Rana Asfour

Haidar Al Ghazali is 20 years old, trapped in Gaza. He writes poetry yet claims he is not a poet. Melissa Barrera recites his poem “The Intifada of the Free Youth,” on YouTube, as part of the Palestinian Festival of Literature. Al Ghazali publishes and recites his poems on Instagram, @haidar.ghazali. His debut short story translated in English, “Every Green Plant That Sprouts,” appears in The Markaz Review courtesy of PalFest.

Rana Asfour is the Managing Editor at The Markaz Review, as well as a freelance writer, book critic and translator. Her work has appeared in such publications as Madame Magazine, The Guardian UK and The National/UAE. She chairs TMR’s English-language Book Club, which meets online the last Sunday of every month. She tweets @bookfabulous.