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Recovering the Arab Queer:How to a write a historical and "lesbian" novel set in 9th century Iraq (and why does it even matter)Samar Habibde Certeau Room (155)Department of Literature  — UCSDTuesday, April 226:30-7:30pm Dr. Habib reveals the journey which led to the making of her novel, Rughum and Najda, and an infectious enthusiasm for same-sex love and desire in the Arab world of the first millenni-um. Her work revels in the timelessness of what makes us human, while paying attention to the particularities of place and time. Bio: Dr. Samar Habib is an associate researcher at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Habib’s work spans the publication of numerous articles and books chapters as well as several books, including Female Homosexuality in the Middle East (New York: Routledge, 2007 &#38; 2009); Arabo-Islamic Texts on Female Homosexuality (New York: Teneo, 2009); I Am You (New York: Cambria, 2008); and Islam and Homosexuality (Oxford: Praeger, 2010). Her creative works include two published novels and a chapbook of poetry. She was a co-founder and the Gen-eral Editor of Nebula (2004-2011) and is a co-founder and publisher of African Nebula.