“Dear Sniper” —a short story by Ali Ramthan Hussein
Gatekeepers of Baghdad decide who lives, who dies, during 2019 protests against high unemployment, state corruption, and poor services.
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“Firefly”—a short story by Alireza Iranmehr
In this short story, an Iranian conscript keeps disappearing from duty. The natural world leaves clues of his whereabouts.
“An Inherited Offense”—a Levantine story on the island of Leros
In this short story by Nektaria Anastasiadou, the male and female terebinth trees of a Levantine childhood help heal a fractured family.
“The Social Media Kids”—a short story by Qais Akbar Omar
In Qais Akbar Omar’s short story, a surprise homecoming threatens to upend the lives of a 14-year-old and her independent mother in Kabul.
“Ten-Armed Gods”—a short story by Odai Al Zoubi
In a stream of consciousness short story by Odai Al Zoubi, a minister under investigation in the Syrian government awaits his fate.
“A Blind Window on Childhood”—a short story by Hamoud Saud
Omani writer Hamoud Saud’s short story “A Blind Window on Childhood” translated from Arabic by Zia Ahmed, reveals a family's secret history.
“The Lakshmi of Suburbia”—a story by Natasha Tynes
In Natasha Tynes’ new short story, “The Lakshmi of Suburbia,” an unhappy wife falls in love with herself and an internet influencer.
“The Cockroaches”—flash fiction
In the violence of the Gaza war, a love that dares not speak its name blossoms at a hefty price in flash fiction by Stanko Uyi Sršen.
“Keeping Up”—fiction from Mohamed Farag
The more things change, the more they become strange, or so finds the confused narrator of this Kafkaesque adventure in a developing country.
“The Doll with the Purple Scarf”—flash fiction from Diaa Jubaili
Iraqi novelist Diaa Jubaili's short story, translated by Chip Rossetti, portrays dolls as unlikely victims of life under the Islamic State.
“Certainty”—a short story by Nora Nagi
In this latest story by Nora Nagi, an Egyptian woman trapped in a loveless marriage far from home finds freedom.
“We Danced”—a story by MK Harb
In exercises to “release your inner child,” meditation, or psychotherapy, Beirutis search for mental and physical relief, in MK Harb's latest short story.
“Madame Djouzi”—a story by Salah Badis
Salah Badis' short story follows an elderly Algerian woman contemplating the end of her life amidst the threat of earthquakes or having to sell her cherished furniture.
“Frida Kahlo’s Mustache”—flash fiction from Abdullah Nasser
In this flash fiction by Abdullah Nasser, a couple struggling to conceive undergoes a transformation that changes everything.
“Besara”—an excerpt from Things Are Not in Their Place
An excerpt from Omani writer Huda Hamed’s bittersweet coming-of-age novel about race and self in a new English translation by Zia Ahmed.