NAAP Conference a success

Spent all of yesterday at the Annual Conference for the Network of Arab American Professionals (NAAP).  I served on a panel discussing how to get published with two incredibly impressive women, Terri Ginsberg and Deborah Kanafai - both of whom have experience publishing books of different kinds.  The theme of the conference was reshaping the image of Arabs in American society, particularly following September 11th.  The keynote speaker, Jack Shaheen, delivered a very interesting (and to some, incredibly moving) speech on the need for an Arab Lobby in Hollywood (in addition to Washington) to change the image of Arabs in cinema.  All in all, it was a lovely weekend.  It was the first time I had attended such an event and I was proud to see so many bright and successful people of Middle Eastern descent under one roof. – V