World Picks: Festival Arabesques in Montpellier
The largest festival of Arab and North African music takes place each year in Montpellier: Arabesques is quite the two-week extravaganza.
The Imagination Interviews
World Picks: Exist Festival + the Mosaic Room, London
Sept. 8-10, Exist Festival in London features film, talks, music, performance & dance; Sept. 6-14, also in London at the Mosaic Rooms, check out "In the Shade of the Sun."
Two Poems, Practicing Absence & At the Airport—Sholeh Wolpé
In her memoir in verse, a poet recounts a day in the life at the cemetery, and a day in the life at the airport.
“Sadness in My Heart”—a story by Hilal Chouman
In this newly translated novel excerpt from Hilal Chouman, the son of a civil war fighter learns about his father from a Lebanese minister.
September 11, 1973 and Ariel Dorfman’s The Suicide Museum
The other 9/11: Francisco Letelier on Ariel Dorfman's latest novel in the context of his family's history in Chile and his father's assassination.
A Day in the Life with Forugh Farrokhzad (and a Tortoise)
A woman's sexual ruminations kindles memories of her conservative upbringing in Iran and a longing for the liberating poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad.
“A Dog in the Woods”—a short story by Malu Halasa
Malu Halasa's story takes place on one day in the life of the family patriarch who confronts memories of assimilation and broken families.
“Hamidinou’s Smile”—a Mauritanian story by Ahmed Isselmou
In Ahmed Isselmou's short story, a Mauritanian man struggles to maintain his resilience and perseverance in the face of ongoing misfortunes.
London Cemeteries: And Now It Is Death
Selma Dabbagh's run through a London cemetery proves to be valuable fodder for the creative inspiration the writer was searching for.
A Day in the Life of a Saturday Market Trawler in Cairo
Karoline Kamel captures the enchantment of Egypt's flea markets where a nostalgic encounter with a Barbie doll fulfilled a childhood longing.
They and I, in Budapest
An Egyptian student in Budapest wakes up each morning to embody a new character, conquer language barriers and learn about her new city.
A Day in the Life of a Niqabi Mother in New York
Noshin Bokth immerses herself in anti-colonial and post-colonial literature as she spends the day with her daughter at a New York library.
“Sweet Tea”—a classic Kurdish story by Hussein Arif
In this short story translated from Kurdish for the first time, a young man discovers that his discomfort was suppressing his true feelings.
“Tainted”—fiction from May Haddad
In May Haddad's story, a conversation between a young girl and her grandmother reveals the fault lines between the generations.
Traveling Through Turkey With Gertrude Bell and Pat Yale
Arie Amaya-Akkermans reviews Pat Yale's latest book that follows in the footsteps of Gertrude Bell while highlighting Turkey's rich history.