>> ERIC: LOCAL LITERARY JOURNAL "MIZNA" WAS ONE OF SEVEN RECIPIENTS OF THIS YEAR'S WHITING LITERARY MAGAZINE PRIZES.

THE JOURNAL, PUBLISHED HERE IN ST. PAUL, WILL RECEIVE $60,000 OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS IN RECOGNITION OF THE HIGH QUALITY OF ITS WORK.

BOTH THE JOURNAL AND ITS PARENT ORGANIZATION OF THE SAME NAME PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR ARAB, SOUTHWEST ASIAN, AND NORTH AFRICAN CREATIVES, CELEBRATING THEIR ARTS AND CULTURE NOT JUST IN THE JOURNAL BUT ALSO IN CLASSES, PERFORMANCES, AND THE LONG-RUNNING ANNUAL TWIN CITIES ARAB FILM FESTIVAL.

LANA BARKAWI IS MIZNA'S EXECUTIVE AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, AND JOINING US REMOTELY FROM CHICAGO IS EXECUTIVE EDITOR GEORGE ABRAHAM.

GEORGE, JOE WITH YOU WITH US?

>> YES.

>> Eric: TELL US HOW SIGNIFICANT THIS AWARD IS IN TERMS OF THE MONEY AND HIGHER PROFILE AND SO FORTH.

>> I MEAN, IT'S GREAT.

IT'S ONE OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL LITERARY MAGAZINE AWARDS ... OFTENTIMES LITERARY MAGAZINES ARE SO OVERLOOKED, YOU KNOW, IN LITERARY SOCIETY IN THE U.S. AND THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW KEY SPACES THAT ACTUALLY SUPPORTS THE CRUCIAL WORK WE DO THAT PLATFORMS AND MAKES VISIBLE AND MAKES ACCESSIBLE, YOU KNOW, A BROADER RANGE OF ARTISTS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

NEWER ARTISTS, ALONGSIDE ESTABLISHED, YOU KNOW, LEGENDARY ARTISTS LIKE -- WHO CONSISTENTLY APPEARS IN OUR JOURNAL.

AND SO WE'RE JUST SO EXCITED TO JUST GET THIS GRANT AND JUST GET TO CONTINUE DOING THIS KIND OF WORK.

>> Cathy: TELL FOLKS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE PLATFORM AND THE JOURNAL, WHAT IT'S ABOUT?

>> SO, YEAH, "MIZNA" IS, AS YOU SAID A PLATFORM FOR LITERATURE AND FILM.

AND SO WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE JOURNAL AND THE JOURNAL'S REALLY A PLATFORM FOR POETRY AND WRITING AND VISUAL ART FROM OUR COMMUNITY.

SO THE IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, PROVIDING A SPACE FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO SORT OF TAKE OUR NARRATIVE AND DO WORK ON OUR OWN TERMS.

SO THE POETS AND PROSE WRITERS THAT WE PUBLISH ARE JUST INCREDIBLE, AND THIS AWARD REALLY IS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO PUT A SPOTLIGHT ON THEM.

WE'RE REALLY ONLY AS GOOD AS THEY ARE.

AND SO IT'S REALLY A GREAT KIND OF ELEVATION OF THEIR WORK.

>> Eric: IS THIS ORGANIZATION UNIQUE IN THE COUNTRY?

>> IT IS QUITE RARE TO HAVE AN ARAB AND SWANA ART SPACES.

THERE ARE ONLY A FEW AROUND THE COUNTRY.

AND E'RE THE ONLY PRINT JOURNAL OF OUR KINDS AND WE'VE BEEN IN PUBLICATION SINCE 1999.

WE'RE COMING UP ON OUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY NEXT YEAR.

>> Cathy: GEORGE, HOW WILL THIS MONEY BE USED?

>> SO WE HAVE SORT OF TWO MAIN WAYS WE'RE GOING TO EXPAND.

FIRST OFF, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN SO DEDICATED TO THE PRINT MEDIUM SPECIFICALLY.

LIKE, ANYONE WHO OWNS LIKE OUR JOURNALS CAN SEE, WE OFTEN HAVE, YOU KNOW, REALLY ELABORATE ARTWORK AND FOLDS OUT SO YOU CAN SEE POPES SPANNING SEVERAL PAGES, AND THIS IS OUR BLACK SAWANNA ISSUE THAT IS GUEST EDITED BY AN ENTIRE TAKE OVER TEAM LED BY AN AMAZING SUDANIZE AMERICAN POET.

AND HERE, WE MADE THIS INCREDIBLE HUGE COLLAGE TYPE VISUAL.

AND PIECE HAT ALSO HAS NARRATIVE ELEMENTS S WELL.

AND SO WE WANT TO CONTINUE KIND OF BEING A SHEPHERD AND BEING A HOME FOR THESE KIND OF INNOVATIVE, YOU KNOW, PRINT PRACTICES, WHERE ARTISTS AND POETS CAN COME TO US WITH THE CRAZIEST, MOST WACKIEST IDEA, SAYING, HEY, WE'RE GOING TO WRITE A POPE THAT POPS OUT AND THAT DOES THESE WEIRD VISUAL THINGS.

BACK IN OUR EXPERIMENTAL ISSUES FEW YEARS AGO.

AND IT'S KIND OF CONTINUED AND STEAM ROLLED INTO LIKE EVEN BIGGER AND BIGGER IDEAS.

SO PART OF IT IS THAT VISUAL ELEMENT.

INCREASINGLY, THE LANDSCAPE IS ONLINE AND DIGITAL.

