On the mark of President’s Day, there was something that I wondered when I was doing some reading. Is it important that a president has a certain religion? Should they believe in something, and if so, what should it be? The quick answer to the first question, I would say, is “Not so much.” Great for the President! But… If anyone asks me, any religion should make you want to be a better person, someone with a good heart, and... Read more
It’s been a long time since I last wrote here, and I finally realized why. Writing is an isolating job, just as it should be for me, but it doesn’t mean the whole experience must be. I was struggling so much because I felt I was not part of a community, that I didn’t belong. Why do we Even Write? Writing is by far my most stable spiritual practice, and I have no plans of altering that. However, there has... Read more
2024 was certainly a year. Not the best, and not the worst I’ve had so far. Even if it wasn’t big in terms of writing as Bader Saab, it was good for writing. It was a year for big changes, a year for a lot, and I hope that 2025 is much better. However, you know I haven’t been the best at fulfilling promises and keeping my word, so how to make it better for next year? How, indeed? Short... Read more
I’ve been very inactive, which is nothing new if you’ve been here before. However, I break the silence to share an amazing book that you will not want to miss. With raw honesty and a beautiful style, I want to tell you about Forest of Noise: Poems, by Mosab Abu Toha. Format: 96 pages, Hardcover. Published: October 15, 2024, by Knopf. Genres and Tags: Poetry, social commentary, nonfiction, Palestine, genocide, mental health “A powerful, capacious, and profound” (Ocean Vuong) new collection... Read more
I’ve been going deep into my head, to the point of being there more often than I should. The reason is simple. I needed to heal. I still need to, still have stuff to do, to figure out, to fix, to own, and while the solitude has helped, there is another thing that has done it: writing. Poetry, stories, novels, journaling, free writing… Anything that I could think about, I tried my hand at it, and the effects are showing.... Read more
There’s a book I’ve wanted to read for a while: Blood Orange, by Yaffa AS. Just read the summary and you will know why. Format: 65 pages, Paperback. Published: November 13, 2023, by Meraj Publishing. Genres and Tags: Poetry, social commentary, nonfiction, Palestine, genocide, mental health. “Blood Orange” is a highly emotional, important and timely poetry collection by Mx. Yaffa (They/She), a trans Muslim displaced Indigenous Palestinian. Their writings probe the yearning for home, belonging, mental health, queerness, transness, and other... Read more
I recently finished a book that I didn’t expect to feel so emotional with. Even though there’s been only one book that has made me cry, ever, Liberty Walks Naked: Poems, by Maram Al-Massri, translated by Theo Dorgan, made it hard to keep reading, not because it’s bad, but because of how raw, honest, and unfiltered it is. And still, it’s impossible not to love it. Format: 60 pages, Paperback. Published: April 24, 2018 by Southword Editions. Genres and Tags: Poetry,... Read more
It feels like forever since I wrote here. It’s embarrassing, to say the least. However, one of the things I learned from last year is that it’s okay not to write every day, but that it should also get as much attention as my daytime, 9-to-5 job that puts food on the table. And so I started thinking: Should I make more plans for this year? Considering that I hadn’t done a good job at it the last times, I... Read more
I read Shubeik Lubeik, by Deena Mohamed, a while ago for different reasons. However, one of the biggest ones was that I was curious about Arab comics and graphic novels. For once, I allowed myself to have big expectations, so I’m glad to say that this book filled all of them, and then some! Format: 528 pages, Hardcover. Published: January 10, 2023 by Pantheon. Genres and Tags: Fantasy, Social commentary, transgenerational trauma, queer, drama. A brilliant and imaginative debut graphic novel that... Read more
I’ve been embarrassingly silent about something I care a lot about: Palestine. The other day, I told someone that I wanted to stay as away as possible from the current events for my own mental health because of all the things that have been going on. However, it would be irresponsible on my part not to say at least something about it, I would be a hypocrite and would be lying to myself, trying to stay silent about something as... Read more
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