Karen Green interviewed Brigitte and Lewis, often through the use of a
translator Julia Pohl-Miranda. They talked about their book Poppies for
Iraq. Karen asked why are we seeing women telling their stories
regarding leaving the Middle East instead of men? They spoke about the
printing of photographs, why they did it, which ones they chose and why
they placed them where they did throughout the book. They discussed the
unsettlement within the book in both the past and the present. Brigitte
and Lewis talked about the government issued poisoned grain that was
within the story. They then turned to when Briggitte began drawing,
their collaborative process, the other books they worked on, the pacing
of a joke, subtle bit of info that is important, but not highlighted and
why Lewis chose to do it that way. Brigitte revealed how extreme the
antisemitism was in Iraq. The danger there was in France when she first
moved there, how poor kids in Iraq are expected to help clean the school
but the rich kids are not, what country they now consider to be “home”
and both Lewis and Brigitte wanted the audience to know that Poppies for
Iraq is a happy book.
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