Following a reading of the work of celebrated Iraqi poet, Al-Mutanabbi, Glasgow Museums’ Curator of Islamic Civilisations, Noorah Al-Gailani will reflect on her experiences as an Iraqi migrant who has frequented the famous book-selling street in Baghdad throughout her life, and watched it change.

As well as this, leading Scotland-based writers will read poetry inspired or informed by Al-Mutanabbi’s poetry. This includes Jenni Calder, Marjorie Lotfi-Gill, Samie Mansoor, Jemma Neville and Leela Soma. If you would like to join them, please find out more here: https://scottishpen.org/al-mutanabbi-street-starts-here-opportunities

As part of this event, you are invited to bring a piece of writing that has impacted your life meaningfully– whether it be a book, a form, a letter or a story about something you have read. This event will include a workshop on documenting objects and stories around these.

Glasgow Museums is working in correspondence with San Francisco based poet Beau Beausoleil whose project Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here has called poets, writers and artists globally to respond  to the March, 5^th 2007 car bombing of Baghdad’s “Street of Booksellers”.

From 12 noon until 5pm, the Scottish PEN 90th Anniversary Exhibition will be hosted in the main hall of Kelvingrove Museum so please drop by to find out more about our 90-year history protecting at-risk writers and defending free expression.