Our first event will bring together women of the Scheherazade Project to tell at least one story per night in any form (words, dance, music). (Online storytellers and gatherings in other communities also welcomed!). We begin on July 25, 2020—101 American nights before we all go to the polls to finalize with our vote what we will have begun with our storytelling arts.
The Scheherazade Project’s 2020 “101 Nights” event is the beginning of a movement. The organization will promote women’s activism through art for generations to come as we entertain, delight, enlighten, and promote social justice at the doors of Presidents and Prime Ministers, Governors and Legislators, Mayors and University Presidents across the nation and around the world.
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A letter from Co-Founder, Julia Alvarez:The Scheherazade Project takes its model and inspiration from the storyteller and activist, Scheherazade of The Arabian Nights. For those not acquainted with this classic from the Arab world, The 1001 Nights collects the stories told by a young woman who is living in a kingdom ruled by a cruel and misogynist sultan. Every night a girl is brought to him and put to death at dawn.
Scheherazade hides out in her father’s library, reading his many books, learning all the stories. Not satisfied with her own safety and privilege, Scheherazade volunteers to go into the sultan's quarters. She takes her sister Dunyazad along. That first night, Dunyazad requests that Scheherazade tell the sultan one of her wonderful tales. The sultan is delighted by the story and asks for another one. As the sun is coming up, Scheherazade is still mid- tale. The sultan spares her so she can finish her story the next night. Read More
And so it goes, each night, Scheherazade finishes one tale and begins another. After 1001 nights, the sultan is smitten with love and repents his evil ways. Scheherazade has succeeded in saving, not just herself, but all the women in her kingdom as well as transforming the sultan into a good man and enlightened ruler, through her storytelling.... ...We, the ... [artivists] of the Scheherazade Project, have volunteered to tell a story in any form (words, dance, music)...[W]e will use our arts to playfully, fiercely, creatively, lovingly call attention to the dire situation in our kingdom, its violence toward women, people of color, the undocumented, Mother Earth, weaker nations unable to protect themselves against the rampage and raping of their resources and people. We are inspired by the Civil Rights movement, the climate movements, the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements. We have no hopes of transforming [all political candidates'] heart[s], but our performances are not for [them] but for us: we, the people. As we approach the next election, we must not sit back, ensconced in whatever safe and privileged version of our “father’s library' we have. We must mobilize and think outside the box (this project as one example) so that we protect, love and therefore save our kingdom and affirm the values we hold dear. We must not be deterred by the strong currents of the status quo, the worn ruts of divisive rhetoric and thinking. Together we can create a groundswell of creative expression to carry us forward, ever closer to the beloved community we must become if we are to survive in this hurting nation and ravaged planet. |
Our Mission
ARTIVISM: The Scheherazade Project is an artivism movement. It uses the power of creativity, solidarity, and courage to promote social justice, nourish our spirits, and enable a more beloved community.
