Dalia Taha
Digital Workshop: Writing In Spite Of
11:00
Why do we continue to write in spite of pain, violence, censorship and despair? This two-day digital workshop invites participants to explore the pressure, necessity or impulse that underlies their own writing. What is the “in spite of” that you write from?
Through conversations, writing exercises and shared readings, the workshop seeks to locate this place and develop texts that carry its force. Together, participants and Taha will read plays that grapple with political and ethical questions, including VILLA by Guillermo Calderón, HE BROUGHT HER HEART BACK IN A BOX by Adrienne Kennedy and FAR AWAY by Caryl Churchill.
The workshop was originally scheduled to take place during Bergen Dramatikkfestival on 27–28 August, with Dalia Taha as this year’s featured master. As it became impossible for Taha to travel from Palestine to Bergen, the workshop will now be held online instead. It is open to writers from various backgrounds within the performing arts, literature and the broader arts sector. The workshop will be conducted in English and is organised by Cornerstone in collaboration with Tekstallianse. There are only 20 places, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Dalia Taha (b. 1986) is a Palestinian poet and playwright. She earned her MFA in playwriting from Brown University. She has published three poetry collections in Arabic, including ENTER WORLD (2025), which was recently published in English by Graywolf Press in a translation by Sara Elkamel. Taha’s plays have been staged internationally, including at the Royal Court Theatre in London and the Flemish Royal Theatre in Brussels. Her best-known works include FIREWORKS (2015), KEFFIYEH / MADE IN CHINA (2012), THERE IS NO ONE BETWEEN YOU AND ME (2016) and HUNGER: A MUSICAL (2018). Taha is the recipient of the Solidarity Award from the Norwegian Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild and the Banipal Visiting Writer Fellowship. She teaches at Birzeit University and lives in Ramallah, Palestine.