The San Francisco International Flor Y Canto Literary Festival presents “Home Away From Home; Palestinian and Arab Poetry in the Bay Area.” with poets Lorene Zarou-Zouzounis and Elmaz Abinader.

BIOS

Lorene Zarou-Zouzounis is a Poet/Spoken Word Performer/Writer/Author/Visual Artist. She writes poetry, prose, historical fiction, short story, science fiction, children's lit. In 1964 at age five. Lorene emigrated to Michigan from Palestine, and by age 13 was writing poetry and journaling once arriving into SF in 1971. She earned an AA degree from CCSF in 1982, and then studied at the renowned Creative Writing Department at SFSU for 4 years. A life-long learner she returned to SFSU several times and also attended college in her 60's. Her first published poem in the early 80's appeared in a CCSF anthology, a love poem about her now husband of 41 years. She then had her big debut of three poems published in a SFSU anthology in 1987. She self-published a poetry chapbook in 1987, and has numerous poems published in 19 anthologies. Additionally, she has four poems and an interview published online with Ladige Review-Californian Poets-Part 3. Some notable anthology titles are The Space Between Our Footsteps edited by Naomi Shihab Nye, The Poetry of Arab Women-A Contemporary Anthology edited by Nathalie Handal, Food for Our Grandmothers, edited by Joanna Kadi, A Different Path-An Anthology of Radius of Arab American Writers, Inc.; (RAWI), Maintenant Dada Art & Poetry Journals-Three Rooms Press and The Revolutionary Poets Brigade anthologies. She is currently completing two poetry anthologies of her life's work, and also co-authored a historical-fiction children’s book about ancient Jericho, awaiting publication. Lorene has performed hundreds of readings, with her first significant performance in 1980's at Small Press Traffic in SF, with friend and mentor, Lebanese poet, artist, the late Etel Adnan. She has performed at higher education institutions including UC Berkeley, Stanford, UCSC, SFSU, USF, Pomona College, to name some. Lorene produced and hosted a local Arab-themed community tv program for one year in San Jose, CA, and also co-designed and taught children's poetry workshops as part of a nation-wide PTA program. She has also been a tireless peace, justice and human rights activist since the 1990's. Lorene also dabbles in pencil and ink drawings, scribble art, watercolor. home and garden design.