This broadside was a true collaboration between the artist, the poet, and the production team, seamlessly connecting the Baldwin 100 with the Cheuse Center’s annual theme, The Politics of Language / The Language of Politics. The broadside was supported by the Virginia Commission of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
When Zeina Azzam shared a selection of poems with the center for the broadside, Leeya Mehta chose this one for its vibrant celebration of the rivers and music of both the Middle East and America. The poem carried multiple influences, yet Zeina’s voice shone through, filled with love and joy.
“This poem came to me as I contemplated the richness of being raised in two cultures and two languages,” stated Azzam. “Growing up as an Arab American I may have felt cultural dissonances at times, but as you will read in my poem, my bicultural and bilingual experience has fostered in me complementary ideas and customs and values. Language, in particular, gives us meaning and sanctuary for who we are; Arabic and English both define my identity and allow it to evolve within the dynamic, shifting, and beautiful landscape of my two tongues.
“I am proud to be an Arab American. I appreciate deeply what my steadfast and resilient community has endured in the past century and a half, and how it has thrived in the United States. This identity, and especially being Palestinian, has also opened my eyes to the experiences of those who are marginalized in our society, and in the world, who face discrimination and unequal or unjust treatment.”
Zeina then suggested collaborating with Mona El-Bayoumi, an American Egyptian artist—a choice that aligned perfectly with Mehta’s own hopes for the project. With no hesitation, they invited El-Bayoumi to join.
For the broadside, El-Bayoumi transformed the poem into a collage, integrating it into a painting created specifically for the project.
Zeina Azzam and Mona El-Bayoumi with the painting.
Mehta recalls, “Fortunately, I was able to fit it in my car with the backseats down and transport it to Mason Exhibitions, where Steven Luu came to my rescue. Steven reserved a studio in the art building on Mason’s Fairfax campus and took multiple shots. Since the painting was so large, the wood had warped slightly, and he had to digitally straighten the image.”
Working under a tight deadline, Mason Exhibitions delivered a high-quality photograph to Kevin Jones, the graphic artist who had designed the first broadside. Jones collaborated closely with Zeina and Mehta, meticulously refining proofs to adapt the painting while incorporating all the text, which was a challenging process. “But we did it,” Mehta said. “And it was ready just in time for our event celebrating Jimmy Baldwin.”
Steven Luu with the painting.
The event was an evening of jazz and poetry, featuring broadside poets Ethelbert Miller and Zeina Azzam. A hundred guests gathered to celebrate love and the legacy of James Baldwin, as both poets read from their works against a backdrop of Baldwin’s favorite jazz, specially curated by singer Lena Seikaly and her quartet. Attendees left with gifts of broadsides and postcards, mementos of a night that honored poetry, music, and Baldwin’s enduring influence.
Poet Ethelbert Miller reading.
“This project feels incredibly vital and I’m so grateful to the Cheuse Center for featuring diverse voices,” says Azzam. “The melding of poetry and visual art represents a synergy of content and form, meaning and representation. We are words and we are art, and our emotions and dreams dwell in this vast and amazing space. The project offers a profound way to communicate such artistic expression and welcomes the reader and viewer so effectively.”
Art by Mona El-Bayoumi
Mona El-Bayoumi grew up in East Lansing, Michigan, where her household was filled with people from around the world. This exposure along with international traveling from a young age influenced her and thus her work. Her formal studies were at Michigan State University where she obtained her BFA in Painting and Drawing. Later, she pursued post-graduate studies in Art Education, and then obtained a Masters Certificate in Museum Studies at Georgetown University. She has been volunteering as a docent at the National Museum of Women in the Arts for the past 30 plus years. Mona has also worked for “Arts for the Aging” (AFTA), a program where artists facilitate art activities for senior citizens in the D.C. Metropolitan area. She was a Visiting Artist in Residence at Aidan Montessori School where she worked with young children.
Mona has exhibited in the United States and around the world including Egypt, Paris, and South Africa. In her exhibits, political themes in their various forms are reflected. Mona El-Bayoumi resides in Washington DC.
