Busboys and Poets and Middle East Institute welcomes author Leila Abdelrazaq
Date and Time
Apr 21, 2015 6:00 pm
Location
14th & V
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Apr 21, 2015 6:00 pm
14th & V
Busboys and Poets in collaboration with the Middle East Institute presents Palestinian American Chicago based author Leila Abdelrazaq with her new graphic novel Baddawi.
Baddawi is a coming-of-age story about a boy named Ahmad finding his place in the world. Raised in a refugee camp called Baddawi in northern Lebanon, Ahmad is just one of the thousands of Palestinians who fled their homeland after the war in 1948 established the state of Israel.
In this visually arresting graphic novel, Leila Abdelrazaq explores her father’s childhood in the 1960s and ’70s from a boy’s eye view as he witnesses the world crumbling around him and attempts to carry on, forging his own path in the midst of terrible uncertainty.
Leila Abdelrazaq is a Chicago-based Palestinian artist and organizer. She double majors in Theatre Arts and Arabic Studies at DePaul University, and is expected to graduate in 2015. During her time at DePaul, Leila served in her chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), helping to pass the DePaul Divest referendum. She is also a member of the National Students for Justice in Palestine Steering Committee. When not drawing comics, studying Arabic, or working with SJP, Leila enjoys carpentry, painting, breaking things, and making a mess. Her website is lalaleila.com and she tweets @lalalaleila.
Free and open to all!
Sep 10, 2025 7:00 pm