Our Staff
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Abi ColemanDigital Media Production Intern, Fall 2020
Abi Cole is a Digital Media Production Assistant at the Scheherazade Project. She is a junior at The George Washington University studying journalism. Her art form is documentary filmmaking, and she made this short film during an internship with Persistent Productions. The film, Between the Lines: Liz at Large, is centered on cartoonist Liz Montague. |
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Maggie D’AmaroSocial Media & Analytics Intern, Fall 2020
Maggie is a senior at Syracuse University! While studying Economics with a business minor, she hopes to gear her degree towards the corruption that surrounds socioeconomic, sexism, and systemic racism. As for her experience with service, she is a brother in the national service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. She is also a board member for the largest audition-based dance company on campus, Dance Works. Lastly, she is a Transfer Transition Leader; she takes care of mentoring transfer students throughout the school year, speak on panels to answer questions, and organize orientation events to integrate new students. With a background of dance, journalism, and painting, storytelling is her truest form of expression. |
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Emily GoldmanSocial Media & Marketing Intern, Summer 2020
Emily was attracted to The Scheherazade Project because it incorporates art in women’s activism, which she finds to be a unique combination. She’s inspired by creativity, which is why she is a University Innovation Fellow at Bucknell and focuses her studies on art and innovation. She’s interested in all forms of art, including drawing, painting, studio art and jewelry making, and hopes to incorporate these interests in her future career. Emily has worked with nonprofits in the past, and is excited to see this organization grow. She is passionate about pursuing art in a way that can inspire others and The Scherhazade Project is the perfect way for her to do so. |
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Olivia TripodiSocial Media & Marketing Intern, Summer 2020
As a journalism student, storytelling is in her nature, and she looks forward to discovering other forms of storytelling through art. In addition to interning with TSP this summer, Olivia will complete a business school certification while training for her senior year soccer season. She is on the Board of Directors for Street Soccer RVA, where she is able to share her passion for soccer with disadvantaged youth. She loves to tap into her creative side by painting and dreaming of owning her own business one day. Olivia has always had a great appreciation for art and is excited to spend her summer learning more about activism through this medium. |
Leilani Oroztico RuizSummer Intern, Summer 2022
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Board of Directors
Julia Alvarez
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Lisa Leibow
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Organizer Bios
Lisa Leibow
Co-Founder, Board President, & Chief Operating Officer
As Chief Operations Officer, Lisa is building The Scheherazade Project’s organization and leading day-to-day operations. As a recovering attorney turned fiction writer and professor, she’s driven to provide a rich diversity of context that helps people connect the writing practiced in class to other situations where they will need to communicate – across genres, in the workplace, and most importantly in making their voices heard as citizens. For Lisa, bringing The Scheherazade Project to life is a natural extension – through it, she’s fostering a community of art lovers and storytellers from all fields: writers, dancers, visual artists, musicians, comedians, and more. She’s building a platform for our voices to delight, entertain, illuminate, and heal the troubles of the world.
Lisa’s novel The Plastic World of Ruthie Rosenblum Novel was Finalist in the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society’s William Faulkner-William Wisdom Contest and is circulating. She’s a Pushcart Prize Nominee LXVI. Her work has appeared most recently in Coe Review, Crack the Spine, Evening Street Press, and Sandpiper. She’s the recipient of two Vermont Studio Center merit-based grants and residencies, as well as the winner of Pitchapalooza D.C. and an honorable mention in the John Gardner Award for Best Character Description. She teaches at George Washington University, Northern Virginia Community College, and The Writer’s Center.
As Chief Operations Officer, Lisa is building The Scheherazade Project’s organization and leading day-to-day operations. As a recovering attorney turned fiction writer and professor, she’s driven to provide a rich diversity of context that helps people connect the writing practiced in class to other situations where they will need to communicate – across genres, in the workplace, and most importantly in making their voices heard as citizens. For Lisa, bringing The Scheherazade Project to life is a natural extension – through it, she’s fostering a community of art lovers and storytellers from all fields: writers, dancers, visual artists, musicians, comedians, and more. She’s building a platform for our voices to delight, entertain, illuminate, and heal the troubles of the world.
Lisa’s novel The Plastic World of Ruthie Rosenblum Novel was Finalist in the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society’s William Faulkner-William Wisdom Contest and is circulating. She’s a Pushcart Prize Nominee LXVI. Her work has appeared most recently in Coe Review, Crack the Spine, Evening Street Press, and Sandpiper. She’s the recipient of two Vermont Studio Center merit-based grants and residencies, as well as the winner of Pitchapalooza D.C. and an honorable mention in the John Gardner Award for Best Character Description. She teaches at George Washington University, Northern Virginia Community College, and The Writer’s Center.
Julia Alvarez
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Julia Alvarez’ vision launched the Scheherazade Project. She is recognized for her extraordinary storytelling. In poetry and in prose, Ms. Alvarez explores themes of identity, family, and cultural divides. She illustrates the complexity of navigating two worlds and reveals the human capacity for strength in the face of oppression.
