We invite you to join us to discuss our next book selection: “Sumūd: A New Palestinian Reader” edited by edited by Malu Halasa and Jordan Elgrably. We will be reading up to page 173 this month, and finishing the book in November. We will be meeting via Zoom on October 12 at 10 am (due to our chapter meeting at 2 pm). The Arabic word sumūd is often loosely translated as “steadfastness” or “standing fast.” It is, above all, a Palestinian cultural value of everyday perseverance in the face of Israeli occupation. Sumūd is both a personal and collective commitment; people determine their own lives, despite the environment of constant oppressions imposed upon them. In times of devastation, poetry, literature, and art are the mediums through which oppressed peoples reveal cherished aspects of their existences and remain defiant in the fight for self-determination. Sumūd: A New Palestinian Reader honors the Palestinian spirit and its power in the face of dispossession and war. When governments around the world enable the genocide of a people and the dilapidation of a sacred homeland, the Palestinian people stand fast and resist. The fifty-eight contributions in this collection remind readers that just as love perseveres, so do the Palestinians, and their struggles and triumphs. This anthology spans the 20th and 21st centuries of Palestinian cultural history, and highlights writing from 2021–2024. The essays, stories, poetry, art and personal narrative collected in Sumūd: A New Palestinian Reader is a rich riposte to those who would denigrate Palestinians’ aspirations for a homeland. It also serves as a timely reminder of culture’s power and importance during occupation and war. The JVP-DC Metro Book Group meets on the 2nd Sunday of (almost) every month to discuss a book related to Palestine and select our book for the following month. To join our Book Group, send an email request to [email protected]. To join the upcoming Zoom meeting on October 12 at 10 am, go to bit.ly/jvpdcbookgroup.