Date: Saturday, October 17
Time: Doors: 12:30 pm, Program: 1:00 pm
Venue: Rice Theatre @ The Citadel
Tickets: $20, $5 (student/low income)

Hosted by: Julie Rak
Featuring: Plestia Alaqad

HM Tory Chair and Professor, Julie Rak hosts LitFest’s featured author talk with Plestia Alaqad, where they will discuss Alaqad’s New York Times bestselling memoir, The Eyes of Gaza: A Diary of Resistance.

Written as a series of diary extracts, The Eyes of Gaza relates the horrors of her experiences while showcasing the indomitable spirit of the men, women and children who share Alaqad’s communities. From the epicentre of turmoil, while bombs rain around her and devastation grips her people, she is witness to their emotions, their gentle acts of quiet, necessary heroism, and the moments of unexpected tenderness and vulnerability amid the chaos. Through the raw honesty and vulnerability of a normal 21-year-old woman trying to make her way through a human tragedy, The Eyes of Gaza is a potent reminder of the horrors of violence and a powerful testament to the human spirit. It recounts a harrowing experience, but it is not a heart-breaking lamentation. Rather, it is a deeply intimate love letter to a girl’s home: demolished before her eyes, yes, but forever present in her heart.

Special Guest: This event will include a performance from the Spoken Word Youth Choir and Spoken Word Choir

Presented in partnership with the Henry Marshall Tory Chair, University of Alberta