Driven by Memory is a poetry and spoken word performance drawing on the customary ruminations and inspections that Ramadan has allowed for the self. As this holy month draws to a close, seven poets have written and will be performing poems driven by memories—that which were kept willingly or those that were longed to forget.


Curator:

Danabelle Gutierrez

Born in Las Piñas and raised in Cairo, Vienna, and Muscat, Danabelle is an awarded writer, actress, and photographer currently working in Dubai, the city she's been calling home for nearly two decades. Her poems have been published in The Common, Cordite Poetry Review, Postscript Magazine, and Electra Street. A video of her poem can also be seen in Vogue Arabia recited by the singer, Ciara.

Participating poets:

Alysia Knowles

Full time content producer and Co-Founder of Just Entertainment. She has worked with influencers in the Middle East and Europe. She loves being behind the camera as much as she enjoys being in front of it. Spoken Word poetry is where she finds catharsis, performing on various stages, sharing the more intimate details of her life. If she isn't on stage you will find her chatting away at whatever social event is being hosted from music to comedy. She is a patron of the arts in its purest form.

Rasha Alduwaisan

Oral historian and writer from Kuwait. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Willow Springs, Michigan Quarterly Review, The Common and Painted Bride Quarterly. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University.

Jared Maxilom

Filipino poet based in Sharjah. Inspired from the narratives of real and imagined lives, his poems often explore themes of solitude, memories, and the profound.

Jennah Fakhouri

Avid writer, and award-winning poet and a wandering spirit who seeks new experiences and destinations to tame her insatiable wanderlust. She aims to use her voice to provide divergent perspectives on global issues and personal journeys, particularly with issues related to refugees due to her own Palestinian American heritage. Her poetry often draws on her time as a volunteer in Morocco, Egypt and the West Bank and on her own struggle to reconcile her fragmented identity into a cohesive destination called Home.

Rosan Katlea Juan

Writes for a wellness brand for her 9 to 5, she writes grocery lists at night but she also writes to save her life. She also lists down when to breathe. She is the author of The Practicing Misis cookbook.

Omar Sabbagh

Widely published poet, writer and critic. Over the last decade and a half, his poetry has appeared and/or will be forthcoming in many prestigious venues, such as: Poetry Review, PN Review, Agenda, Acumen, New Humanist, (T&F) New Writing, The Reader Magazine, Stand, Kenyon Review, New England Review, Banipal, The Warwick Review, The Wolf, among many others. Presently, he teaches at the American University in Dubai (AUD), where he is Associate Professor of English.