Established in 2020, The Markaz Review (TMR) is a non-profit literary publication and platform that amplifies voices from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (SWANA).. The name “Markaz”, meaning “the center” in Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu, underscores the cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity of the region that is often overlooked and silenced on the world stage. We assert that our voices are critical components in the global production of literature, commentary and cultural critique. In a world increasingly fragmented by all forms of racism and discrimination, TMR’s mission is to promote a critical culture which centers human rights and freedom of expression.
In 2020, The New York Times published a report that showed that the vast majority of the literature published in the United States since 1950 has been by white writers: “Of the 7,124 books for which we identified the author’s race,” the authors wrote, “95 percent were written by white people.”
We publish essays, fiction, editorials, poetry, book and art reviews, memoirs and translations from emerging and established writers in the region and our communities in diaspora. We publish in English with translations available in Arabic, Spanish and French. A dedicated Bil Arabi section celebrates the Arabic language. Our Editorial Team headed by Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Jordan ElGrably, curates content around critical themes such as: “Freedom to Read”, “Love, War, Resistance”, “Forgetting”,”Mental Health” and “Public Intellectual” to name just a few.
As these regions continue to endure tragic conflicts and outcomes, the need for artistic expression has never been more urgent. We invite you to join us in supporting the arts, literature and freedom of expression. We publish TMR Weekly and a monthly themed edition. We host monthly virtual roundtable discussions, produce podcasts and curate books and anthologies. To commemorate and celebrate our 5 year anniversary, we will publish a “Best of” print edition. This will become a yearly tradition. .The Markaz Review is a creative and literary destination that seeks to erase boundaries between people, challenge long-held stereotypes and honor ourselves, our cultures and our futures.
In an era of heightened criminalization, censorship, and dehumanization, we insist that literature is not a luxury but a necessity for liberation. We hold space for the full complexity of our lives—and in doing so, contribute to a larger movement ecosystem that resists erasure, builds power, and reimagines justice. Our impact is not measured solely in readership, but in how our stories travel, empower, and transform. We build long-term systems change by nurturing the education and imagination needed to envision new worlds—and by anchoring that vision in the lived realities of our people. The Markaz Review is a literary destination that seeks to erase boundaries between people, challenge long-held stereotypes and honor ourselves, our cultures and our futures. TMR is based in Montpellier, France, and also operates as a nonprofit in the U.S. Our office and gallery at 7 rue de Verdun helps strengthen ties between cultures through exhibitions and public programs. We believe in diversity, anti-discrimination, and the transformative power of culture to build understanding across communities.
TMR exists thanks to its readers and supporters. By sharing our stories and celebrating cultural pluralism, we aim to counter racism, xenophobia, and exclusion with knowledge, empathy, and artistic expression.
