Literature

We asked some of the brightest stars in the Arab-American literary firmament what they think most stands out about Arab-American literature today. Every new strain of literature in this country undergoes familiar periods of marginalization and ghettoization (perhaps self-reinforced), before breaking through into the mainstream. At some point, readers and critics stop thinking of the … Continued

Palestinian-American writer Naomi Shihab Nye has fashioned a successful career from a fascination with words, a love of Arab culture and a determination to be heard. “I had parents who really cared about language and about communication and about using words properly,” she said. “I think from hearing my parents tell stories and read to … Continued

Publishers, writers and a growing number of individuals are addressing the “reading crisis” in the Arab world. A recent UN report shows that less than two percent of the Arab population reads one book a year, and the number of published books average to one book for every 19,150 citizens in the Arab world compared … Continued

Zoë Ferraris was 20 when she met her Saudi husband. Just after the first Gulf War, the couple spent a year with his family in Saudi Arabia. Since returning home and divorcing, Ferraris has written two murder mysteries – “Finding Nouf” (Little Brown, 2009) and “City of Veils” (Little Brown, 2010) – which offer US … Continued

Khaled Mattawa has been selected as the recipient of the 2010 Academy Fellowship from the Academy of American Poets. The Fellowship is awarded once a year to a poet for distinguished poetic achievement and provides a stipend of $25,000. The Academy’s Board of Chancellors, a body of fifteen eminent poets, selects the Wallace Stevens Award … Continued

Joumana Haddad, the editor of an erotic Arabic-language magazine and author of a new book that challenges sexual taboos in the Arab world, is drawing praise and death threats alike. The Lebanese writer and poet publishes Jasad – Arabic for body – a glossy quarterly that deals with eroticism and body-culture. Published since December 2008, … Continued

Book Review by Dennis Moore Manal M. Omar, author of Barefoot in Baghdad, an international aid worker from an Arab and Muslim heritage, has provided valuable first-hand insights into events a world away following the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster. One of the book’s major characters is now a prominent member of San Diego’s Iraqi … Continued