History of Tehran: What Lies Beneath
One of Iran's most venerable journalists and editors gives us an insider's history of one of the world's great if lesser-known cities.
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Algiers, Algeria in the novel “Our Riches”
Kaouther Adimi's historical novel departs from a famous Algerian bookstore with a connection to Albert Camus and opens a window onto Algerian independence, French colonialism and the literary voices coming out of the Maghreb.
Shahla Ujayli’s “Summer With the Enemy”
War-torn Syria isn't just about headlines. In this new novel from Shahla Ujayli, the country comes alive as seen through the eyes of three women from Raqqa.
Shahla Ujayli’s “Summer With the Enemy”
War-torn Syria isn’t just about headlines. In this new novel from Shahla Ujayli, the country comes alive as seen through the eyes of three women from Raqqa.
Trembling Landscapes: Between Reality and Fiction: Eleven Artists from the Middle East*
Landscape is a charged notion in the Middle East—even the geographical term Middle East is not neutral, but Eurocentric and has its origin in colonialism. Co-curator Nat Muller explains.
The Mysteries of Translation in “Stranger Fictions”
Europe is the center of the world and has the literature to prove it. Or is it? Arabic and comparative literature scholar Rebecca C. Johnson makes a different argument in Stranger Fictions.
Threading the Needle: Najwa Najjar’s “Between Heaven and Earth”
Ammiel Alcalay reviews writer/director Najwa Najjar's third feature film—"part road movie, part mystery, part thriller."
To Be or Not to Be, That is Not the Question
December 12, 2020 marks the 95th birthday of the revolutionary and controversial Iranian poet, translator, essayist, editor, encyclopedist, and cultural figure, Ahmad Shamlou (1925-2000).
Kuwait’s Alanoud Alsharekh, Feminist Groundbreaker
Nada Ghosn speaks to Dr. Alanoud Alsharekh in our monthly series profiling trailblazing Arab, Iranian and other women of the Middle East and North Africa.
Assaulting Free Speech in the Israel/Palestine Debate
Columnist Firouzeh Afsharnia says Facebook shut her down for bringing up Israel's heavy-handedness when it comes to Iran and flouting international law.
The Unbearable Affront of Colorism
Banah al Ghadbanah on the scourge of racism/colorism in Syrian communities and how it is tied to centuries-old endemic anti-Blackness and internalized colonialism.
Breathing in a Plague
Kurdish poet-scholar-translator Selîm Temo thinks of the young Thomas Bernhard and his infant son as he fights for life in intensive care.
The Unvarnished Truth about Obama, Harris and Diversity without Accountability
Columnist Mara Ahmed isn't fooled by Obama's burnished spin, nor is she taken in by Kamala Harris' mixed Indian-Jamaican heritage.
Arabs and Muslims on Stage: Can We Unpack Our Baggage?
Egyptian American playwright Yussef El Guindi argues it's time for American theatre to go beyond bombs and burkas when it comes to Arab/Muslim characters and storylines.
Freekeh, freekeh, freekeh!
Bethlehem's epicurean chef, Fadi Kattan, talks about one of his big loves and even lets us in on his freekeh risotto recipe.