“Dear Sniper” —a short story by Ali Ramthan Hussein
Gatekeepers of Baghdad decide who lives, who dies, during 2019 protests against high unemployment, state corruption, and poor services.
life and death
Al-Thakla—Arabic as the Original Mourner
Abdelrahman ElGendy asks, how do you hold your grief in a language that's been its main perpetrator?
The Time of Monsters
Layla AlAmmar contemplates how the noise of the past can be perceived as a coherent narrative in hindsight.
A Treatise on Love
When disaster strikes Maryam Haidari between Tunis and Tehran, the past seven years of her life as a poet, writer and translator are thrown into stark relief.
“New Reasons”—a short story by Samira Azzam
In a translated tale from Palestine’s first lady of short stories, the newest technology exacts a toll on people ahead of their time.
Jesus Was Palestinian, But Bethlehem Suspends Christmas
Had Jesus been born today he would be considered Palestinian, and his birth would have faced many obstacles along the way, writes Ahmed Twaij.
A Student’s Tribute to Refaat Alareer, Gaza’s Beloved Storyteller
Killed in Gaza by the Israeli military, Refaat Alareer's spirit and words continue to live on in his students, writes Yousef M. Al Jamal.
Messages from Gaza Now / 2
Firsthand accounts of the war by Hossam Madhoun, a theatre-maker reporting from the rubble of Gaza.
“Twelve Angels”—fiction from Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi
In this short story by Egyptian writer Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi, translated from Arabic, a man contends with his mortality on his death bed.
Huda Fakhreddine’s A Brief Time Under a Different Sun
Exclusive excerpt from Huda Fahreddine's "A Brief Time Under a Different Sun," translated from the Arabic by Rana Asfour.
The Day My Life Ended, It Began
What could have been the end of life was instead a milestone that led to the writer's greatest epiphany.
Hartaqât: Heresies of a World with Policed Borders
In a mix of theatrical performance, music and visual arts, three voices bear witness to the courage of exiles, reports Nada Ghosn.
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.