Alwan Poetics: A Series of Verse and Music- Abul ʿAla Al-Maʿarri

Salon discussion led by Mohamed Alwan on Abul ‘Ala Al-Ma'ari with music by the Alwan Ensemble, celebrating the classical poetry of Al-Ma'aari, Al-Hallaj, Abu Nawas and the Maqam

In these dire times, where the world that is heir to Al-Ma'ari is in cinders, we seek respite in his philosophical stance of coming to grips with being from nothingness, and the dark night that has befallen the people of the Arab world.

This salon promises to be an enlightening evening of poetry and discussion with Iraqi-born Mohamed Alwan, who received his PhD in Arabic literature from the University of Indiana and taught at Georgetown, Harvard, and Tufts. The Alwan Ensemble accompanies this evening of poetics, delivering a transporting feast of well-loved songs, evoking the ambiances of Cairo, Baghdad, al-Quds and Aleppo, built around mesmerizing textures of rhythmic and improvisational intensity.