Iowa Writers' Workshop alum Rawaan Alkhatib will be joined in conversation with fellow Writers' Workshop alums Carmen Maria Machado and Rachel Yoder to talk about food, books, bodies, and her new book: Hot Date!: Sweet & Savory Recipes Celebrating the Date, from Party Food to Everyday Feasts. Described from Alkhatib's publisher, Chronicle Books, as "The first comprehensive cookbook on an ancient superfood and the cultures that revere it," Hot Date! features "99 mouthwatering, date-centered recipes that are the perfect mix of traditional favorites and inspired new creations." The Paris Review says of Hot Date!: "The most sumptuous cookbook I’ve ever encountered…Savor this book with your sweetheart, take yourself out on your own date: Hot Date! is a joy." Meanwhile, Publisher's Weekly, which gave Hot Date! a starred review, says, "Alkhatib’s sumptuous paintings, narrative anecdotes, and illustrated poetry make this more than just a cookbook. It’s a powerful ode to a multifaceted fruit."

Carmen Maria Machado is the author of the bestselling memoir In the Dream House and the award-winning short story collection Her Body and Other Parties. She has been a finalist for the National Book Award and the winner of prizes, including the Bard Fiction Prize, the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, and the National Book Critics Circle's John Leonard Prize. She is a Visiting Associate Professor of fiction for the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Rachel Yoder is the author of the bestselling novel Nightbitch, which is now also a feature film. Her stories and essays have appeared in publications such as Harper’s, The New York Times, The Paris Review, The Southern Review, and The Sun. Yoder was the '23/'24 Trias Writer-in-Residence at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and now serves as Assistant Professor of Screenwriting and Cinema Arts at the University of Iowa.

Rawaan Alkhatib is a cook, writer and artist. She holds an MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. When she’s not working full-time at a museum exhibit design studio, she creates work across a variety of mediums including writing, painting, textile design, and of course, food. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her spouse and child.

_{[Photo by CF Watkins]}

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