Meltem Halaceli

Meltem has studied Arabic Language and Culture, graduated in 2008 on the memoires of her Ottoman Arab grandfather. She was an advisor about the cultural scene in Syria (2006) at the Dutch institute in Damascus. She edited for Zemzem, the magazine about the Middle East, Islam and Northern Africa (2006/07). She worked for the Dutch Literature Fund (2007/09) for two years, during which she started reading a lot of poetry and literature. At SICA (Foundation for the International Cultural Activities, attached to the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs) she advised Dutch (cultural) institutions about Euro-Meditteranean projects for the Anna Lindh Foundation (2009/10). She is now writing a book (Athenaeum&Polak-Van Gennep) about her quest for her Arabic roots, for which she will travel to the Middle East and Turkey in the trace of her grandfather. Her book is forthcoming in 2012.