S2 Ep2. Investigating Our Multicultural Identities, with Zeina Azzam

An artistic life lived at the intersection between languages and cultures: Zeina Azzam, a deeply thoughtful presence, reads several of her visually evocative poems.  We discuss synesthesia, Zeina's experience of speaking under threatening circumstances,  how we often pour our identity into our accents, and how the experience of speaking publicly has been a process of moving from fear to empowerment.

ZEINA AZZAM BIO

Zeina Azzam is a Palestinian American poet, writer, editor, and community activist. She is the poet laureate of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, for 2022-25. Her poems appear in a number of literary journals, anthologies, and edited volumes and her chapbook, Bayna Bayna, In-Between, was published in 2021 by The Poetry Box. Zeina holds an MA in Arabic literature from Georgetown University, an MA in sociology from George Mason University, and a BA in psychology from Vassar College. 

HOW TO FIND ZEINA

Here is Zeina's website.  If you are interested in her daughter Lena's music, check out Lena's website.

HOW TO FIND SJ & THE VIDEO OF THIS PODCAST If you'd like to learn more about my one-on-one coaching or global online programs, here's my website and here's my free online class! Here's the video of this podcast interview. This and more, including public speaking tips and reaction videos, can be found on my YouTube Channel.