People looking to establish a connection between their lives in Santa Barbara and war in the Middle East are invited to a lecture by essayist and journalist Pico Iyer on Wednesday.

The lecture is scheduled to be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Iyer, the self-proclaimed “mongrel,” will examine the connection between Western and Middle Eastern cultures and explain how miniatures, poems and individuals might reconcile these cultures.

Iyer is the author of Video Night in Kathmandu, The Lady and the Monk: Four Years in Kyoto, The Global Soul and Abandon. Born to Indian parents, raised in England and the U.S., and currently living in Japan, Iyer describes himself as one of a growing population of global souls who exist in many cultures simultaneously.

Iyer’s lecture will examine why people in the U.S. are drawn toward Islamic art, Sufi poets and Muslim ghazals as much as people in the Islamic world are drawn to the promise and hopefulness of America.

Tickets for Wednesday’s lecture are $5 for museum members and $8 for non-members. Tickets are available at the admissions desk of the Santa Barbara Art Museum at 1130 State St. or by phone at 884-6426.