Ehkili | Books & Literature from the Arab World

Author Sara Hamdan discusses her journey to becoming a published writer and the nuanced storytelling behind her book, "What Will People Think?" from its unexpected appearance on Jimmy Fallon's Book Club shortlist to navigating the complexities of Palestinian heritage in her work. Hamdan delves into the importance of collaboration in creative fields, the value of allowing one's work time "to breath...

The author discussed her multigenerational Palestinian family memoir "The Hollow Half: A Memoir of Bodies and Borders," which spans from mandate Palestine to the present day. Sarah Aziza reflects on her relationship with her Palestinian identity, the complexities of being "half" something, and her lifelong journey with the Arabic language. The conversation also touches upon the impact of the ongoi...

Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Dartmouth College, Jonathan Smolin, discusses his book "The Politics of Melodrama: The Cultural and Political Lives of Ihsan Abdel Kouddous and Gamal Abdel Nasser," which examines the life and work of Ihsan Abdel Quddous who played an immense role in shaping 20th-century Arab culture as a prolific writer, journalist, and political commentator. Smolin details...

In this episode of Ehkili, Palestinian writer Selma Dabbagh discusses the influence of her legal background on her storytelling and explores the complexities of her Palestinian identity, particularly in the context of political engagement and activism. The conversation also delves into Dabbagh's novel "Out of It" and her anthology "We Wrote In Symbols: Love and Lust By Arab Women Writers," highlig...

In this episode of Ehkili, we speak with Reem Khorshid and Faris Bseiso about their literary project Mudun, published by Kaph Books and supported by the Barjeel Art Foundation. They trace the origins of this anthology of short stories about Arab cities, which began as a pandemic project and grew into a collection featuring narratives both in Arabic and English. Highlighting diverse and often under...

In this episode of Ehkili, Sahar Mustafah welcomes author and editor Susan Muaddi Darraj to discuss her recent anthology, "Ask the Night for a Dream: Palestinian Writing From the Diaspora." The conversation highlights the significance of amplifying Palestinian literary voices, the challenges of publishing during the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank, and the vital rol...

In this episode of Ehkili, Mysa Kafil-Hussain speaks with Jassim Al-Assadi and Steve Lonergan, authors of "The Ghosts of Iraq's Marshes: A History of Conflict, Tragedy, and Restoration." They delve into the history, environmental challenges, and cultural significance of the marshlands, as well as the authors' collaboration on their book. They discuss the impact of draining the Iraqi marshes on loc...

Sami Hermez is an anthropologist who teaches at Northwestern University in Qatar. He is the author of " War Is Coming: Between Past and Future Violence in Lebanon" published in 2017. His work in and out of the classroom reflects a strong commitment to freedom, justice, and equality, as his own family's history of migration spans the Levant, with roots in Al-Qosh, Aleppo, Beirut, and Jerusalem. Con...

This episode was recorded on March 27th, 2024. Zahra Hankir is a Lebanese-British journalist, editor and author. She was awarded a Jack R. Howard Fellowship to attend the Columbia Journalism School and holds degrees in politics and Middle Eastern studies. Her first book "Our Women on the Ground" was a bestseller and won the Susan Koppelman award for best anthology in feminist studies. This second...

Writing Between Two Moons: An Arab-American coming of age story set in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn during the “War on Terror”. Author Aisha Abdel Gawad sheds light on her experience writing the novel while balancing her work as a high-school teacher, capturing Bay Ridge’s unique community in her book, and her creative process.  Together, Mikey and Aisha reflect on the post-9/11 War on Terror, age of surve...

In this episode of Book Club, Malika Gharib joins us to share her musings on what it means to be an artist, the symbiotic relationship between journalism and comics, as well as what the 'American Dream' truly means. She reflects on growing up as a first-generation Filipino Egyptian, her changing relationship with her heritage, and how she uses her work as a medium to grapple with questions of iden...

Tahir Shah talks about his experiences in the Arab region. He talks about The Caliph's House, a book he has written that is inspired by his trips to Morocco in his childhood; from Marrakesh to the Sahara. Tahir Shah is a best-selling author and filmmaker known for his work in both fiction and non-fiction. He has produced over forty works, including books, documentaries, screenplays, and journalism...

