We look at new writing from Syria and about the experiences of Syrian refugees, including Ramy Al-Asheq’s Ever Since I Did Not Die, a book he categorizes not as poetry or prose but as “pieces of my body, haphazardly brought together in a paper bag.”

Show Notes

Ramy Al-Asheq’s Ever Since I Did Not Die was translated by Isis Nusair and edited by Levi Thompson.

Samar Yazbek’s Planet of Clay was translated by Leri Price and is on the shortlist for this year’s National Book Award, in the Translation category.

Rabih Alameddine’s The Wrong End of the Telescopefollows a Lebanese-American trans woman’s journey to the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos, Greece.

Haya Saleh’s Wild Poppieswon the 2020 Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature in the YA category and follows two young Syrian boys, Omar and Sufyan, as they struggle to come-of-age during wartime.

We finished on a reading of an untitled poem by Ramy Al-Asheq, published in Transference, translated by Levi Thompson.

We look at new writing from Syria and about the experiences of Syrian refugees, including Ramy Al-Asheq&rsquo;s Ever Since I Did Not Die, a book he categorizes not as poetry or prose but as &ldquo;pieces of my body, haphazardly brought together in a paper bag.&rdquo;
Show Notes
<a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/E/bo68267200.html">Ramy Al-Asheq&rsquo;s Ever Since I Did Not Die </a>was translated by Isis Nusair and edited by Levi Thompson.
Samar Yazbek&rsquo;s Planet of Clay was translated by Leri Price and is on <a href="https://arablit.org/2021/10/05/samar-yazbek-translator-leri-price-shortlisted-for-national-book-award-for-planet-of-clay/">the shortlist for this year&rsquo;s National Book Award</a>, in the Translation category.
<a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/the-wrong-end-of-the-telescope/">Rabih Alameddine&rsquo;s The Wrong End of the Telescope</a> follows a Lebanese-American trans woman&rsquo;s journey to the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos, Greece.
<a href="https://arablit.org/2021/09/28/translatethis-haya-salehs-ya-novel-wild-poppies/">Haya Saleh&rsquo;s Wild Poppies</a> won the 2020 Etisalat Award for Arabic Children&rsquo;s Literature in the YA category and follows two young Syrian boys, Omar and Sufyan, as they struggle to come-of-age during wartime.
We finished on a reading of an untitled poem by Ramy Al-Asheq, published in <a href="https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/transference/vol7/iss1/5/">Transference</a>, translated by Levi Thompson.

BULAQ is a book-centric podcast co-hosted by Ursula Lindsey (in Amman, Jordan) and M Lynx Qualey (in Rabat, Morocco). It focuses on Arabic literature in translation and is named after the first printing press established in Egypt in 1820. Produced by Sowt.

BULAQ is a book-centric podcast co-hosted by Ursula Lindsey (in Amman, Jordan) and M Lynx Qualey (in Rabat, Morocco). It focuses on Arabic literature in translation and is named after the first printing press established in Egypt in 1820. Produced by Sowt.

BULAQ | بولاق

BULAQ is a podcast about contemporary writing from and about the Middle East and North Africa. We talk about books written in Aleppo, Cairo, Marrakech and beyond. We look at the Arab region through the lens of literature, and we look at literature -- what it does, why it matters, how it relates to society and history and politics -- from the point of view of this part of the world.  BULAQ is co-produced by ArabLit and The Arabist and is hosted by Ursula Lindsey and M Lynx Qualey.

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