Join the Jameel Library for a wide range of programmes led by community members this June! You could also pitch your own programme here. 

First Programme:

Mapping Folk Tales: A Comparative Study with Jumanah Hazzaa

How do tales travel across time and borders? And how has the folklore of the Arabian Peninsula shaped the global narrative?

This workshop explores the invisible pathways of folk tales, tracing their journey from the Arabian Peninsula to the world. Using comparative literature, Jumanah Hazza will guide you through analyzing inherited stories as aesthetic constructs that shape our collective consciousness. The session decodes the intersections between East and West, offering fresh critical tools to link heritage with contemporary reality.

June 13, 2026 

4-6pm 

RSVP here. 

About Jumanah Hazza 

Jumanah Hazza is writer and researcher specializing in Arabic Literature and Literary Criticism, and a co-founder of the Aiya Cultural Club. I explore the latent intersections between texts and aesthetic theories, focusing my professional and academic project on re-reading narratives as reservoirs of beauty and cultural constructs that shape our perception of reality.

Second Programme:

Jameel Library Monthly Writing Circle! 

Writing is often approached as a solitary act. However, magic unfolds when treated as a participatory process. The writing circle at the Jameel Library invites writers and word lovers to gather around language collectively: to write alongside one another, exchange feedback, experiment with forms, and reflect on how stories are shaped through conversation.

Through guided-prompts, discussions, and focused moments of writing, the circle will guide you to develop collaboratively rather than being perfected individually. 

Whether you are beginning a new practice or returning to familiar words, you are invited to join a growing dialogue! 

June 19, 2026 

4-6pm 

RSVP here. 

Third Programme:

Rooted Threads: Palestinian Tatreez Workshop with Wafaa Abu Saadah

An introductory workshop in Palestinian tatreez (traditional cross-stitch embroidery) led by Wafaa Abu Saadah, exploring the cultural stories, symbolism, and regional motifs woven into Palestinian heritage.

Participants will be introduced to traditional stitching techniques, materials, and tools through visual references and a live demonstration, followed by a guided hands-on session to create their own embroidered motif on fabric.

Jun 27, 2026

4-6pm 

RSVP here. 

About Wafaa Abu Saadah 

Wafaa Abu Saadah is a Jeddah-based artist and visual designer whose practice spans painting, illustration, type lettering, hand-embossing, and creative writing. Influenced by her Palestinian roots and multicultural upbringing, her work explores memory, imagination, and human narratives through a blend of traditional and digital processes, creating expressive works that evoke the emotional and human dimensions of experience.