Community Corner
Orland Park Public Library Hosts Author Talk with Sahar Mustafah
Award-winning author Sahar Mustafah discusses identity, heritage, and her latest novel at Orland Park Public Library on May 12.
The Orland Park Public Library invites the community to an engaging evening with acclaimed author Sahar Mustafah on Tuesday, May 12 at 7 p.m.
Mustafah, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, is an award-winning writer whose work explores identity, heritage, and the Palestinian experience. Her short stories have received numerous honors, including the Guild Literary Complex Prize for Fiction, a Distinguished Story recognition in Best American Short Stories, and three Pushcart Prize nominations.
“The Orland Park Public Library is thrilled to host author, Sahar Mustafah and celebrate The Slightest Green,” said Librarian Helen Kametas. “A leading voice in the literary world, Mustafah's storytelling is as inviting as it is heartbreaking. Her depictions of "home" deeply resonate not just with the Palestinian community but for anyone in search of a place to call their own. Mustafah joins us for an interactive meeting that will help us delve deeper into the core of the books we are reading and the shared experience of storytelling.”
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During this special event, attendees will have the opportunity to hear Mustafah discuss her latest novel as well as her literary journey from Chicago to Palestine. A book signing will follow, with copies available for purchase on site. This event is open to the public, but registration through the library’s online calendar is requested.
Mustafah earned her MFA in Fiction from Columbia College Chicago, where she was a Follett Graduate Scholar. Her debut novel, The Beauty of Your Face, was named a New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2020 and one of Marie Claire magazine’s Best Fiction by Women that same year. The novel was also a finalist for the 2021 Palestine Book Award and long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Award.
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Her recent accolades include the Lawrence Prize for Best Fiction from Prairie Schooner in 2022 for her short story “Star of Bethlehem,” and the 2023 Robert J. DeMott Prize for “Tree of Life.” Mustafah has also received a 2023 Jack Hazard Fellowship from New Literary Project and an Illinois Arts Council Grant. She currently writes and teaches outside of Chicago.