AND SO WE WANT TO EXPAND DIGITALLY IN WAYS THAT HONOR AND UPLIFT THIS PRINT PRACTICE AS WELL.

AND JUST CONTINUE BEING A VENUE FOR ARTISTS IN OUR COMMUNITY TO APPROACH US AND SAY, HEY, WE HAVE A WEIRD IDEA.

WE DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS EVER GOING TO BE POSSIBLE, BUT, YOU KNOW, "MIZNA" IS THE KIND OF PLACE WHERE WE WANT PEOPLE TO BRING US THE IMPOSSIBLE IDEAS, AND WE WANT TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR OUR IDEAS.

>> Cathy: I'M REALLY GLAD THAT YOU WOULD GO AHEAD AND FOCUS YOUR EFFORTS -- I KIND OF LIKE HAVING SOMETHING IN PRINT.

THERE'S SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT HAVING THE TACTILE.

I THINK THE JOURNAL IN FRONT OF ME, YOU KNOW?

BUT LISTENING TO GEORGE, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU MIGHT MAKE SOME CHANGES AND MAYBE EXPAND THE DIGITAL GOT PRINT WHICH MAKES SENSE.

>> YES, WE'RE ABSOLUTELY DEDICATED TO THE PRINT JOURNAL, EVEN THOUGH PRINTING COSTS CONTINUE TO SKY ROCKET.

BUT WE'RE DEDICATED TO THAT.

WE WORK WITH A LOCAL PRINTER AND DESIGNERS AND WE'RE JUST -- IT'S REALLY A BIG FOCUS.

BUT WE ALSO REALIZE AS A BOTTLENECK, AND IT'S AN ACCESSIBLEILITY ISSUE.

AND IT'S IS A NABBING ROE NISESSIC AT THIS POINT REALLY NOT TO BE ONLINE WITH THE JOURNAL.

WE'RE ALSO GOING TO USE THE FUNDS TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT WRITERS WHERE WE PAY WRITERS FOR THEIR WORK, AND THAT'S NOT OFTEN THE CASE IN THE LITERARY MAGAZINE WORLD BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, THE REALITIES OF NON-PROFIT PUBLISHING, BUDGETS.

BUT IT'S BEEN A PRIORITY FOR US.

SO WE'RE HOPING TO INCREASE THOSE AS WELL.

>> Cathy: AND ARE YOU ALSO HOPING THAT THIS CAN BE A SPRING BOARD, AND MAYBE GEORGE, YOU CAN CHIME IN HERE TOO.

A SPRING BOARD FOR NATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOUR SOME OF YOUR WRITERS BY BEING IN THE JOURNAL.

>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY, LIKE GEORGE SAID, WE'RE OFTEN A SPACE FOR ESTABLISHED AUTHORS WHO HAVE ALREADY -- THEIR STARSSTARS HAVE ALREADY RISEN AND THEY'RE SHARING SPACE WE MERGING WRITERS.

YOU KNOW, MANY AUTHORS OF OUR OURS, MANY POETS, IT'S THEIR FIRST PUBLICATION.

AND SO THAT SHARED SPACE IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US.

AND IT'S TRUE, THESE MOMENTS OF VISIBILITY ARE JUST CRUCIAL.

>> Eric: HOW ABOUT THE TWIN CITIES ARAB FILM FESTIVAL?

TELL US ABOUT THAT?

>> OUR 17TH EDITION IS COMING UP AT THE END OF THE MONTH.

IT OPENS ON SEPTEMBER 27TH AT THE WALKER ART CENTER.

AND IT RUNS THROUGH OCTOBER 1ST.

MOST OF THE FESTIVAL IS AT THE MAIN CINEMA.

BUT WE HAVE SOME FUN OFF SITE EVENTS AND CLOSING NIGHT OUTDOOR SCREENING WITH BABA'S FOOD TRUCK AND A D.J.

WE'RE FOCUSING ON PALESTINIAN FILMS.

WE HAVE A BIG FOCUS ON WOMEN FILMMAKERS BY 2/3 OF THE FILMS ARE MADE BY OMEN ARTISTS AND THAT'S NOT UNUSUAL FOR OUR FILM FESTIVAL.

AND THEN WE HAVE A FOCUS ON MOST ROCK EVERYONE FILM AND THAT'S GIVING US AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPOTLIGHT MOROCCO IN THIS TIME OF THE EARTHQUAKE DEVASTATION IN MARRY YA CONCERN AND ALSO IN NORTH AFRICA, THE LIBYA EVERYONE FLOODING.

SO WE'RE GIVING PEOPLE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE MOST ROCK EVERYONE FILMS FOR FREE WHEN THEY GIVE TO RELIEF EFFORTS.

>> Cathy: GEORGE, HOW DID YOU CELEBRATE THE BIG NEWS?

>> HONESTLY, I GOT SOME SLEEP FOR ONCE.

[ Laughter ] YEAH, LOTS OF -- I MEAN, IT'S JUST SUCH A HUGE HONOR.

I FEEL, YOU KNOW, "MIZNA" TOOK ME IN, ONE OF MY EARLIEST PUBLICATIONS BACK IN 2018, AND I KIND OF GREW TO DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM, DID SOME FREELANCE EDITING, AND THEN NOW STEPPED IN RECENTLY THIS PAST YEAR AS EXECUTIVE EDITOR AND I THINK THAT THE KIND OF SPIRIT OF BUILDING RELATIONS WITH ARTISTS, TAKING ARTISTS IN IS KIND OF SOMETHING I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE ON THE GIVING END TOO NOW.

SUPPORTING ME SO MUCH.

>> Cathy: THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> Eric: LANA,