When local author Pagan Kennedy learned of the September 11 attacks on the United States, she felt the sense of helplessness that left many of us unable to do anything but sit, paralyzed, before our television sets. And yet Kennedy, a tireless political activist, felt she had to do something. "My first and greatest fear was that there would be a huge backlash against Arab-Americans," she says. "The people in the World Trade Center — I was extremely upset about them, but there was nothing I could do to help. But there was something I could do in terms of protecting other Americans. So I jumped into action."

The result of Kennedy’s leap is "A Night with Scheherazade: Stories and Poems from the Arab World," a reading this Friday at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. The event — which features, among other readers, Layla Cable (of the magazine Qualb Al-Umour), George Capaccio (a Middle East peace activist), Lauren Slater (author of Lying), Evelyn Shakir (author of Bint Arab: Arab and Arab American Women in the US), and Kennedy (author of The Exes) — will focus for the most part on Arabic literature. But, says Kennedy, "If anyone wants to read something political, or say something pointed, that’s their right. I think it’s a good time for openness."

Though pointedness is difficult to avoid when dealing with the subject of the Middle East these days, Kennedy hopes the reading will ultimately help Americans reach a deeper understanding of Arabic culture, and promote a sense of connectedness. "Unfortunately, we’re living in a very black-and-white world right now," she says. "The media have given us a monochromatic view of Arabic culture, and I think people are hungry for a more complicated view. What’s wonderful about literature at a time like this is that it pulls us into a more nuanced world."

On a more prosaic level, Kennedy hopes the availability of Middle Eastern desserts after the reading will lead to a more tangible coming-together. "I hope people will hang out to eat and meet each other," she says. "My hope is that this will be a way to get some cross-pollination happening between different communities who can pull together and support each other."

Finally, Kennedy says, she hopes that the reading will help Americans come to terms with their own plight, and even afford a certain measure of comfort. "Many people in the world live in danger," she says, "and they have a lot to teach us. There is so much we can draw on from their experiences as we deal with our own fear and uncertainty. I certainly have been hungering for that, and I am so grateful to the people who record their experiences to help us get through ours."

"A Night with Scheherazade" will be held at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard Street, Brookline, this Friday, November 2, between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $4. Call (617) 566-6660.

Issue Date: November 1 - 8, 2001