Julia Alvarez is the author of novels (How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent, In the Time of Butterflies, iYo!, In the Name of Salomé, and Saving the World), collections of poems (Homecoming, The Other Side/ El Otro Lado, The Woman I kept to Myself), nonfiction books (Something to Declare, Once Upon A Quinceañera: Coming of Age in the USA), and numerous books for young readers (including How Tía Lola Came to Visit/Stay, Before We Were Free, finding miracles, and Return to Sender). Alvarez has won numerous awards for her work, including the National Medal of the Arts, Pura Belpré and Américas Awards for her books for young readers, the Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature, and the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding Achievement in American Literature. She served as a writer in residence at Middlebury College until her retirement in 2016.
Julia Alvarez’ vision launched the Scheherazade Project. She is recognized for her extraordinary storytelling. In poetry and in prose, Ms. Alvarez explores themes of identity, family, and cultural divides. She illustrates the complexity of navigating two worlds and reveals the human capacity for strength in the face of oppression.
Julia Alvarez is the author of novels (How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent, In the Time of Butterflies, iYo!, In the Name of Salomé, and Saving the World), collections of poems (Homecoming, The Other Side/ El Otro Lado, The Woman I kept to Myself), nonfiction books (Something to Declare, Once Upon A Quinceañera: Coming of Age in the USA), and numerous books for young readers (including How Tía Lola Came to Visit/Stay, Before We Were Free, finding miracles, and Return to Sender). Alvarez has won numerous awards for her work, including the National Medal of the Arts, Pura Belpré and Américas Awards for her books for young readers, the Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature, and the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding Achievement in American Literature. She served as a writer in residence at Middlebury College until her retirement in 2016.
Jeri Epstein
Advisor
Masters in Foreign Language, Tufts University.
Board of Trustees, Arena Stage Washington DC. Elected official, Advisory Neighborhood
Commission 2A06 Washington DC, Board Member Inspired Teaching Demonstration School.
Masters in Foreign Language, Tufts University.
Board of Trustees, Arena Stage Washington DC. Elected official, Advisory Neighborhood
Commission 2A06 Washington DC, Board Member Inspired Teaching Demonstration School.
Barbara Benitez
Digital Media Producer
Barbara teaches digital video production for the George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. She comes from a broadcast news background but her early training was rooted in film and television production. Barbara is originally from Los Angeles and once read scripts and wrote coverage for several independent production companies, before shifting gears, moving abroad, and getting an MA in International Journalism in the United Kingdom.
Barbara has worked for CNN where she received several awards for her participation on several major stories such as The Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and the Iraq War. She moved to Washington DC in 2006 to work for an international news channel, where she produced stories throughout Latin America and the United States.
In addition to a Master of Arts in journalism, Barbara also holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Fiction from Queens University of Charlotte, where she undertook a program that met in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Santiago, and focused on Latin American literature and culture. She is currently revising her first fictional novel and has written several short stories, as well as a collection of essays.
Barbara teaches digital video production for the George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. She comes from a broadcast news background but her early training was rooted in film and television production. Barbara is originally from Los Angeles and once read scripts and wrote coverage for several independent production companies, before shifting gears, moving abroad, and getting an MA in International Journalism in the United Kingdom.
Barbara has worked for CNN where she received several awards for her participation on several major stories such as The Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and the Iraq War. She moved to Washington DC in 2006 to work for an international news channel, where she produced stories throughout Latin America and the United States.
In addition to a Master of Arts in journalism, Barbara also holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Fiction from Queens University of Charlotte, where she undertook a program that met in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Santiago, and focused on Latin American literature and culture. She is currently revising her first fictional novel and has written several short stories, as well as a collection of essays.
Julia Tagliere
Creative Writer and Organizer
Julia Tagliere’s work has appeared in The Writer, Potomac Review, Gargoyle Magazine, Washington Independent Review of Books, SmokeLong Quarterly, WritersResist, various anthologies, and the juried photography and prose collection, Love + Lust. Winner of the 2015 William Faulkner Literary Competition for Best Short Story and the 2017 Writer’s Center Undiscovered Voices Fellowship, Julia resides in Maryland with her family, where she completed her M.A. in Writing at Johns Hopkins University. In 2019, she founded the community literary reading series MoCo Underground, to showcase the work of local writers. She serves as an editor with The Baltimore Review and is currently working on her next novel. Follow her at justscribbling.com.
