CINEMANITA is back with BIYA BIYA bringing you a tender Nowruz collaboration! Join us for a pre-show Nowruz zine session: think a mix of collage, drawing, and manifesting more light in the face of darkness led by dramaturg, theater journalist, and oral historian Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel at 6:30 pm. Meet us at the Chicago Art Department in Pilsen.

Get your stitch fix in with a Stitching Circle! Join BIYA BIYA for a low-stakes fiber arts afternoon at Solidarity Studios. BYO-projects: be it a ripped pocket, a much-loved quilt, solo sock or something else! We'll provide the sweet vibes and supplies for a casual circle of creative community support. 

Come make a ZINE and join a legacy of storytelling and knowledge-sharing that challenges the mainstream! Emerging from the Harlem Renaissance and commonly associated today with punk/DIY subcultures, zines are mini-magazines using collage, illustration, and writing.

Calling all Chicago dramaturgs! Join LMDA for a mixer at The Understudy. Join VP of Freelance Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel and Chicago Regional VP Maren Robinson for an interactive conversation on the state of Chicago dramaturgy. You’ll learn about resources and opportunities compiled by the Literary Managers & Dramaturgs of the Americas and connect with fellow dramaturgs desiring more collaborative spaces.

Come meet and mingle with fellow eldest daughters and those who identify with that ambitious, care-centered, big love ethos we all crave. Join BIYA BIYA for a night of sapphic sounds and connections, on February 22 at Dorothy!

Ripped your favorite top? Thick thighs wearing out your jeans? Bring your clothes that need a little love to learn how to mend them together! Extending the life of our clothes keeps them out of the 92 million tons of annual textile waste produced globally.

 Join BIYA BIYA for a Block Printing Workshop! This 3-hour session will walk you through the basics of linoleum block printing – including designing, carving, and printing original prints. All skill levels are welcome and all materials will be provided for use in session! 

Join BIYA BIYA as we welcome a community auntie and artist to lead us in a Persian Calligraphy Workshop! Come learn the basic strokes of nastaliq – most commonly used for Persian poetry but shared across Arabic, Dari, Pashto & Urdu letters. No experience in these alphabets or nastaliqscript is required!

Come come and join us for a Raqs Sharki Workshop! This 90 minute session, led by dance artist Yasmeen, will take us through the 101 of raqs sharqi.

 Join BIYA BIYA for a Block Printing Workshop! This 3-hour session will walk you through the basics of linoleum block printing – including designing, carving, and printing original prints. All skill levels are welcome and all materials will be provided for use in session! 

TAYF takes the CHOP SHOP on October 13! Join us for an anniversary concert celebrating TAYF’s continued existence and growth as an incubator of emerging maqam musicians from the margins and as a community gatherer.

Join BIYA BIYA for our second Maqam Workshop! In this interactive session, musicians will learn the language and basics of maqam. Taught by musicians Karl El Sokhn (aka Reckless Darling) and C Mikhail, you’ll learn and jam in a low-stakes environment.

Join BIYA BIYA for a secret outdoor show of GLOBAL SOUNDS featuring three bands and a jam! We're curating sets across the diaspora to bring you a sweet close to a hot hot summer. 

It can be tough to carve the space to focus on one's own creative work. Join Arts + Public Life, Chicago Critic’s Table, and Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel for Getting Your Creative Life in Order, a salon conversation that tackles strategies for organizing and prioritizing your practice.

Ripped your favorite top? Thick thighs wearing out your jeans? Bring your clothes that need a little love to learn how to mend them together! Extending the life of our clothes keeps them out of the 92 million tons of annual textile waste produced globally.

Join BIYA BIYA for our “Diaspora Duos” series where we commission artists from different cultures to collaborate together! Steeped in diverse traditions, each duo will present a set that showcases a fusion of the two performers’ cultural backgrounds. Immerse yourself in global sounds from Ireland, Mexico, West Africa, and South Asia! 

Join BIYA BIYA at Eli Tea Bar Chicago for a queer Muslim mixer! Find new friends amongst crafts, games, and convo. As Queer Muslims, it is rare to find spaces that cater to the nuances of our lived experiences. Come join us in creating a community space for us together! 

Join BIYA BIYA for an interactive Tatreez Workshop with Lulu Jamal! This open session is great for beginners and beyond as we gather together in a low-stakes, hands-on learning environment. Bring a current project or use our pre-made kits with a suggested pattern.

Join BIYA BIYA for a Dabke and Kathak dance workshop! What could the traditional Arabic dance DABKE and South Asian dance KATHAK have in common? Both dabke and kathak emphasize specificity in footwork!

Join BIYA BIYA for our inaugural Maqam Workshop! In this interactive session, musicians will learn the language and basics of maqam. Taught by musicians Karl El Sokhn (aka Reckless Darling) and C Mikhail, you’ll learn and jam in a low-stakes environment.

Join BIYA BIYA as we welcome a community auntie and artist to lead us in a Persian Calligraphy Workshop! Come learn the basic strokes of nastaliq – most commonly used for Persian poetry but shared across Arabic, Dari, Pashto & Urdu letters. No experience in these alphabets or nastaliqscript is required!

Join us for a FREE TimePieces reading on Saturday, June 7 at 2pm of Sandra Delgado's soon-to-be TimeLine world premiere HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF STARS, directed by Kimberly Senior—presented at the Watts Theatre at The Theatre School at DePaul University.

🌹 Join BIYA BIYA for an Open Music Mic & Jam! All are welcome to take space on the Solidarity Studios stage for their 5 minutes of fame. Perform something new or old in front of an intimate crowd and then join in a group jam led by local musician Pat Williams.

🌹 Join BIYA BIYA for a Zine-Making Workshop with designer and illustrator Jasjyot Singh Hans and arts journalist Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel! In this interactive session on DIY publishing, you’ll be guided through the process of crafting your own mini-magazine using collage, illustration, and writing. This is a beginner-friendly session where you’ll learn the art of the zine and experiment in a low-stakes environment.

It’s a BIYA BIYA Birthday! Join us at Solidarity Studios for a Live Music Show & Zine Launch celebrating the beginning of BIYA BIYA Productions, a local Creative Agency and Production House for artists.

The evening features live music, dance, zine vending, and small bites. Join us for a taste of home with our sweet line-up.

At Creating Justice 2025, artists and organizers will share their work in presentations, performances and workshops. All sessions are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided throughout the day and the event will culminate in a free shared dinner and musical performance.

Join Salon Kawakib for our annual Nowruz Performance Night at Eli Tea Bar on Saturday, March 22nd 7-9pm

The evening features curated live music, poetry, and dance! This year, we will also have a mini art market where you will find a small selection of calligraphy, zines, handmade jewelry and more!