Arab women writers making Seattle appearances

Seattle readers will get a chance to hear dispatches from the world of Arab literature this month as several Arab women writers visit the city to read from and discuss their work.

The writers, whose appearances are sponsored by Hedgebrook in partnership with The Arab American Community Coalition, will visit schools, libraries, colleges and bookstores. They include:

Raja Alem: This Saudi Arabian writer lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She is the author of seven novels, plus several plays and collections of poetry. "Fatma: A Novel of Arabia" (Syracuse University Press) is her first book to be published in English.

Choman Hardi: Hardi, who has lived in Iraq, Iran and Turkey before moving to England, is the author of three collections of poetry in Kurdish. "Life for Us" (Bloodaxe) is her first English collection.

Alia Mamdouh: An Iraqi-born writer, Mamdouh lives in Paris. She has published two short-story collections and four novels, one of which, "Mothballs" (Garnet Publishing), is available in English.

Ibtihal Salem: Salem is a native of Cairo, Egypt, and lives in Giza. She has written two novels. Her short-story collection, "Children of the Waters" (Center for Middle Eastern Studies), is available in English.

The writers will appear at these venues:

Alem, Mamdouh and Salem will appear at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Elliott Bay Book Co., 101 S. Main St. in Seattle; free (206-624-6600 or www.elliottbaybook.com).

Alem, Hardi and Salem will appear at 7 p.m. Saturday at Room 110, Kane Hall on the University of Washington campus. Free (206-325-6773 or 360-321-4786)

The four will appear together at 7 p.m. Monday at the Microsoft auditorium in the central branch of the Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Ave. in Seattle; free (206-386-4636).

Mary Ann Gwinn, Seattle Times book editor