Our signature event is RAWIFest, a biannual conference.

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RAWIFest creates a space where we can speak among ourselves. RAWI’s biannual gathering provides a rare opportunity to bring a large number of Arab American and SWANA writers, artists, scholars, and readers into the same inclusive and welcoming space.

Our next in-person conference will occur in Fall 2027, but stay tuned for virtual offerings in Fall 2026. Join our newsletter for updates.

browse 2025 conference lineup
volunteer for 2027 conference

RAWIFest is a biannual conference that has been held for two decades and running, bringing together Arab and SWANA creatives as well as non-SWANA allies—not only poets, prose writers, and playwrights, but visual artists, performance artists, musicians, educators and scholars—both in diaspora in North America as well as from other regions. RAWI especially invites Black, Indigenous, and other people of color interested in our programming to participate.

At RAWIFest, we aim to create a space that highlights voices and people threatened by erasure. In a global climate where opportunities for Arab and SWANA creatives to share our experiences and insights is limited, RAWI’s biennial gathering provides a rare opportunity to bring a large number of Arab American and SWANA writers, artists, and scholars (and their readers, allies, and admirers) into the same inclusive and welcoming space so we can engage in various dialogues otherwise unavailable to us.

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    “It was honestly just a relief to be in a physical space together with other SWANA artists, to be thinking rigorously about our work as artists in the context of the genocide in Palestine, and to be able to support one another.”

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    "My biggest takeaway was that there are so many of us, and I have so much to learn. My favorite part was the confidence boost this gave me—so much informal mentorship happened that I feel part of a community.”

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    “The most beautiful part of RAWIFest, for me personally, is the community. I like that it's small enough to maintain an environment of open dialogue and friendship. It isn't just about quietly wafting from one panel to the next . . . It's as much a galvanizing and inspiring space as it is an educational and mentoring space.

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    “I was so impressed by the supportive community at this year's RAWIFest. There was so much kindness and encouragement.”

$10,000

We paid 65 SWANA artists over $10,000 during RAWIFest 2025.

335

335 SWANA creatives attended our 2023 fully-hybrid Mizna+RAWIFest.

30+

For over 30 years, RAWI has fostered vital connections between writers.

Other initiatives

Microgrants

RAWI members can request mini grants of up to $500 for regional events such as reading series, panels, and local gatherings

Mentorship

Support for emerging Arab and SWANA writers based in the United States as well as abroad, funded by community donations.

Reading lists

A living, expanding record of our collective work, including more than 700 titles by SWANA writers from across the RAWI community.