Madison, Wisconsin artist Jayne Reid Jackson’s “Art History,” an altered book piece, was created as part of an exhibit called “Cover to Cover,” in which artists use books as materials and inspiration in their pieces. The exhibit was featured in Madison-area public libraries.

Wadi Rum, also known as the Valley of the Moon, is a valley cut into sandstone and granite in southern Jordan. One of the rock formations in the valley was named "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" after the title of an autobiographical account of a British officer, T. E. Lawrence, who based his operations at Wadi Rum during the Arab Revolt of 1917 and 1918.

Brazilian rock band CSS makes some noise in the Lancaster Library in Lancaster, UK, as part of the “Get it Loud in Libraries” series.

Outside of Amman, Jordan, is the ancient city of Petra where, according to Arab tradition, Moses struck a rock with his staff and water gushed forth. The Monastery, Petra's largest monument and a popular tourist destination, dates from the first century BC. 

Peter Golub and Philip Littell perform "Dark Carols, A Christmas Cycle" at the world premiere at the Los Angeles Central Library.

A traditional Arabic poet, Nourredin Zuhair is a member of a small organization called Nawaris that is dedicated to developing an Arabic poetic tradition that is true to the origins of the language. "We are trying to change Arab logic," he explained to Morison. "It's not just to keep the language of the Koran alive; it's to sharpen a kind of logic that isn't here anymore, as a result of globalization."

As the general secretary of the Ministry of Culture and then the Minister of Culture, Jeryes Samawi oversaw the Jordanian Writers Association (JWA) until a constitutional reform passed in October banned ministers and members of parliament from holding dual citizenship. (At nineteen he immigrated with his mother to New York City and became a U.S. citizen). Samawi subsequently renounced his American citizenship, but in the ensuing political wrangling, he eventually resigned.