Apeirogon-auts Assemble!

"We don't have to love each other. We don't even have to like each other," says award-winning author Colum McCann, "But we must understand each other." 

On Wednesday, November 17, ninth and eleventh graders gathered in Dyer Auditorium for a special Zoom Q&A session with Colum McCann, author of Apeirogon and winner of the National Book Award for a previous novel, Let the Great World Spin. Our students joined with others from schools across the country who had also read Apeirogon, which centers around the stories of two men, one Palestinian (Bassam Aramin) and the other Israeli (Rami Elhanan), who have both lost daughters to violence relating to the larger conflicts in the region. 

All students were given opportunities to ask questions directly to Mr. McCann over Zoom; he responded with earnestness and depth. Selected questions submitted by students are copied below (several of which were addressed during the Q&A): 

• What were some struggles while writing your book? Did you go anywhere to help you with those struggles to help you write your book? 
• Because you have worked in the international scope and wrote several other novels, how has your experience interviewing Bassam and Rami and writing Apeirogon different from your other novels? Is there a specific memory or event that made this novel particularly special or memorable? 
• What was it like speaking with Rami and Bassam? Was it safe in the area you were interviewing them? What were Bassam and Rami's reactions to the book overall? Were they happy with how true to their stories the book was? Are you still in contact with them? How would you describe the emotions you've experienced since first meeting Bassam and Rami? 
• Have you directly received any negative feedback from the Israeli government or political parties?
• Why do you think that storytelling is such a powerful tool? What different effect does the story have when it is told by a person other than the one who experienced it?

In relation to his work as a novelist, McCann is also co-founder of Narrative 4 (N4), an organization that "uses personal storytelling to build empathy between young people so they can improve their communities and the world together." Over the summer, English teachers Drs. Brian Crowe and Catherine Moore attended a Narrative 4 conference in Kentucky that focused on curriculum development, and many students have recently expressed interest in and begun training as N4 Story Exchange Facilitators. 

Moving forward, we expect there to be further opportunities for Moravian students to collaborate with writers, artists and other educators around the country affiliated with N4. Mr. McCann is often in touch with his dear friends, Rami and Bassam, who may someday be able to join us through the magic of Zoom, if not in person!