10+: Podcasts with a Focus on Arabic Literature

This list started as a twitter thread that announced our search for podcasts with a focus on Arabic literature. A list on BookTubes and literary vlogs is forthcoming:

1) Maksouda with Zeina Hashem Beck and Farah Chamma is coming soon to the @Sowt network with a focus on contemporary Arabic poetry. From an interview with the Indiana Review:

I’ve been working on a podcast in Arabic about Arabic poetry, titled Maksouda; the project was an idea in my head for a couple of years, and I’m extremely excited to be working on it with friend and poet Farah Chamma and the network Sowt. Recording this podcast, and doing so in Arabic (to go back to the convo about the many languages that intersect in us) has been feeding my soul!

2) عشوائي مع أحمد with Ahmed Naji has had 15 episodes thus far, promising short discussions of books, music, contemporary art, and cultural criticism with occasional special episodes in which Naji hosts artists and writers for frank conversations.

The program warns that it’s intended for adults only and that it “contains blunt terms and terrible facts.”

3) Bulaq is co-hosted by ArabLit editor M Lynx Qualey and writer-journalist Ursula Lindsey. It’s also part of the @Sowt network. The most recent episode features a talk with Raphael Cormack about his Midnight in Cairo; the next conversation, out Thursday, March 11, is with novelist and fellow podcaster Ahmed Naji.

4) Mina & Islam’s literary podcast on the Sultan’s Seal finished up with 22 episodes. Guests included Ahmed Yamani, Eman Assaad, Mohab Nasr,  Rasha Abbas, Maged Zaher, Safaa Fathy, and more.

5) The Afikra podcast — which promises it’s “cultivating curiosity around the cultures and histories of the Arab world” isn’t exclusively literary, but many fantastic authors have been featured. There are discussions forthcoming with novelists Isabella Hammad and Hala Alyan, and poet Khaled Mattawa.

6) الصالون مع إيمان علي is a new series of book discussions, reviews, and dialogues with authors published in cooperation with the Sultan’s Seal.

7) There are 18 episodes of الرف الثالث on Spotify. About books, literature, and other things.

8) A few episodes of the Comma Press Podcast talk about Arabic literature, particularly in Series 2: EPISODE #2 Iraq +100: Stories from a century after the invasion, and EPISODE #3 Palestine +100: Stories from a century after the Nakba.

9) The Library of Arabic Literature podcast on SoundCloud, where you can find both discussions and storytelling performances.

10) The Imtidad Cultural Podcast, with Ghazi Gheblawi and Mo Mesrati, ran from 2005 until 2013. All episodes are still available.

Please add your suggested Arab and Arabic-literature-focused podcasts below or on Twitter.

Also read:

The digital world of literature: Momentum in the Arab world