Bandit Queen Press wants to Go to PalFest!
The Palestine Festival of Literature (PalFest) is a cultural roadshow that tours Palestine annually. Last year novelist and PULSE coeditor Robin Yassin-Kassab was a featured participant alongside other well-known writers like Suheir Hammad and Andrew O’Hagan. PalFest combats one of the most negative effects of Israel’s continued occupation of Palestine: the isolation of the Palestinian people. In the following interview, PalFest creative producer Omar Robert Hamilton discusses PalFest’s origins and what they have planned for the future. (The creators of Palfest are currently working on their upcoming 2010 roadshow and are expected to release the names of this year’s participants in April. In the meantime be sure to check out their website and become a fan of them on Facebook for regular updates.) Jasmin Ramsey (JR): How did PalFest begin? Omar Robert Hamilton (ORH): Ahdaf Soueif and Brigid Keenan were talking — as they almost always do — about what they could do to help Palest...