Julia Tagliere’s work has appeared in The Writer, Potomac Review, Gargoyle Magazine, Washington Independent Review of Books, SmokeLong Quarterly, WritersResist, various anthologies, and the juried photography and prose collection, Love + Lust. Winner of the 2015 William Faulkner Literary Competition for Best Short Story and the 2017 Writer’s Center Undiscovered Voices Fellowship, Julia resides in Maryland with her family, where she completed her M.A. in Writing at Johns Hopkins University. In 2019, she founded the community literary reading series MoCo Underground, to showcase the work of local writers. She serves as an editor with The Baltimore Review and is currently working on her next novel. Follow her at justscribbling.com.
Laura Hazan
Creative Writer and Organizer
Laura Hazan is a librarian with the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, MD where she moderates the weekly Light Street Writers Exchange. She completed her first novel, Little Boxes, while attending the “Your Novel Year” program at Arizona State University’s Piper Writing Center. In addition, her work has been published in Natural Bridge, Sauce Magazine and Strongly Worded Women an anthology for the #yearofpublishingwomen. In the fall of 2019 Laura was Writer-in-Residence for the Highlandtown Arts District in Baltimore. Laura is a resident of Baltimore where she lives with her son, her husband, and their one-eyed dog, Boh.
Laura Hazan is a librarian with the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, MD where she moderates the weekly Light Street Writers Exchange. She completed her first novel, Little Boxes, while attending the “Your Novel Year” program at Arizona State University’s Piper Writing Center. In addition, her work has been published in Natural Bridge, Sauce Magazine and Strongly Worded Women an anthology for the #yearofpublishingwomen. In the fall of 2019 Laura was Writer-in-Residence for the Highlandtown Arts District in Baltimore. Laura is a resident of Baltimore where she lives with her son, her husband, and their one-eyed dog, Boh.
Quai Anderson
Social Media & Marketing, Summer & Fall 2020
Quai is passionate about healing through art and is looking forward to working with other creatives this summer on The Scheherazade Project because of its powerful message. At Goucher College, Quai is the president of AZN Identity Affiliation, which is an Asian affinity group on campus. She is pursuing a future in fashion and in the arts, both in front and behind the camera. She is a host for a podcast called “Half Baked with Claire And” and is someone who loves to learn from other’s stories as well as share her own. This summer she is excited to learn how to be an activist on all social platforms.
Quai is passionate about healing through art and is looking forward to working with other creatives this summer on The Scheherazade Project because of its powerful message. At Goucher College, Quai is the president of AZN Identity Affiliation, which is an Asian affinity group on campus. She is pursuing a future in fashion and in the arts, both in front and behind the camera. She is a host for a podcast called “Half Baked with Claire And” and is someone who loves to learn from other’s stories as well as share her own. This summer she is excited to learn how to be an activist on all social platforms.
Zayne Ali
Social Marketing and Digital Media Intern, Summer 2022 to Present
Zayne Ali is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she received a Bachelor of Arts and minored in Japanese cultural studies. She first learned about The Scheherazade Project while on the lookout for a summer job on UMBC’s career center website. Since that summer in 2022, Zayne has contributed her writing and creative marketing skills to the Project’s newsletters, social media announcements, etc. She’s currently on the lookout for full-time employment in a similar realm of digital outreach and social advocacy.
Zayne Ali is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she received a Bachelor of Arts and minored in Japanese cultural studies. She first learned about The Scheherazade Project while on the lookout for a summer job on UMBC’s career center website. Since that summer in 2022, Zayne has contributed her writing and creative marketing skills to the Project’s newsletters, social media announcements, etc. She’s currently on the lookout for full-time employment in a similar realm of digital outreach and social advocacy.
Our Partners
Our partners support our mission by organizing performances, referring artists, and helping us spread the word.
