Ladane Nasseri leads this two-hour writing workshop, engaging directly with Bady Dalloul’s exhibition Self-Portrait with a Cat I don’t have. This session invites participants to explore how objects, the concept of home and experiences of migration inform personal and cultural identity.

Using author interviews, exhibition texts and literary readings, participants observe artworks and reflect on themes of absence and imagined selves. The workshop includes guided writing and observation exercises, focusing on how to articulate what is seen in the artwork and what remains unseen in personal histories. Participants work towards at least one flash narrative and learn methods for integrating lived experience and critical observation into creative writing.

Attendees have the opportunity to contribute a short piece of writing to a collaborative digital zine that will be assembled and produced on site following the workshop. The two-hour session is open to adults, with no prior writing experience required.

This workshop is free and is open to registered participants. Spaces are limited. To register, please visit the RSVP link. Please arrive at the Library 15 minutes prior to the 2:00 PM start time and check-in at the library desk.

Ladane Nasseri is a writer and editor with a background in journalism and literary nonfiction. After nearly two decades as a Middle East correspondent, including serving as Bloomberg’s Iran news chief, Ladane now focuses on work that traces the intersection of history, memory, migration and place. Her writing blends reportage with lived experience, examining the human and political complexities that shape how we remember, belong and connect to the land. She holds an MFA in Literary Nonfiction from The New School and has led narrative nonfiction workshops for organisations such as Lighthouse Writers Workshop, Hugo House and Narratively Academy.