Alwan for the Arts Presents

The Woman I Left Behind Book reading/Signing by Kim Jensen

Thursday, January 25, 2007, 7:00 PM Open and free to the public

About the book

The Woman I Left Behind tells the story of a love between a Palestinian student and a young American woman. This remarkable debut novel explores the difficulties of an intercultural relationship, and it gives us a rare glimpse into Palestinian history and culture. Set in Southern California during the first Gulf War with flashback scenes in Jerusalem and Beirut, The Woman I Left Behind reveals the cultural dilemmas that inevitably occur when lovers from different worlds come together.

"This is a love story with an edge to it, a novel that is daring in style and content, a riveting exploration of the place where politics, culture and psychology intersect, where a history of wars collides with everyday life." - Jordan Times "

...the universality of the human issues addressed in Jensen's debut novel assures its appeal to a broad audience, while the richness of the writing enhances that allure. Jensen's description is artistic, her voice honest, her politics informed...[an] excellent novel." -Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

Kim Jensen is a writer who has lived and taught in California, France, and the Middle East. She and her husband Palestinian painter Zahi Khamis have been active in human rights movements for many years. Her writings have appeared in a wide variety of newspapers and magazines, including Al Jadid, Rain Taxi Review, Al Ahram Weekly, Oakland Tribune, So to Speak, Gathering of the Tribes, and Poetry Flash. In 2001 she won the Raymond Carver Prize for Short Fiction. She currently lives in Maryland, with Zahi and their two children. She is on the editorial board of the Baltimore Review and is Assistant Professor of English at the Community College of Baltimore County.

Last updated: 2007-09-12 10:26:08