Two Poems for Truth by Ammiel Alcalay
Two new poems by Ammiel Alcalay, "Kashoggi or Kashog-ji?" and "Translation Theory", explore versions of the truth.
All Articles
The Short, Happy Life of Shirley Thompson
Novelist Preeta Samarasan believes that the greatest truths reside more often in fiction than in fact.
Poetry Against the State
Gil Anidjar reviews A Bibliography for After Jews and Arabs, and suggests that "our problem is that we have stopped listening to the poets."
Poet in Pakistan: the Flamboyant Carolyn Kizer
Biographer Marian Janssen reveals the big, brash, blonde feminist writer and poet Carolyn Kizer, who fascinated and shocked Pakistanis—and introduced the ghazal to America.
Censorship by Assassination: the Danger of Reporting in Afghanistan
Independent journalist Charlie Faulkner files a chilling story from Kabul on the lethal campaign to silence Afghan reporters.
The Truth About Iraq: Memory, Trauma and the End of an Era
Hadani Ditmars remembers what Baghdad was like following the second Gulf War in 2003, when she toured Abu Ghraib with Robert Fisk.
Torture Is the Nasty Center of the 9/11 Case at Guantánamo
In our centerpiece this month, Lisa Hajjar takes us inside the war on terror and the dystopia that is Guantánamo.
France’s Fake Islamo-Leftist Crisis
One of France's prime "Islamo-leftist" suspects, Raphaël Liogier, explains why the term does not apply and what the true danger is (hint: it's not Islam).
Secrets, Leaks, and the Imperative of Truth and Transparency
Stephen Rohde on how widespread government secrecy, alongside the punishment of truth-tellers, betrays fundamental principles underlying democracy.
A visual poem from Hala Alyan: Gaza
A spoken word poem from the author of The Twenty-Ninth Year and The Arsonists' City.
In Yemen, Women are the Heroes
International aid worker and writer Farah Abdessamad has been traveling to Yemen for work since 2014. This is the first time she has written about her experiences there publicly.
Faïza Guène’s Fight for French Respectability
Melissa Chemam considers the sixth novel by France's former teen sensation Faïza Guène and whether she is now part of the literary canon.
Decolonizing Art for Art’s Sake
Culture critic and filmmaker Mara Ahmed deconstructs three versions of an opéra-ballet to get at the heart of western racism in mainstream dance performance.
To the Light—Remembering Lawrence Ferlinghetti: 1919-2021
Ammiel Alcalay remembers an American original, poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who was also the publisher and doyen of City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco.