About this Event
Queer as Beloved
“In order to return to our natural state as beloved, we must reclaim words that are used to shame or separate us. The way queer was reclaimed as celebration of life, God can be reclaimed as proof of belonging.”
Join author and poet Moudi Sbeity for an evening of queer spirituality focused on justice and liberation through a framework of compassion, forgiveness, and awe. They will be reading from their two new books: Habibi Means Beloved: a queer memoir on war, stuttering, and belonging; and Alhamdulillah Anyway, a poetry collection addressing language, land, and war. Following the reading will be an opportunity for discussion, and some time for an open mic.
This event is free to attend. The venue is wheelchair accessible, and masks are required and provided. ASL interpretation can be provided with 2 weeks advance notice. Please reach out with any accessibility needs.
About Habibi Means Beloved
A memoir of exile, love, and the search for home
Born into a Muslim family from a small Lebanese village, Moudi Sbeity came of age at the intersection of war, displacement, and difference. Queer, with a stutter, and often on the margins of belonging, Sbeity survived the conflicts that fractured their homeland and family before arriving in Utah as an eighteen-year-old evacuee.
From there, Sbeity transformed anonymity into advocacy as plaintiff in Kitchen v. Herbert, the landmark case that secured marriage equality across the 10th Circuit, and as founder of the celebrated Salt Lake City queer-friendly restaurant Laziz Kitchen. Yet behind these outward triumphs, Sbeity felt an inner call to return to their roots through writing and poetry. Habibi Means Beloved interweaves personal narrative, Sufi mysticism, and Lebanese heritage in a memoir of resilience, disconnection, and reconciliation. Both intimate and universal, it invites readers to reimagine belonging and recognize ourselves—and one another—as already beloved.
About Alhamdulillah Anyway
In Alhamdulillah Anyway, Moudi Sbeity holds the grief of witnessing the genocide in Gaza and the war in Lebanon alongside praise for existing at all.
About Moudi Sbeity
Moudi Sbeity is a Lebanese-American poet, author, and contemplative educator. Their first poetry collection, Alhamdulillah Anyway, is set to be published in 2026.
Event venue & nearby stays
Under the Umbrella Bookstore and Cafe, 511 West 200 South, Salt Lake City, United States
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