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PRAISE FOR WE THE INTERWOVEN, VOLUME 2

We the Interwoven is exactly the sort of antidote we need to the kind of othering that could lead to catastrophic future outcomes. It accomplishes the vital mission of humanizing issues that are all too often relegated to abstract or overly politicized realms.”

—Melissa Studdard, author of I Ate the Cosmos for Breakfast and host of VIDA Voices & Views

We the Interwoven brings together different perspectives from marginalized communities whose voices we don’t often hear. It gives them a face and name and a voice. This work is significant and needed.”

—Ingrid Bejerman, Programming Associate, Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival

WE THE INTERWOVEN, VOLUME 2, introduces seven new voices—three fellows and four honorable-mention recipients, all with stories that explore the theme of living between two worlds. Antonia Rivera crossed the Mexican-American border at the age of six, and her story spans three decades of the undocumented immigrant struggle. Dawson Davenport, a member of the Meskwaki Nation, shares a story of inherited Native trauma manifesting in the life of a young man coming of age. Ajla Dizdarević shares a Bosnian-American story of cultural tradition that survived a family’s migration. Hieu Pham explores Vietnamese-American filial debt, Sarah Elgatian examines her relationship with her Armenian grandmother, Rana Hewezi writes of an Egyptian mother’s gift to her daughter, and Anthony Mielke discovers his hidden Puerto Rican heritage. These seven stories take us on a ride through the heart and the moral conscience as they explore how we find identity and make a future in an America that is still deciding its own.

VOLUME 2 RELEASES THIS JUNE. ORDER YOUR COPY FOR SHIPPING IN EARLY JULY.

BE PART OF THE DISCUSSION

To foster conversations about We The Interwoven, Volume 2, we have created a free downloadable discussion guide.

This guide is meant to help readers start conversations about We the Interwoven, Volume 2, in order to better understand challenging issues and find ways toward a more connected tomorrow. We hope it will provide many ideas for discussing this groundbreaking work from bicultural writers in Iowa and the questions it raises about ourselves and America.

We would love to hear about your experience and share it with other readers. Simply click on the button below to submit some of the answers to your questions and a photo of your group.


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WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:

"Iowans need to read these stories, and we're glad you're making it possible." —Mary W. 

“I devoured it and enjoyed reading every part of it, including the foreword, artists' statements, bios and glossary. It was quick to read but I spent almost as much time pausing and reflecting after each passage. Loved it.” —Bess L.

"This is the first time I've seen a story in print that represents me as a Mexican-American." —Serg G.

WE THE INTERWOVEN brings us the stories of three Americans—three Iowans—whose families have found home in the heartland over the past two generations. This collection brings together a variety of genres, including nonfiction, poetry, and fiction, to represent their unique experiences and amalgamation of influences, from the coast of Azerbaijan to the border towns of Mexico to the archipelago of the Philippines. These stories reflect who they were, who they are, and who they hope to become with the help of Iowa’s fields of opportunity. While the American Dream may bring to mind the quintessential white-picket fence, the American experience is as unique as it is diverse.

 
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