Renowned poet Nathalie Handal to present reading at Ouachita Sept. 17
September 03, 2015
- Kelsey BondOuachita Baptist University’s Department of Language and Literature will host world-renowned
literary scholar Nathalie Handal in a poetry reading at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17.
The reading will be held in Hickingbotham Hall’s Young Auditorium and is free and
open to the public.
A noted poet, playwright and travel writer, Handal’s works have been translated into
more than 15 languages. She currently serves as professor of creative writing at Columbia
University in New York. She has lived in Latin America, France and the Arab world
and was educated in the U.K. and the U.S.
Pleiades literary journal called Handal “a brilliant poet. She is a chronicler of the human
condition and a philosopher of the most lyrical reaches.”
The reading will provide a unique experience for those seeking to expand their cultural
horizons, especially for those with an interest in the arts, language or travel. For
Ouachita students, it will also fulfill an Art Series credit.
“Much like a rare tapestry, Nathalie Handal’s diverse cultural, linguistic and experiential
backgrounds are woven into her poetry,” said Dr. Raouf Halaby, professor emeritus
of Art and Design and English. “We are very fortunate to have an acclaimed poet, dramatist
and film critic visit our campus.”
“Because Ouachita seeks to be a diverse entity and because Nathalie Handal is diversity
personified, her coming to us will enrich our estate,” added Dr. Johnny Wink, OBU’s
Betty Burton Peck Professor of English.
“Her recent smashing reading at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., attests to
her ability to articulate the collective voice of the human experience,” Halaby noted.
“Love, harmony, hope, displacement and identity” are themes he expects Handal to highlight
in her reading at Ouachita.
Handal holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in poetry from Bennington College in Vermont
and a Master of Philosophy degree in English and drama from Queen Mary College in
London. She also has studied contemporary literature in Russia, France, Spain, Latin
America and the Middle East, has earned numerous literary awards in the U.S. and worldwide
and has been published in numerous anthologies and magazines.
For more information about Handal, visit www.nathaliehandal.com. For more information on Ouachita’s Department of Language and Literature, contact
Dr. Doug Sonheim, department chair, at [email protected] or (870) 245-5554.
By Kelsey Bond
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