Between dying
And the beginnings of aspiration;
Between frustration,
Helplessness and the vindication of the poor
Lies the will to confront
And the inability to write.
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poetry
Forthcoming: ‘I Don’t Want This Poem to End,’ New Collection of Work by and About Mahmoud Darwish
Interlink promises: “’The End of the Night,’ ‘It’s a Song,’ and ‘I Don’t Want this Poem to End’—three collections totaling about 80 poems, most translated into English for the first time.”
Four Poems by Amjad Nasser
“What is wrong with this metaphor?”
Palestinian Poet Ahmed Dahbour, Friend of Mahmoud Darwish, Dies at 71
“His highly sensitive poetry is dedicated to the Palestinian cause, mixing themes of heroism with a deep recognition of the dangers and tribulations of the contemporary Palestinian experience.”
Sunday Submissions: Etel Adnan Poetry Series Seeking Manuscripts
Over email, both judges clarified there is no requirement that poets reside in the US or have US citizenship. This prize is for Arab poets, working in English, living anywhere in the world.
10th Anniversary Readings For Al-Mutanabbi Street
Next month will mark the tenth anniversary of the bombing of Baghdad’s al-Mutanabbi Street, the city’s historic bookselling corridor.
There’s Something in One of Wadih Sa’adeh’s Poems
They came away until they came
to water, wearied
while overhead the sun searched for a needle
to reattach them to the shadows.
Spoken-word Poet Afra Atiq: Placing the Individual at the Heart of Her Commentary
She doesn’t shy away from addressing the big issues, she said, but she wants to place the individual at the heart of her social commentary.
Friday Finds: ‘The Exquisite Engineering of Geography’s Tumult’
In an obscure crowd, an obscene clarity dawns on me.
In the midst of the exquisite engineering of geography’s tumult, a bullet quietly passes through me, at my lower back,
Ashraf Fayadh Wins 2017 Oxfam Novib/PEN Award for Freedom of Expression
According to organizers, the award exists “to honour the courage of writers committed to freedom of expression despite facing countless challenges and risks.”
Friday Finds: Poetry ‘At That Outcast and Lonely Hour’
“At that outcast and lonely hour,
that hour of night when choices narrow”
Friday Finds: Poetry by Jan Dammu and Amjad Nasser
You gnaw at sleep’s pear
and lie on a pile of ruses, dangers, and debacles
then rest on yesterday’s train
while your phantoms keep on pulsating, powerful, alive
