'Brown Girls' screenings planned in conjunction with poets' visit


LAWRENCE — As part of its collaborative speaker series, The Commons at the University of Kansas and the Raven Book Store will bring Fatimah Asghar and Safia Elhillo to speak at 7 p.m. Feb. 5 at Liberty Hall.

Asghar is a poet, screenwriter, educator and performer. Her debut collection of poems, “If They Come for Us”, was published in August 2018 by One World/Random House. She is the co-creator and writer of Emmy-nominated web series “Brown Girls,” which highlights friendships between women of color and will be adapted for television by HBO.

Elhillo is a poet and performer. She is the author of the Arab American Book Award-winning collection “The January Children” (University of Nebraska Press, 2017). Together, Asghar and Elhillo co-edited the anthology “Halal If You Hear Me,” to be released in April 2019 by Haymarket Books.

In anticipation of this event, interested attendees can attend a screening of “Brown Girls” next week at The Commons. Students may attend viewings from noon-1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan.  29; Wednesday, Jan. 30, and Thursday, Jan. 31. A public screening of the entire series will take place at 6 p.m. Jan. 31 at The Commons. The screening events will be introduced and hosted by students who have identified topics for discussion.

Tickets for the Feb. 5 event at Liberty Hall are free and available online. Anyone needing special assistance should contact the staff at The Commons.

The Office of First-Year Experience, through its KU Common Book Program, is also a headline sponsor of the event, which is also supported by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Office of Research, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the Office of the Provost and the Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity.

Fri, 01/25/2019

author

Emily Ryan

Media Contacts

Emily Ryan

The Commons

785-864-6293