After talking further, the two women found they shared similar cultural outlooks. Figuring they weren't alone, Sargis and Parson-Nesbitt decided to organize tonight's Bridge of Voices: A Reading by Arab and Jewish Poets, which will include readings by Rosellen Brown, Mary Abowd, Jeremy LaHoud, Phil Klukoff, and Helen Degan Cohen, among others.

"We want people to see that these two groups who are often seen as not getting along can come together through our voices," says Parson-Nesbitt. "When you hear about somebody's personal life, they become a real person." She and Sargis will also read.