The American University of Kuwait launches 3rd biennial literary fest

AUK hosts award-winning writer Jarrar

Randa Jarrar signing some of her novels at AUK.

KUWAIT CITY, April 4: The American University of Kuwait (AUK) launched yesterday its third biennial literary festival by hosting Randa Jarrar, award-winning writer, essayist, and translator. The festival, which lasts for three days, also hosts awardwinning poet and novelist Sinan Antoon. The main theme for this year’s festival is migration, identity, and cultural transformation.

Over the course of the three-day festival, both authors will present public lectures and readings, in addition to the festival’s main roundtable which will be held at AUK on Thursday, April 6. Alongside Jarrar and Antoon, the festival will host authors and artists including Thurayya Al-Baqsami, Bothayna KUWAIT CITY, April 4: Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Muhammad Al-Fares disclosed that recent meetings of the senior ministry officials involve ways to develop teacher training colleges to produce excellent graduates, reports Annahar daily.

Al-Fares stressed the importance of admitting secondary school students with distinguished grades in the colleges of education. He noted the faculties mold trainees to serve at the end of their education Al-Essa, Nada Faris, and Nejoud Alyagout.

Randa Jarrar lived in Kuwait and left it during the Iraqi invasion in 1990. She is an Arab-American writer whose first novel, ‘A Map of Home’, won several awards including the Hopwood Award. She is an assistant professor for creative writing at Fresno State University in the US.

Sinan Antoon is an associate professor at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University where he teaches and researches pre-modern and modern Arabic literature and contemporary Arab culture and politics. His novels include ‘I’jaam’, and ‘Ya Maryam’ which was shortlisted for the Arabic Booker prize in 2013. and that facilities in education colleges should attract excellent students. He noted a committee with members from the Ministry of Education and College of Education held its first meeting about one month ago to discuss the issue.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Education Committee declared support to the steps taken by Minister Al-Fares to reform education, noting many countries such as Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Finland, Germany and UAE follow the trend.