An interview with the American-Palestinian poet, Lisa Suhair Majaj conducted by Prof. Petra Tournay-Theodotou, Professor of English Literature at European University Cyprus.

Speakers:
Dr Petra Tournay Theodotou, Professor, Department of Humanities
Lisa Suhair Majaj, Poet, Writer, Academic


Lisa Suhair Majaj was born in Iowa, in the United States, raised in Jordan, educated in Lebanon and the U.S., and lived in America till 2001, when she moved to the island of Cyprus. She holds a Ph.D. and two M.A. degrees from the University of Michigan.

She is author of the poetry anthology Geographies of Light (winner of the 2008 Del Sol Press poetry prize) and of two children’s books and co-editor of three collections of critical essays.

In her work Lisa draws on her life in the Middle East, in the US and partly in Cyprus to portray experiences set amid situations of cultural complexity and political conflict. Her writing provides avenues into the experiences of Arab Americans both in the US and in the Middle East, introducing readers to encounters that may seem far from them but which are extremely relevant in today’s diverse world.

In this interview issues of identity and belonging are explored with the writer. The discussion also addresses some of the literary challenges facing writers – in particular female writers - who write about the Middle East in an attempt to carve out a space for representation.