Wednesday, Aug. 10 & 17 at 7 p.m.—RUTLAND—Grace Congregational Church in Rutland, Vt., presents two topical programs honoring the Syrian people and their culture.
On Wednesday, Aug. 10, “Maybe We Are One” will present the slam poetry group Muslim Girls Making Change, the first group of teen slam poets in over a decade to represent Vermont at Brave New Voices International Youth Slam Poetry Festival. Featured in national media, the women take much of their poetic inspiration from their daily lives as first-generation American Muslims.
The group is sponsored by the Young Writers Project, a Vermont nonprofit dedicated to helping encourage, guide and publish young storytellers.
On Wednesday, Aug. 17, “Storytelling for Syria” will present Deborah Felmeth, musician, writer and photographer, speaking about the people of Syria and her book, “Syria Remember Me,” which bears witness in words and images to the strong, dignified, beautiful, and complex lives of the Syrian people. Felmeth is a Vermont resident who found her way to Damascus in 1991 and fell in love with Syria. From 1996 until Syria’s recent upheaval, Felmeth and her husband divided their time equally between Damascus and Vermont.
Both events are free and open to the public.
Photo courtesy of the Young Writers Project
Muslim Girls Making Change (MGMC) is the first group of teen slam poets in over a decade to represent Vermont at Brave New Voices International Youth Slam Poetry Festival. Team members Balkisa Abdikadir, Hawa Adam, Lena Ginawi and Kiran Waqar take much of their inspiration from their lives as first-generation American Muslims.
