The Day My Life Ended, It Began
What could have been the end of life was instead a milestone that led to the writer's greatest epiphany.
Category: Columns
Remembering Khaled Khalifa on the 40th Day
For the 40th day from his death, Youssef Rakha considers fellow writer Khaled Khalifa in the context of both Arabic and world literary canons.
Ode to Khartoum—a City Riven by Civil War
Dallia Abdel-Moniem has always loved her native city, but when she returned from abroad 10 years ago, it was with renewed hope for Sudan.
Death is a Traitor: Living the Morocco Earthquake from the US
Moroccan Amazigh scholar Brahim El Guabli learned that his family in Ouarzazate lost their home in the earthquake that hit Friday night.
Resilience Amidst the Ruins: Nfis Valley Endures After the Quake
A Moroccan scholar from the earthquake region, Aomar Boum, and his UCLA colleague Sarah A. Stein, provide more context on the Atlas Mountains communities hit by the temblor.
The End of Arabic and the Dumbing Down of America
What happens when public universities begin shutting down entire area studies departments, and learning foreign languages becomes a luxury?
Open Letter: On Being Palestinian and Publishing Poetry in the US
Bethlehem-born poet Ahmad Almallah describes his trials and tribulations getting published in English in the United States.
A Day in the Life: Cairo
The writer's visit to a Cairo internet store to renew her internet service proves to be an out of body experience.
Words of Resistance: Nasim Marashi, Syaman Rapongan & Isabelle Sorente
Lou Heliot presents a portrait of three engagé novelists who make literature the locus of their resistance.
Reviving the Nay Tradition in Jordan
Jordanian Rabee’ Zureikat is on a mission to restore severed links to the Arab past by reviving a musical heritage, one nay at a time.
The Rite of Flooding: When the Land Speaks
A walk through London’s Hackney Marshes calls forth stories of Gaza, the Nile, the Sindhu River and the Thames.
Afghan Cuisine’s Rice Dishes—Delectables of the Silk Road
Afghan American writer Sumaira Akbarzada shares several of her family's favorite rice dishes, recalling her trips to Afghanistan.