as we begin to pack our books and albums, i keep finding these treasures. this picture was taken in istanbul. i was 15 years old and my friend Badi Ben Mabrouk, whom i met on that trip, was 16. we had both won a competition organized by the government of turkey to celebrate ‘modern turkey founded by ataturk.’ i wrote a very long poem in french. winners from all over the world were invited to the country as state guests for a week. it was an incredible experience.
