Five Novels: A Masterclass in Palestinian Literature for Teens
We recommend these five books as the anchors of a class in Palestinian literature and translation for teen readers.
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Poems of Whiskey and Regret by Rasha Omran
These poems, translated by Phoebe Carter, are from Rasha Omran’s sixth collection, “A Secret Wife of Absence.”
Beyond the Workshop: How a Writing Community Was Born
Taqwa Ahmed Alwawi explores the creation of a community of writers in Gaza under genocide.
From Zainab Hifni’s ‘I Was Here Yesterday’
‘I Was Here Yesterday; is set between Saudi Arabia and the Florida coast and entangles grief and memory, centering on how the narrator grapples with her mother’s death and the truths about her mother’s life—and her own—that she uncovers.
Women Translation Month: 11 New & Notable Books by Women
August is Women in Translation Month (#WiTMonth), a month to focus on women’s writing in translation.
Forthcoming August 2026: Plays by Mahfouz, Fiction from Palestine
Two notable Arabic books are coming in English translation this month: a collection of one-act plays by Naguib Mahfouz and a novel by Sara Abu Ghazal.
On the New Platform, ‘Palestine is Everywhere’
Editors of the anthology Palestine is Everywhere — Skye Arundhati Thomas, Edwin Nasr, and Gloria Habsburg — recently launched a new “Palestine is Everywhere” platform to host a series of monthly commissions, “creating an ongoing space to support and amplify the work of artists, writers, and practitioners from Palestine and the wider region.”
Short Fiction from Syria: ‘The Blacklist’
Haseeb Al-Zainy’s “The Blacklist” appears in the new anthology The Book of Damascus: A City in Short Fiction, out this month from Comma Press.
PEN Translates’ Latest Winners
Earlier this week, English PEN announced the latest winners of their flagship grant program, the “PEN Translates” award.