Lit&Lunch Celebrates Modern Iraqi Literature

Lit&Lunch, an innovative and new reading series, celebrates current Iraqi writing on May 9 at 111 Minna Gallery at 12:30 p.m. in downtown San Francisco.

Award-winning actress Denmo Ibrahim presents modern Iraqi literature alongside Saadi Simawe, an Iraqi immigrant and a pioneer in bring Iraqi poetry to an English-speaking audience.

Simawe has made it his life’s work to bring the literature of his homeland into English. “Translating Iraqi poetry has become for me a desperate effort to save what remains of Iraqi humanity and culture,” said Simawe. Ibrahim will add to the event the dynamism of her work as founder and co-artistic director of the mupwumpin theater company.

The provocative writing they will present includes the poem, “The Piano of Condoleezza Rice,” a satire by Iraqi poet Saadi Yusuf, who imagines the U.S. Secretary of State performing at a piano whose keys, “open the gates to the Kingdom of Hell.”

Lit&Lunch features dynamic readings of great literature from around the world. The free events encourage the audience to sit down and enjoy a unique literary reading while enjoying delicious box lunches from the A2 Café. For more information, or to pre-order lunch, go to http://www.catranslation.org