Thank you to everyone who took the poll and wrote in, your support really means a lot. It seems the majority of you like the idea of a website but still want the weekly newsletter, so that’s exactly what we’re going to do.
We’re hoping to launch within the next few days… assuming technology and I can come to an agreement.
CONCERT
Benefit Concert for Gaza
Thurs March 12th from 5-10pm
People’s Forum, Midtown
Musicians from around the New York City music scene come together for a concert raising funds for Middle East Children’s Alliance. Take advantage of the gathering of these musical talents while supporting the children of Gaza! Discounted student tickets and live stream tickets available as well.
MUSIC
Global Club Sounds
Fri March 13th at 10pm
Boyfriend Co-op, Bushwick
Boyfriend Co-op is hosting an evening of global club sounds featuring afrobeats, salsa, and Arabic music. Come jam, dabke, and enjoy live derbake. Tickets are a $10 donation at the door to displaced families in Lebanon!
PERFORMANCE
Hikayat
Fri March 13th at 8pm
Brooklyn Art Haus, Williamsburg
Join ArteEast for the fourth edition of Hikayat—an evening of experimental, multimedia performances featuring storytelling, spoken word, live projections, and music. Into the Light will be celebrating Nowruz with the theme of maintaining hope during these dark times.
WELLNESS
Pilates and Wine Tasting
Sat March 14th from 3:30-5:30pm
BESA Movement Studio,
The 3 instructors behind this studio are wonderful and with deep love for their craft and their mission. This Saturday get in a workout and a little treat after with their pilates and wine tasting experience. Class and tasting tickets are available separately, but this combo sounds perfect for the spring vibes in the air!
MUSIC
Global Women in Music
Fri March 13th at 7:30pm
Symphony Space, Upper West Side
The United Nations Symphony Orchestra is celebrating Women’s History month with a concert featuring music by Women composers. Among the featured will be Iranian composer Niloufar Nourbakhsh, and Jordanian composer Ghiya Rushidat. This will surely be a beautiful evening on the Upper West Side, perfect for after dinner plans!
FILM
Abdo & Saneya
Sat March 14th at 7:10pm
Cinema Village, East Village
Directed by Omar Bakri, this film tells the story of an Egyptian couple left to survive in New York City navigating language and cultural barriers as they search for the cure for infertility.
CONVERSATION
Messy Hearts Circle
Sat March 14th from 5:30-7:30
Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn
This Messy Hearts Circle theme is: identity and belonging in between worlds. This is a space for healing through guided conversation circles. It’s a chance for those living in the diaspora to reflect, share and listen to each other’s stories in a judgement free environment. This shouldn’t be seen as group therapy, but rather a chance to connect with others in the community who share complex experiences on identity and belonging.
SHOPPING
Norooz Bazaar
Sat March 14th from 5:30-7:30
Flatiron District, Manhattan
A bazaar celebrating the Persian New Year. Pick up some gifts or goodies for your home to celebrate the new year!
WELLNESS
Immersive Breath Work + Sound for Inner Child Hearing
Sat March 14th from 4-5:30pm
Reforesters Lab, Williamsburg
Return to your inner child and release heavy energies in this breath and sound bath workshop. This is for those who are looking for a reset, perfectly timed for spring!
CONVERSATION & GALLERY
Jude Abu Zaineh
Sat March 14th at 1pm
Trotter&Scholer Gallery, LES
Jude Abu Zaineh is a Palestinian-Canadian interdisciplinary artist whose work explores culture, displacement, and belonging through art, food, and technology. Drawing from her upbringing in Southwest Asia, she creates work that reimagines ideas of home and community through decolonial perspectives. Join her in conversation and tour of her gallery before its closing.
FILM
TOGETHER
Sun March 15th at 2pm
The Lenfest Center for the Arts, Morningside Heights
A part of the Socially Relevant Film Festival, TOGETHER is a documentary directed by Fatima Ahmed about the invisible threads that hold people together, tied with what it means to be understood and feel belonging. In Arabic with English subtitles!
IFTAR AND FILM
Milk+Honey
Sun March 15th from 5:30-10:30pm
Bed-Stuy
Milk & Honey is hosting a free Ramadan gathering with a shared iftar meal, music, a screening of Al Mummia (1969), and a discussion on continuing the Mamdani momentum! An amazing community building opportunity, donations are welcome!
FILM
My Armenian Phantoms
Sun March 15th at 4:30pm
Cinema Village
This autobiographical documentary by Amara Stepanyan is about her nostalgic journey as an Armenian filmmaker, celebrating the culture that shaped her and her late fathers legacy as an actor.
FUNDRAISER
Fundraiser Concert for Lebanon
Tues March 17th at 8pm
Middle Church, East Village
Celebrate Ramadan with The Brooklyn Nomads in their new a cultural series exploring the musical traditions that shape Ramadan evenings across the Arab world. The evening will feature ibtihalat, muwashahat, and folk songs, celebrating music rooted in tradition and community.
FILM
Palestine ‘36
March 17th-22nd
Angelika Film Center, SOHO
Catch the release of this new film by Annemarie Jasir. In 1936, during the Palestinian revolt against British rule, Yusuf moves between Jerusalem and his village as tensions rise and the British Empire faces a turning point. One of many upcoming screenings for this film, but Angelina Film Center is one of the first to show this official selection for the 98th academy awards!
EDITOR’S PICK
The Zaytoun Hairpin from Nafas Concept N
There’s something quietly luxurious about a good hair accessory, and also surprisingly hard to find.
We have no shortage of beautiful jewelry, but when it comes to elevated hair pieces, the options are oddly limited, or simply impractical. (I admire hair chains aesthetically, but let’s be honest, you can’t really move in those things.) So the Zaytoun Hairpin felt like such a small victory.
The piece is inspired by the olive branch, “zaytoun” in Arabic. The color sits somewhere between gold and not-quite-gold, if that makes sense. It’s handmade, has a rugged, imperfect finish that I love. When gold is a less polished, it’s somehow more chic. The design itself feels organic, almost as if it grew into its shape.
The craftsmanship shows. The hairpin has a satisfying weight to it, the kind that signals a piece that’s well made and meant to last. Because of that, it works especially well for voluminous or thicker hair, where it can really anchor itself. If your hair is very fine, it may be too substantial.
While it’s definitely something that I have worn to cocktail parties, what I appreciate most is how effortlessly it works on those days when your hair is truly chaotic and you have neither the time nor the energy to style it. You stick the pin in, and suddenly the whole situation looks… cool. Messy bun, loose twist, half-up situation assembled in 30 seconds.
I also picked up another piece from Nafas, but I need to wear it a bit more before I can properly speak to it, so I’ll report back in due time.
The founder, Stephanie, is American with Lebanese roots and has truly exquisite taste. You only have to glance at the photography on the site and her social to see it, the visual world she’s created around the brand is just stunning. She’s currently at a creative residency in Mexico, and I’m very curious to see what this experience will unlock for her next. In the meantime, you can enjoy a 15% promocode on any order using “MENNA 15” or use this link with the discount automatically applied at checkout
