we ended up starting at 19. We introduced the project and then ourselves. Then we embarked on the poetic trip that Yara took us by analyzing a poem called “funeral” by a local Syrian-Palestinian poet called Yaser Khinjar from Mijdal Shams. The poem started out to be a bit dark, as its title implies, but then we succeeded in gleaning some hope out of it- in the rebirth that death entails.

At 8, we took a 15-min break to sip tea and eat home-made Mabroushe. It was perfect. I met new persons interested in literature and science and everything in between. I met musicians. I met a friend’s dad and another’s brother! It was beyond me.

After that, we entered the small youth center, keeping the doors wide open so people can still stand outside and follow with the workshop. I presented a dear poem to my heart called “daffodils” by the English poet Ted Hughes. The poem is not easy, and it has many difficult words – especially for a non-native English speakers. I provided the meaning of the words I deemed particularly hard in the hand-out paper. The interactions of the audience was amazing- everyone participated in the discussion that I facilitated in order to understand the poem. At the end, I provided a context of who is the poet and who is his deceased wife- Sylvia Plath.

After we finished analyzing the second poem, we opened the stage for everyone to share their writing or piece of art. This part was amazing and my all-time favorite: the first participant named Abed Al Hamid recited a pre-islamic poem that he memorized by heart. His performance was amazing and he enchanted us all- I felt like I travelled in time to visit Majnoon Layla and listen to his yearnings and longings. Then we had another particpant reciting an traditional-rhymed Arabic poem that he wrote- believe me it’s not easy to write according to the Arabic meteric seas of poetry and he did that splendidly. His name was Ahmad. The third participant read a poem that she is personally fond of, which was when I look at clouds by William Wordsworth. The fourth participant was Yara and she read and performed two amazing poems. Then it was my turn and I shared two very dear to my heart poems. At the end, Shaden’s brother, who is 11-years old came up and recited a poem he wrote about autumn.

The whole experience was breath-taking. Although I had my initial reluctance about having this workshop because I am going through a period of stress and pressure. But this workshop has given me more than it had required efforts from me. Seriously- seeing old and new friends discussing poetry- reclaimging the space of the old market of Nazareth was so powerful and it provided me for so much energy for many projects and initiatives to come. I still have my artistic and philosophical questions about the role of space in this workshop- what did our presence there reading poetry affect the materialistic space and how did the space of the market influence our own poetry reading phenomenon. These questions will accompany for the next few years and I will struggle with them perhaps, the struggle is good – it means progress. So I’m taking my time and not jumping to conclusions. So sorry I can’t provide you with any solid thesis at this stage- I’m only observing, meticulously observing and experiencing and writing.

Thank you.