Mai Al-Nakib talks about her novel "An Unlasting Home" which traces Kuwait's rise from a pearl-diving backwater to its reign as a thriving cosmopolitan city to the aftermath of the Iraqi invasion. Mai Al-Nakib is a Kuwaiti writer and academic. She was born in Kuwait and spent her early years living in London, Edinburgh, and St. Louis, Missouri. She received her PhD in English literature from Brown...

Welcome to this episode of the Afikra Book Club with the engaging Joumana Haddad who takes us on a journey through her past and upbringing in Bourj Hammoud to uncover family sorrows and share the stories of those left scathed by the Armenian genocide. Joumana Haddad is an award-winning Lebanese writer, journalist, university professor and human rights advocate. She’s worked for Lebanon’s An Nahar...

Amal Ghandour talked about her book 'This Arab Life,' where she explores common cultural and societal issues that most generations in the Arab world face. Amal Ghandour is a Lebanese-Jordanian author and blogger (Thinking Fits), with a career that spans more than three decades in the fields of research, communication, and community development. Her book, About This Man Called Ali (2009), was named...

Suad Amiry talked about her book, "Mother of Strangers: A Novel," which is a story of young love set in Jaffa in between 1947 and 1951. Suad Amiry is a Palestinian writer and architect living in the West Bank town of Ramallah. She studied architecture at the American University of Beirut, the University of Michigan, and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Her parents went from Palestine to Amma...

Sahar Mustafah talked about her book "The Beauty of Your Face." The novel is about a Palestinian American woman wrestles with faith, loss, and identity before coming face-to-face with a school shooter, it navigates a country growing ever more divided. The daughter of immigrants, Sahar Mustafah explores her Palestinian heritage in her writing. She earned her MFA in Fiction from Columbia College whe...

In this Book Club, we talked to Sabrina Mahfouz about her book "These Bodies of Water."  The novel is about imperialism, and the history of the Middle Eastern coastlines and waterways that were vital to the British Empire's hold. Sabrina Mahfouz is a British-Egyptian writer, performer and educator. Her first short play, That Boy, was performed at the Soho Theatre in 2010 and won a Westminster Priz...

Raphael Cormack discussed his new book Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring 20's. Midnight in Cairo  tells the thrilling story of Egypt’s interwar nightlife and entertainment industry through the lives of its pioneering women. Introducing an eccentric cast of characters, it brings to life a world of revolutionary ideas and provocative art – one which laid the foundations of Arab popular...

Naomi Shihab Nye talked about her books ‘The Turtle of Oman’ and ‘The Turtle of Michigan .  The books are about Aref as he travels from Muscat, Oman, to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Naomi Shihab Nye was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father was a Palestinian refugee and her mother an American of German and Swiss descent, and Nye spent her adolescence in both Jerusalem and San Antonio, Texas. She earned...

Zeyn Joukhadar talked about his book ‘The Thirty Names of Night: A Novel’ . Zeyn Joukhadar is the author of the novels The Map of Salt and Stars, 2018, and The Thirty Names of Night, 2020 and a member of the Radius of Arab American Writers (RAWI). His work has appeared in KINK: Stories(eds. RO Kwon & Garth Greenwell),  Salon, The Paris Review,Shondaland, [PANK], Mizna,  and elsewhere. He has been...

Kareem James Abu-Zeid talked about his translations of ‘Exhausted on the Cross”by Najwan Darwish and “Confessions” by Rabee Jaber. Kareem James Abu-Zeid is a translator, editor, writer, teacher, and scholar who works across multiple languages. As an acclaimed translator of Arabic literature, he works with prominent English-language publishing houses to introduce the writings of Arab poets and nove...

James Barr talked about his book ‘A Line in the Sand: Britain, France and the Struggle that shaped the Middle East’ .  A Line in the Sand vividly tells the story of the short but crucial era when Britain and France ruled the Middle East. James is a leading historian of the modern Middle East and author of the widely-acclaimed A Line In The Sand and Lords of the Desert . He is now working on a hist...

In this Book Club, we talked to Safia Elhillo about her book "Home is not a country."  The novel is about family, identity, and finding yourself in the most unexpected places. Created & hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Book Club: Book Club is an interview series that calls for afikra community membe...