Lamma aims to provide a forum for critically understanding the complex ideas, values, social configurations, histories, and material realities in Libya. Recognizing, and insisting on, the urgent need for such a forum, we give attention to a wide a range of disciplines, sources, and approaches, foregrounding especially those which have previously received less scholarly attention. This includes, but is not limited to: anthropology, art, gender, history, linguistics, literature, music, performance studies, politics, religion, and urban studies, in addition to their intersections, their subfields, the places in between, and critical, theoretical, and postcolonial approaches thereto. Lamma is a space where these fields can interact and draw from one another, and where scholars and students from inside and outside of Libya gather to redefine and reshape "Libyan Studies." We believe that access to research is not the privilege of a few but the right of all and that knowledge production should be inclusive. For these reasons the journal takes its name from the Arabic word lamma, "a gathering."This first issue of Lamma brings together academic research, cultural commentary, literature, and translation. It aims to show some of the possible varieties of research on Libya, from history and literature to sociolinguistics, gender studies, and more. But, perhaps more importantly, it aims to show that the efforts of academic researchers, cultural actors, writers, translators, and even artists are not separate endeavors but rather intertwined. By bringing these efforts together in one forum, we hope to set them in fruitful dialog with each other-and thus begin to complexify the notion of "Libyan Studies."

Gramma Lamma Ding Dong By: Patti Kosnik Gramma Lamma Ding Dong follows a grandmother and her three grandchildren as they embark on a trip to the park. They set off to enjoy the sunshine and play all day, but Gramma Lamma Ding Dong has a secret that only she and the Ding Dong kids know. It promises to make their day extra special. Gramma shares subtle lessons with her grandkids and the reader. The author hopes readers find their story to be fun and playful and sparks their imagination.

Magic is what poetry is about. Magic can and does happen on the page, but the connection slams allow between poet and audience is both larger and more personal than the printed word. And it's reassuring, in a new century and millennium, to see that most ancient of the literary arts, poetry, return to its oral roots. When it comes to slams, poetry is the winner. - from the essay "Downtown Slam" by JV Brummels Slamma Lamma Ding Dong is the combined effort of 35 of Nebraska's slam poets. Appealing to fans of both the written and spoken word, it gives voice to the rich culture, the wild imagination, and the diverse spirit of the plains.

One bicycle accident changes everything when the self-absorbed New Yorker Madeleine Fox literally runs into brash Shanghai dissident David Li, in a tale that is like following an escapee from a Woody Allen movie as she looks for love and meaning amidst the moral ambiguities of post-Tiananmen China.

A new coursebook in spoken Arabic There are basically two types of Arabic: the local vernaculars—which are used in everyday life—and Modern Standard Arabic, which is restricted to writing and to speaking in formal settings. Anyone wanting to have a good command of the Arabic language must learn both varieties. kullu tamam! takes account of this diversity in two ways: it introduces the student to the language by means of Egyptian Colloquial Arabic, and provides a basis for those who want to go on to learn Modern Standard Arabic. This is done by using the grammatical terminology common to both varieties of Arabic, by offering many vocabulary items current in both the vernacular and the standard variety, and—in the later lessons—by introducing the Arabic script. kullu tamam! uses a cognitively oriented approach, presents Arabic mainly in transcription, gives grammatical rules, and presents a wide range of pattern drills and translation exercises (with key), as well as vocabulary lists for both Arabic–English and English–Arabic. Illustrative texts are either short dialogues, as may be encountered in daily life in Egypt, or descriptive passages dealing with more abstract topics and using a vocabulary typical of Arabic newspapers. The accompanying online audio files carry recordings of the texts, made by Egyptian native speakers. For over ten years now, the Dutch edition of kullu tamam! has been used successfully as a textbook in first-year Arabic courses at university level in the Netherlands. Now students in the English-speaking world can benefit from its clear, fresh approach. kullu tamam! is also suitable for self-study purposes.

Most vols. for 1890- contain list of members of the Folk-lore Society.