Date/Time
Date(s) - 10/18/2024
6:00 pm

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Location
Busboys & Poets

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Cost:
Free USD
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Website:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/desecrated-poppies-with-mx-yaffa-a-busboys-and-poets-books-presentation-tickets-1028133634377?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
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Organization:
Busboys and Poets

Currently, there are 557 anti-trans bills across 42 states, along with 45 national bills aiming to block trans people from any and all human rights. Additionally, there are 293 anti-Palestinian bills. These bills share many commonalities; they impact far more people than just the targeted identities listed on them and are crafted by the same individuals. They collectively propel us towards fascism. The same trend can be observed with cop cities, anti-abortion bills, and numerous other initiatives propelled forward by white Christian nationalists.

DESECRATED POPPIES, written during the eclipse in April 2024 and in anticipation of the November 2024 elections, delves into the intersections of anti-trans and anti-Palestine politics, illustrating how they intertwine with fascism. Through essays and poetry, Yaffa navigates their experiences of these seemingly conflicting identities, both of which are weaponized to advance fascism. DESECRATED POPPIES also explores antidotes to fascism, with a particular focus on cultural work and the imperative to prioritize the most marginalized among us. A world beyond fascism exists, and we hold the pathway forward.

Acclaimed poet and activist Mx. Yaffa is joining us on the Busboys stage to share their most recent labor of love, DESECRATED POPPIES. Yaffa brings together a collection of their essays and poetry exploring the intersections of anti-trans and anti-Palestinian politics, with the shadow of the November 2024 election ever present. Copies of DESECRATED POPPIES and WHISPERS BENEATH THE ORANGE GROVE (out 10/7) will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Mx. Yaffa will be signing following the program.

This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:10 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of DESECRATED POPPIES will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will be livestreamed.

We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books

Mx. Yaffa is an acclaimed disabled, autistic, trans, queer, Muslim, and indigenous Palestinian. Mx. Yaffa is the Executive Director of Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity (MASGD), as well as the founder of several non-profits and community project. Yaffa has been actively running mutual aid and community care networks for over 15 years across continents, responding to large-scale disasters such as the Syrian Revolution, COVID-19, and ongoing genocides in Palestine, Sudan, Armenia, and elsewhere. Currently, Yaffa leads three mutual aid efforts: for queer and trans Palestinians in Palestine, for queer and trans people worldwide most impacted by genocide, and for queer and trans people living in the United States most affected by genocide, connecting individuals with over $120,000 in funding for immediate needs.

Mx. Yaffa serves as a death and birthing doula and peer support specialist, working with individuals who lack access to traditional care pathways. Yaffa is also a visual artist and writer. BLOOD ORANGE, a poetry collection about genocide, displacement, and hope and the queer and trans Palestinian Utopia anthology INARA are now available. Thave have a forthcoming book, WHISPERS BENEATH THE ORANGE GROVE, an essay collection blending personal narratives with strategies to build a liberated world grounded in mutual aid, community care, and collectivism. Reflecting on experiences like being unhoused and navigating psychosis, Yaffa emphasizes survival and resistance strategies. Drawing on lessons from post-9/11, the collection addresses the current rise of fascism and presents tools like community care as a practice to strengthen collective bonds. Critically engaging with settler colonialism, the essays focus on the most marginalized, offering a roadmap for collective liberation and a more just future. Mx. Yaffa is a storyteller and an equity and transformation consultant, having shared their story with over 150,000 audience members at speaking events globally since 2012.