Book Launch Event
with SUSAN MUADDI DARRAJ and JOHN PAUL INFANTE
Thursday, February 1, 2024, 7:00 - 9:00PM
at Ballet Hispánico, NYC

We’re thrilled to celebrate the new novel by American Book Award winner Susan Muaddi Darraj, author of BEHIND YOU IS THE SEA (HarperVia, January 16, 2024). JOHN PAUL INFANTE, winner of the PEN Robert J. Dau Story Prize and author of ON THE TIP OF YOUR MOTHER’S TONGUE (Thirty West), will moderate the conversation at Ballet Hispánico on Thursday, February 1st, 7PM - 9:00PM EST.

After, watch Susan’s beautiful novel come to life with a dance performance created by Ballet Hispánico choreographer Rodney Hamilton and dancer Mia Bermudez.

THIS IN-PERSON EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

RSVP at events@kwelijournal.org
Please note: For security purposes, please register with your full name and the full names of your guests. Thank you.

Kweli Journal is excited to partner with Ballet Hispánico to present this special #KweliLitFest24 pre-festival event.

ARTISTS

SUSAN MUADDI DARRAJ
Susan Muaddi Darraj is an award-winning writer of books for adults and children. She won an American Book Award, two Arab American Book Awards, and a Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artists Award. In 2018, she was named a USA Artists Ford Fellow. Her books include her linked short story collection, A Curious Land, as well as the Farah Rocks children’s book series. She lives in Baltimore, where she teaches creative writing at Harford Community College and the Johns Hopkins University. Her new novel, BEHIND YOU IS THE SEA, will be published in January 2024 by HarperVia.

JOHN PAUL INFANTE
JP Infante is the author of On the Tip of Your Mother’s Tongue and Aquí y Allá: un retrato de la comunidad Dominicana en Washington Heights. He is the winner of PEN’s Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize and Thirty West’s Chapbook contest. His writing has appeared in Kweli, The Poetry Project, Rigorous, A Gathering of the Tribes, and elsewhere. He has been awarded scholarships and fellowships from the NY State Writers Institute, PEN America and The Center for Fiction. He holds an MFA from The New School.

RODNEY HAMILTON
Rodney Hamilton began his training in his native St. Louis at several schools including Carr Lane V.P.A., the Center of Contemporary Arts, and Alexandra School of Ballet. He also studied with Ms. Katherine Dunham and joined the chorus at the MUNY where he performed for seven years. After arriving in New York City, he graduated with a BFA in Dance from the Juilliard School and joined Ballet Hispánico where he was a principal dancer and assistant rehearsal director for 10 years. Mr. Hamilton holds an MFA in Dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He has taught ballet, modern, and Dunham technique all over the world. Mr. Hamilton is happy to be returning home to Ballet Hispánico as a faculty member at the School of Dance and to take on the role of BHdos Rehearsal Director.

MIA BERMUDEZ
Mia Bermudez is a aspiring artist born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey. Her training began at nine years old at Ballet Hispánico’s School of Dance studying under the La Academia Pre-Professional Program with merit scholarship. Studying at the highest level of the school, Mia has trained in Spanish dance, Ballet, and various styles of modern under teachers such as Nicole Duffy, Yvonne Gutierrez, and Rodney Hamilton. At Ballet Hispánico, she has performed at the 2021 Macys Thanksgiving Parade, the Apollo Theatre for Performances for Young People, and at the Ballet Hispánico Gala. Mia has also studied at numerous intensives such as the Debbie Allen Dance Academy and La Escuela Nacional de Ballet de Cuba. She is a recent graduate from Montclair High School and is passionate and eager to grow in her artistry as a dancer and striving professional.


KEY EVENT INFO:

Performance, Reading & Conversation feat. Susan Muaddi Darraj with John Paul Infante

A Book Launch Event

Date: Thursday, February 1st, 7PM - 9:00PM EST

Location: Ballet Hispánico (167 West 89th Street, New York, NY 10024)

A Look Back | #KweliLitFest23 at Ballet Hispánico
with
Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ingrid Rojas Contreras