Where to Now, Ya Asfoura?—a story by Sarah AlKahly-Mills
You can run from grief and death until you lose your mind, but life is reserved for those who fight for it.
Fiction
“The Peacock” — a story by Sahar Mustafah
A Palestinian woman battles both the patriarchy and the occupation to free herself from the toxic jurisdiction men have claimed over her.
“Asha and Haaji”—a story by Hanif Kureishi
The author of the story collection "Love in a Blue Time" weaves a dystopian tale of migrants, love and literature.
Mai Al-Nakib: “Naaseha’s Counsel”
The author of the novel "An Unlasting Home" recalls stories of African slaves in Iraq and Kuwait.
“Godshow.com”—a short story by Ahmed Naji
The Egyptian novelist and author of "Rotten Evidence: Reading and Writing in Prison" finds versions of Islam in the Nevada desert.
Joumana Haddad: “Victim #232”
A preview of the new Arabic novel from the author of "I Killed Scheherazade" and "Superman is an Arab."
Rabih Alameddine: “Remembering Nasser”
Winner of the 2022 PEN/Faulkner award, novelist Rabih Alameddine tells an essential story from his Beirut childhood.
Nektaria Anastasiadou: “Gold in Taksim Square”
The novelist behind "A Recipe for Daphne" returns to multicultural Istanbul to write about love and death amongst the city's minorities.
Dima Mikhayel Matta: “This Text Is a Very Lonely Document”
A bold excerpt from the new Saqi anthology, "This Arab is Queer," in which a non-binary person from Lebanon explores solitude and family.
Lisa Teasley: “Death is Beautiful”
Should we be happy we're finite? Lisa Teasley weaves a tale merging art, transhumanists and artificial intelligence.
Bakhtiyar Ali: “The Prisoner and the Plague”
From one of the most prominent contemporary authors and poets from Iraqi Kurdistan comes an unforgettable tale of oppression, and freedom.
Selma Dabbagh: “Trash”
A short story of international love from the author of the Gaza novel "Out of It."
“Buenos Aires of Her Eyes”—a story by Alireza Iranmehr
One of contemporary Iran's best storytellers conjures a tale of octogenarian love in a Nabokovian mode.
“The Salamander”—fiction from Sarah AlKahly-Mills
In this magical tale set in Lebanon and on a mysterious Mediterranean island, people dream of escape while a biologist seeks an elusive salamander.
Karim Kattan: “The Gravedigger”
The trilingual Palestinian novelist and short story writer weaves an engaging tale of love, death and redemption.