U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem Hosts Digital Video Conference with American Author Jay Parini

U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem hosted a digital video conference (DVC) on the topic of American Literature with Jay Parini, American author, poet, and professor of literature at Middlebury College. Addressing a group of 30 Palestinian undergraduate English students at An Najah University in Nablus, West Bank. Parini provided an overview of the highlights and trends in American literature from the 18th Century to the present. Himself a personal friend of the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, Mr. Parini encouraged the students to read widely and to write because, as he said, “one thing literature does, it gives a voice to people.” This DVC was one in a series of American Studies DVCs organized by Consulate General Jerusalem at a variety of Palestinian universities to encourage students to pursue the study of American history, literature, politics, and culture.