“The Sight of Stars Makes me Dream,” a literary event to benefit the Gaza Scholarship Initiative for Displaced Students, will be held Sunday, July 28 from 2-5pm at Reparations Club book store (3054 Victoria Avenue, in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles). Tickets are sliding scale starting at $25. If the ticket price is a barrier, please contact us via the button below. Can't attend the event and want to donate to the initiative? You can donate without purchasing a ticket by clicking the "donate" button and selecting "donate only."

About the Writers, Works, & Volunteers:

The event will feature readings of essays and poems by young Palestinian writers from Gaza participating in We Are Not Numbers (WANN), a youth-led program that pairs aspiring writers with international mentors to amplify Palestinian voices and the human stories behind the numbers of Palestinians in the news. Readings will offer a glimpse of daily life in Gaza prior to the October 7, 2023, the beginning of the current assault on Gaza, as well as from-the-ground essays that vividly detail bombardment, forced relocations, and the struggle to survive since October 7, tempered with wry humor and fierce resilience.

Since the writers cannot read their own works in person, young LA-based writers of color will be reading at the event. The readers’ information will be available so that attendees can follow their future work! In addition, the event will be MC’d by traci kato-kiriyama: the award-winning author of Navigating With(out) Instruments. Two up-and-coming local DJs, DJ Minz and DJ Zainab, will welcome attendees into the beautiful Rep Club space.

Works Being Read: "Pasha Palace: a Beauty of the Old City" by Rawan Ouda, “The Simplicity of a Child” by Mustafa Batnain, “I Wish I Were Born a Mermaid” by Ola Al Asi, “A Desperate Bird” by Haya Abu Nasser, “A Lucky Gaza Routine” by Nowar Diab, “Lament for the Universities” by Hamza Ibrahim, “It’s A Rainy Day in My Normal Life” by Habiba Masoud, “Learning Nursing Under Fire in Gaza” by Faress Arafat, “The Assault on Women’s Dignity” by Dima Shamaly, “I Cannot Believe I Survived to Write this Letter” by Aseel Zeineddin, “Late Night in Eden in Winter and in War” by Basma Alafifi, “Whispers of Love” by Haya Abu Nasser, “Starting College When There are No Colleges Left” by Esraa Abo Qamar, “The SIght of Stars Makes Me Dream” by Roaa Missmeh, and “Under the Same Stars” by Roaa Missmeh and Danah Besaiso.

About the Initiative & Event Endorsers:

The Gaza Scholarship Initiative for Displaced Students is a small, international volunteer coalition of WANN mentors and academics working to place Gaza university students in degree programs across the U.S. and abroad. As every university in Gaza has been reduced to rubble, these students are without options to continue their education. They dream of pursuing their education and returning to Gaza to help rebuild. The initiative has secured over 50 college placements at schools in four countries. Many of these placements are full ride scholarships; others need funding for some tuition, room and board. In addition to direct school-related expenses, funds are needed for evacuations, visas, and airfare. Without financial support, Gaza students cannot accept their new university placements.

All proceeds from registration for the event will be donated to support the initiative. The event is endorsed by the Palestinian Feminist Collective, Writers Against the War on Gaza, Palestine Writes, and the Los Angeles chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace.

Schedule:

2-3pm Music, socializing, items for sale, support Rep Club!

3-4:30pm Program (with a 10 minute intermission)

4:30-5pm Music, socializing, items for sale, support Rep Club!