Taha's reading rocked!

Taha and Peter Cole read a few of his poems to a full house yesterday, though Taha appeared exhausted after a long flight. Still, he told stories-- long, intricate, hilarious ones-- and read some amazing work, which he humbly thanked us for considering as poetry. Anton Shammas was in the audience-- Anton was the first to translate Taha's work into Hebrew, bringing him much attention- and Taha thanked him half a dozen times, calling him habibi over and over again. It was a heart-warming event.

Here is a poem that brought tears to many eyes. Here it is in Arabic.