Graphic design by Kevin Jones
Kevin Jones is a visual artist and designer from the Northern Virginia area. Kevin’s visual practice focuses on the themes of race, intersectionality, equity and accessibility. He filters these themes through masterwork re-contextualization using pop culture, American comic books, anime and manga as lenses. He is fascinated by the concept of Afro-futurism and the implicit hopefulness presented by the concept and tries to harness it into much of his work.
Born in Washington D.C., Kevin grew up in Clifton, Virginia before attending Virginia Commonwealth University in the early 2000s where he studied illustration. Years later he returned to academia to further his education, receiving an AAS in graphic design at Northern Virginia Community College before transferring to George Mason University where he graduated in December 2024, with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts.
As an illustrator Kevin has published a book of some of his science fiction and fantasy illustrations called Transmissions from the Darkside of a Destroyed Moon as well as a variety of commission-based work for individuals. In his fine arts practice he has presented work in several shows in the Washington Baltimore area including, Re-Wire, Out of Order, and Singularity. He has also won jury prizes for his entries in the SGA Art Expo as well as the NVCC Art Show.
Poem by Zeina Azzam
Zeina Azzam, a Palestinian American poet, writer, editor, and community activist, is currently the Poet Laureate of the City of Alexandria, Virginia. Her full-length poetry collection, Some Things Never Leave You, was published by Tiger Bark Press in July 2023. In the words of Luisa Igloria (20th poet laureate of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Emerita), "Despite the wars that wage in the world and a multitude of things we can no longer claim, these poems find anchor in their belief in the goodness of family and the wisdom of ancestors." Poet Lena Khalaf Tuffaha (Winner, National Book Awards 2024 for Poetry, for her book Something about Living) adds that "Through her childhood memories in Arab cities to the repeated farewells and departures of exile, Azzam’s poems alternately mourn and celebrate the wonders of life." Poet James Crews (author of Kindness Will Save the World) writes that "Whether reaching out to a mother in Baghdad wailing for her lost son, or relishing the spices of childhood, Azzam’s necessary poetry roots itself in the earth that belongs not just to one country or one person, but to all of us."
The themes that Zeina's poetry addresses include war and displacement, the refugee and immigrant experiences, the elusive distance between home and exile, the feeling of being in-between cultures and languages and identities, and encounters with different kinds of loss. Zeina notes in her book that she has a “bicultural and bilingual view of the world that is bewildering, enriching, and beautiful, all at the same time.” Her poetry is also inspired by the natural, wondrous world, the joys and challenges of personal relationships, and social justice issues.
I AM AN ARAB AMERICAN
Because I tend the fig tree as earnestly as the dogwood and the pine
Because cinnamon and anise, cumin and cardamom inhabit my shelves and senses
Because I bake both baklawa and blueberry pie for my family
Because poems by Mahmoud Darwish and Lucille Clifton are my daily bread
Because both Ibn Khaldun and Howard Zinn explain the world to me
Because I am awed by the blueness of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea
I am an Arab American
Because I see Gaza when a protester raises a fist in Ferguson
Because Abu al-Qassim al-Shabbi and Angela Davis inspire me to act
Because I treasure coffee from Yemen, dates from Iraq, pistachios from Syria,
as well as pecans and corn and apples from Georgia, Iowa, New York
Because I write in languages that flow in opposite directions
Because Arabic and English are my archetypes of sanctuary
Because my name is unfamiliar to some and a comforting word for others to carry
I am an Arab American
Because I grow jasmine in Virginia to conjure the fragrance of my my first home
Because melodies of the oud and guitar dwell in my ears
Because I listen to Umm Kulthum, Fairouz, Ella Fitzgerald, and Joni Mitchell in one sitting
Because to me, the olive tree is an ancestor, a food source, a healer
Because I am the daughter of Palestinian refugees and we are all immigrants
Because I’ve touched the splendor of a brown child in my womb
Because my children see more than one world, inherit stories that astonish and bloom
I am an Arab American
Because I want to protect the purple mountains and shining seas everywhere
Because I embrace Hiawatha’s Seventh Generation Principle: to live knowing that all our decisions will affect the world for hundreds of years
Because I learned early on that karam, the Arabic word for generosity and kindness, is the most important belief to hold dear
© Zeina Azzam
April 02, 2025