Embassy of the United States Baghdad, Iraq

Chris Merrill, poet and Director of the International Writers Program at the University of Iowa, spoke via digital video conference to a group from Baghdad University’s College of Arts and some local poets including Soheil Najm Abid. Chris Merrill’s presentation was part of the Cultural Affairs Office’s Jusoor program encouraging cultural dialogue and collaboration. Following a description of Mr. Merrill’s career, he read several examples of his poetry before taking questions from the audience. The questions ranged from the influences on Mr. Merrill’s poetry, the reason for his interest in soccer (football), and his experiences covering the conflict in the Bosnia-Herzegovina. In fact, said one Iraqi, his writing on that conflict sounded eerily similar to what they experienced during the darkest days in Iraq. Soheil Najm implored Mr. Merrill to continue his dialogue with Iraqi writers and come to Iraq to meet Iraq’s community of writers and artists. Chris Merrill said he would be pleased to visit Iraq. Martin Quinn, head of the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy, said he was very impressed with the turnout and the enthusiastic response to this Embassy initiative. He promised to continue supporting programs that will enable American and Iraqi artists and writers to communicate and interact.