Check out the events I'm doing and producing!
Come celebrate the longest night of the year! BIYA BIYA Productions and Shokoufeh present YALDA NIGHT LIFE, a winter solstice celebration ft. live music, dance, and djs at the California Clipper.
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 Arts + Public Life for a two-day public salon, inviting writers, curators, artists, and cultural workers to engage with the 2025 Chicago Critics Table.
Join us for a two-day public salon inviting writers, curators, artists, and cultural workers to engage with the ideas and reflections of the 2025 Chicago Critics Table cohort. Designed by this cohort’s facilitator, Tempestt Hazel, Art on My Mind will take the form of an open studio for writers. Drawing from the essay and book of the same name, these gatherings take on bell hooks’ call for us to deeply involve ourselves in visual culture and the politics of seeing, in community and conversation with one another.
Saturday, Nov 8 | Featuring: Jennifer Torwudzo-Stroh, Felicia Holman, Nekita Thomas, and Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel
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.
As dramaturgically-minded artists, we’re often called upon to document the work and processes of others – but what about our own? This workshop will explore the art of documenting your own practice — whether for personal reflection, portfolio building, grant applications, or social media engagement. Participants will learn practical techniques for writing about their work, capturing high-quality images, organizing their archives, and leveraging documentation for professional opportunities.
Ready to keep your work visible? This workshop is for YOU, led by DDP’s very own Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel. Join us for a session exploring the art of documenting your own practice, preparing a portfolio, and “marketing” your arts work. There are a limited number of spots for this virtual session.
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!
On March 2, the Middle East Music Ensemble presents FOLLOW THE MUSIC: A Journey Across Turkish, Persian, and Arabic Musical Traditions, under the direction of Wanees Zarour.
Join us and Salon Kawakib, a cultural salon for SWANA diaspora in Chicago, for a Palestinian Poetry Night, honoring and celebrating one of Palestine’s most exquisite and revered art forms, to benefit Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. A Red Orchid company members and friends will perform works by poets including George Abraham, Hala Alyan, Mahmoud Darwish, Noor Hindi, Fady Joudah, and Naomi Shihab Nye. Tickets for this event are free but are required for admission.
Featuring Ensemble Members Sadieh Rifai and Travis A. Knight with Gloria Imseih Petrelli and Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel with music by Ronnie Malley.
An evening of music to benefit the Palestine Children's Relief Fund presented by Chicago Irish Americans for Palestine and Salon Kawakib.
Chicago Irish Americans for Palestine and Salon Kawakib present a benefit to raise money for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) a non-profit organization providing life-saving medical treatment and evacuations to injured children in Gaza. It's an evening of Irish-Palestinian solidarity with a concert of contemporary music bridging the Arab, Irish and Pakistani traditions, open music session and market and mixer featuring local vendors and community groups. Doors open to the Fifth Province Pub at 5:30 with live music, main concert is at 7:00 p.m. followed by an open music session and night market with local vendors.
We were featured in the Chicago Reader column Gossip Wolf. Read it here!
Katie Walker (New York City metro regional vice president) will host Love, NYC Dramaturgs (a love letter from dramaturgs to the New York theatre community) through the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. The event will celebrate the love of collaboration through a symposium and reception on Saturday 15 February at the National Opera Center. Limited physical tickets are available, but the event will be filmed by Transcend Streaming to be livestreamed and archived by HowlRound Theatre Commons.
Join Salon Kawakib for an evening of creativity and connection as we dive into the art of Tatreez, the traditional Palestinian embroidery.
💡 What to Expect:
✨ Lulu sharing the history of Tatreez with pictures of samples from different cities
✨ Rama demoing the beautiful stitches
✨ Volunteers will be around to assist!
🎶 Plus, a vibey playlist to set the mood.
😷 Mask Required (COVID safety is a priority!) If you can't mask, please provide proof of a negative COVID test.
📝 Sign Up & Donate: Help us cover materials with a suggested donation of $5-$20 via Venmo to (salon-kawakib). Comment with a (🧵 + # of tickets) when sending the donation. Every bit counts!
Let’s come together and stitch stories, culture, and resilience into every thread. See you there! 💕
Roundabout and Noor Theatre welcome you to join us for a MENA Community Night and pre-show reception and performance.
Join Salon Kawakib for a Calligraphy Workshop on January 11th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at Eli Tea Bar in Andersonville.
Join Salon Kawakib and Eli Tea Bar on Saturday, December 14th, at 7pm! We'll kick off the night with a community open mic, so prep your poems, prose, and wide-ranging pieces to share in the holiday glow
