TMR 51
MEZZE
The June issue offers a diverse selection of essays, reviews and fiction, with a centerpiece by Lina Mounzer and art story by Hadani Ditmars.
- TMR 51
- Editorial
Why Mezze?
June’s issue features essays, reviews, and fiction—highlighting Lina Mounzer’s centerpiece and Hadani Ditmars’ art story.
- TMR 51
- CENTERPIECE
Mama’s Kitchen
A writer looks back on formative memories of her mother and grandmother in the kitchen and wonders about the value of women’s work — and whether love’s labor is ever truly lost.
6 June 2025 • By Lina Mounzer- TMR 51
- Featured Artist
Iraq’s Kurdish Genocide and Three Wars: Artists Osman Ahmed & Fakher Mohammed
A joint Arab/Kurdish exhibition at Baghdad’s The Gallery showcased how the nation’s two solitudes can unite through art.
6 June 2025 • By Hadani DitmarsMORE FROM THIS ISSUE
Victorious Decolonization in the Work of Joyce Joumaa
Lebanese Canadian writer and visual artist Joyce Joumaa’s videos demonstrate that the colonized are not passive recipients of their condition.
6 JUNE 2025 • BY AIDAN SIMARDONE
Always Beware of Dogs by Samir Kacimi — An Excerpt
Creatively blending elements of fantasy, Kacimi offers readers a fresh lens onto contemporary life in Algeria.
6 JUNE 2025 • BY SAMIR KACIMI
“Inside the Margins”: Centering Tirailleurs in Bandes Dessinées
The graphic novels or bandes dessinées out of Africa are a line in the sand of protest and rebellion against European colonialism.
6 JUNE 2025 • BY AOMAR BOUM
The Evin Prison Bakers’ Club — Review
Sepideh Gholian's book demonstrates that freedom, even in confinement, is a state of mind, where choosing life is part of the struggle.
6 JUNE 2025 • BY HANNAH KAVIANI
Interview: Joe Sacco on Gaza
Joe Sacco uses his graphic storytelling in "War on Gaza" to reflect on the events in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.
6 JUNE 2025 • BY ELIAS FEROZ
About to Erupt: A Snapshot of Contemporary Art in Istanbul
Naima Morelli explores Istanbul’s art scene, discovering its underground energy at a gallery, art fair, and museum retrospective.
6 JUNE 2025 • BY NAIMA MORELLI
Imagining Ghanem—My Return to Lebanon
The writer explores Lebanon's archives for traces of her family who left 150 years ago, contemplating our responsibilities to our ancestors.
6 JUNE 2025 • BY AMELIA IZMANKI