Expat Harem

Arizona Dream

Leaving the lush green hills of Nashville for the hot but blooming desert of Tucson, Arizona was a shock to our systems – but we were soon enough in our element at independent bookseller Antigone Books, who hosted our Monday, May 1st event.

EH contributor Catherine Salter Bayar--author of Water Under the Bridge-- was on hand, fresh in from the performance of her piece at Orpheum Arts Space in Albuquerque, New Mexico, an event complete with seven bellydancers... Her artist friend Kim Smith joined her as well.

The crowd of 27 who came to see us at Antigone consisted of Tucson Turks and their significant others like Hikmet Kocamaner (currently penning a paper on the 1978 Oliver Stone movie Midnight Express); Dr. Senzil Nawid from University of Arizona’s Southwest Institute for Research on Women (SIROW) who is writing a novel about an Englishwoman in Afghanistan at the turn of the century; and many Turkophiles who have worked in, traveled to, or hope to eventually travel to the country.

Danielle Van Dobben wins the prize for most enthusiastic audience member. After checking EH out of the University of Arizona library some weeks ago and reading it cover to cover, she set the record at Antigone for most copies bought—seven copies of EH to distribute to all her friends!

EH in University Libraries
More and more universities are beginning to carry EH in their libraries. Besides University of Arizona, the anthology is also on the shelves of these institutions:
-Georgetown University
-Tennessee State University
-University of Alabama
-University of Michigan
-University of Vermont

MileMarker
We have now covered 3,736 miles by land and air, traversing 18 states (14 of them via car). We have held 11 events now, presenting to over 290 people.

4.5 weeks left to go!