When Walls Speak

I remember the first time I saw the sea.

Into Egypt

Suheir Hammad’s new poem-turned-video is an artistic and highly stylized tribute to Egypt.

A Piece by Balqees Melhem

They taught us in school… That he who does not group-pray at the mosque is a hypocrite! My dad was one of them.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Palestine

Poet Remi Kanazi breaks it down on what to do when it comes to Palestine. Or not to do rather.

Contest: Haikus for Assad

Try to match the awesomeness of our haiku poems for Syria’s leader.

“Hooverian Nights” Part I

American Orientalism and presidential mockery at its finest. I was kinda feeling bad for Herbert Hoover’s Secretary of Interior and Treasury until realized that they got to be “sheiks” and “memlooks”

Excerpt from an article by Wallace Irwin (June 20, 1931) for The Saturday Evening Post. enjoy (I personally re-typed it from an original source):

“Herbi Hooveh was a Kalif
From the State where Kalifs grow—
Kalif-ornia I refer to.
Doubt this point, if you prefer to,
Yest I’ll stick to what I know.
Herbi Hooveh’s Kalifate
Covered many a savage state
From Alaska’s frozen spots
To Miami’s vacant lots.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

In honor of Gil Scott Heron, the original ‘The Revolution will not be televised‘ poet, releasing a new album after a long absence, below is a poem by KABOBfriend Nader Abusumaya in which he pays homage to his fellow Chicagoan. I was told 2 wrongs don’t make a right, but four rights make a box, enclosed fixtures, [...]

Un-Merry Christmas for me! What is going on?

Guest Post by Nahida Izzat, an exiled Palestinian Un-Merry Christmas for me! What is going on? “Hello is this the Christmas Help Line?” “Yes… good afternoon and merry Christmas Angela speaking How can I help you? Are you feeling lonely today?” “Absolutely, awfully lonely And I have a serious problem Grave one without a doubt [...]

“This is Damascus”

I’m going to be unconquerably optimistic and read these last couple of Syria-themed posts tacit resumption of an all too brief “Syria month” that delightfully graced this blog last May. Also in the spirit of Syria, I have decided to autocratically rename end of July and beg. August, “Syria II.” If any blogger should challenge me, consider “disappearance” into an abyss of nothingness your fate. And by “abyss of nothingness” I mean as a contributor to the Perez Hilton blog.

Speaking of Authoritarianism

The Kingdom of Jordan is striking down hard against a serious threat to its security, a member of one of the most venomous and destabilizing crafts the in the world: a poet.

Thinking that the 27 year-old poet Islam Samhan’s words could bring down monarchs, A Jordanian court sentenced the wordsmith to a year in prison and fined him $14,100.