Language Rooms

America’s War on Terror has had a profound effect on the country’s values and standing in the world and has greatly affected how we perceive our enemies.  A distinguished group of thinkers will examine these questions, including Petra Bartosiewicz, Ian Lustick (Trapped in the War on Terror), Fathali M. Moghaddam (How Globalization Spurs Terrorism: The Lopsided Benefits of One World and Why That Fuels Violence), and Jonathan Moreno (Mind Wars: Brain Research and National Defense).  Free for all Subscribers and Language Rooms ticket holders, otherwise, $10.  For tickets, please call the Box Office at 215.546.7824 or email tickets@wilmatheater.org.

Petra Bartosiewicz is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn, NY.  Her forthcoming book, “The Best Terrorists We Could Find,” an investigation of terrorism trials in the U.S. since 9/11, will be published by Nation Books in 2010. She has written for numerous publications, including The Nation, Mother Jones, The New York Times, Salon.com, and Hustler, and has worked in radio for the weekly program, This American Life, where her 2005 piece, “The Arms Trader,” was a finalist for the Livingston Awards and Scripps Howard Awards, and another piece, “The Prosecutor,” won the 2009 Newswomen’s Club of New York Award. She got her start in journalism at The New York Observer and later attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. www.petrabart.com

Moderated by John Timpane of The Philadelphia Inquirer, this discussion will explore the state of the American Dream for Arab-Americans in our post-9/11 world.  Panelists will include Toufic El Rassi, author of the graphic novel/memoir Arab in America, and Marwan Kreidie, Villanova professor and Chairman of the State Civil Service Commission.  Free for all Subscribers and Language Rooms ticket holders, otherwise, $10.  For tickets, please call the Box Office at 215.546.7824 or email tickets@wilmatheater.org.

Toufic El Rassi is a college lecturer in history and political science. He is also a writer and a graphic novelist and commentator on Middle Eastern affairs. His book Arab in America is now available on Amazon.com. He currently lives on the north side of Chicago.

Marwan Kreidie has been Chairman of the State Civil Service Commission since 2005. Chairman Kreidie is founder and executive director of the Philadelphia Arab-American Community Development Corporation (AACDC).  The AACDC provides services to the Arab-American community including health care, access to social services, English as a second language and citizenship classes.  Chairman Kreidie is an active member of the National Leadership Conference of the Arab-American Institute in Washington, D.C. He is currently a professor in the Department of Politic Science at Villanova University.