Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha was reportedly detained in a mass arrest by the Israeli Defence Forces on the morning of November 20, 2023. He was at a checkpoint in Gaza traveling south toward the Rafah border crossing with his wife and children. We join the chorus of organizations and independent voices demanding his freedom and safe return. UPDATE: Word from both David Remnick and Diana Buttu suggests that Abu Toha was beaten and interrogated, along with 200 others, and then released by the IDF. He is now receiving medical treatment and is with his family.
On October 29, 2023, Abu Toha posted an Instagram video of his family home, now flattened and reduced to rubble, in Beit Lahiya, North Gaza. “That used to be my house,” he says, looking over his shoulder. “There is nothing, there is nothing over there. Not my books. Not my heirlooms. Not the kitchen. Nothing.”
Later that day, Abu Toha posted a screenshot of the poem “What Is Home?” from his debut poetry collection Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear published last year by City Lights. In the caption to the poem, he asks:
“Please save this poem, recite to the people around you and tell them what happened to my home, and the homes of so many other people? Tell them some families were buried under the rubble?”
Writers from around the world have come together to translate “What Is Home?” to allow as many people as possible to save it and recite it.
We ask, what is home? And we demand to know, where is Mosab Abu Toha?
–The editors, O Bod Magazine and Lit Hub
________________________________
What Is Home?
Mosab Abu Toha
What is home:
it is the shade of trees on my way to school before they were uprooted.
It is my grandparents’ black-and-white wedding photo before the walls
crumbled.
It is my uncle’s prayer rug, where dozens of ants slept on wintry nights, before it was looted and
put in a museum.
It is the oven my mother used to bake bread and roast chicken before a bomb reduced our
house to ashes.
It is the café where I watched football matches and played –
My child stops me: Can a four-letter word hold all of these?
*
French by Abdellah Taia
C’est quoi chez moi?
C’est quoi chez moi :
C’est l’ombre des arbres sur le chemin de mon école avant qu’on ne les déracine.
C’est la photo de mariage de mes grands-parents en noir et blanc avant que les murs ne
tombent en miettes.
C’est le tapis de prière de mon oncle, sur lequel les fourmis dormaient en hiver, avant qu’il
ne soit volé pour être exposé dans un musée.
C’est le four que ma mère utilisait pour cuir le pain et rôtir le poulet avant qu’une bombe ne
réduise notre maison en cendres.
C’est le café où j’ai regardé des matches de football et joué —
Mon fils m’arrête: Deux mots de sept lettres peuvent-ils contenir tout cela?
*
Arabic by Norah Alkharashi
الوطن:
هو ظِلُّ الأشجارِ في طريقي إلى المدرسةِ قبل أن تُقتلع.
وهو صورةٌ بالأبيضِ والأسودِ لزفاف جدي وجدتي على الجدار قبل أن يُهدم.
وهو سجادةُ عمي للصلاة تحتها نامت عشرات النملات في ليالي الشتاء، قبل أن تُنهب وتُوضع
في متحف.
وهو الفرنٌ تستخدمه أمي لِصُنع الخبز وشوي الدجاج
قبل أن يَتَرمّد بيتنا من قنبلة.
وهو المقهى حيثُ أشاهد مباريات كرة القدم وألعب ال…
يقاطعني طفلي: هل يمكن لكلمة من أربعة أحرف أن تَتسع لكل هذا؟
*
Yiddish by Moriel Rothman-Zecher
?וואָס איז דאָס, אַ היים
מאָסאַב אַבו טאָהאַ
:וואָס איז דאָס, אַ היים
.ס׳איז דער שאָטן פון די ביימער אויף מײַן וועג צו דער שולע, אײדער די ביימער זײַנען אויסגעוווּרצלט
.ס׳איז מײַן באָבעזיידעס חתונה־בילד אין שוואַרץ און ווײַס, איידער די װענט זײַנען זיך צעפאַלן
ס׳איז מײַן פעטערס תּפילה־טעפּעך, ווו מנינים מוראַשקעס זײַנען װינטיקע נעכט געשלאָפן, איידער ער איז באַראַבעװעט
.געװאָרן און מ׳האָט אים געשטעלן אין אַ מוזיי
ס׳איז דער אויוון אין דעם מײַן מאַמע פֿלעגט באַקן ברויט און בראָטן ס׳עופות איידער אַ באָמבע האָט
.צעשטױבט אונדזער הויז אין אַש
— ס׳איז די קאַוועהויז וווּ איך האָב געקוקט אויף מאַטשן פוסבאַל און כ׳האָב געש
?מײַן קינד שטעלט מיך אָפּ: קען אַ וואָרט פון פיר אותיות אַנטהאַלטן דאָס אַלץ
*
Hebrew by Moriel Rothman-Zecher
מה זה בית?
מוסעב אבו טוהא
:מה זה בית
.זה צל העצים בדרכי לבית הספר, לפני שנעקרו
.זה תמונת החתונה בשחור-לבן של הסבים שלי לפני שהקירים התפוררו
.זה שטיח התפילה של דודי, היכן שעשרות נמלים ישנו בלילות חורפיים, לפני שהוא נבזז ונלקח למוזיאון
.זה התנור שבו אמי אפתה לחם וצלתה עוף לפני שפצצה הפכה את ביתינו לעפר
—זה בית הקפה שבו צפיתי במשחקי כדורגל ושחקתי
בתי עוצרת אותי: איך מילה בת שלוש אותיות יכולה להכיל את כל זה?
*
Farsi by Ghazaleh Avarzamani
خانه چيست؟
.سايه ى درختان بر روى زمين در راه مدرسه است ، قبل از آن كه از ريشه در بيايند
.عكسهاى سياه و سفيد عروسي پدربزرگ بر روى ديوار است قبل از آن كه ديوار فرو ريزد
سجاده ى پهن عمو است كه در شب زمستان خانه موچه ها شده است، قبل از آن كه دزديده شود و در يك موزه به
.نمايش درآيد
.اجاق مادرم است كه در آن نان ميپخت و مرغ كباب ميكرد، قبل از انكه خانه خاكستر شود
… قهوه خانه ايست كه من در آن فوتبال تماشا مي كردم
فرزندم صحيتم را قطع كرد: آيا اين چهار لغت گنجايش همه ى اينها را دارد؟
*
Cree by Randy Morin
kîkway anima mîkiwâm?
êyakwa anima akawâstêhk mistikwak isi kânitawi kiskinwahamâsoyân pwâmayisk kâwâtihkâtiht
êyakwa anima nohkom êkwa nimosômi kaskatêwaw êkwa wâpiskâw kihci wîkihtowin masinahipayicikan
pwamayisk napakihtikwa pahkihtiki.
êyakwa anima nohcâwês kâkîsimowin ânâskân, êta mihcêyit îyikosak kânipâcik pipon tipiskâwa
pwâmayisk ê-misi kimotihk êkwa kayâsi kanawêyicikaniwikamikwa ê-astâhk.
êyakwa anima kotawânâpisk nikâwiy kâpihkiswât pihkisikana êkwa sîpâpisikinât pâpahahkwâna
pwâmayisk niwâskahikanân ê-pahkisikâtêk.
êyakwa anima pihkahtêwâpoyi wikamik êta kâkinwâpahtamân pakahtawân môniyohtowina êkwa
mêtawiyân.
niciwâsimis ninakinik, anima nêwo itwêwis nicimikêyimikan kahkiyaw ôhi?
*
Irish by Liam Lonergan
Cad is baile ann:
‘Sé scáth na gcrann ar mo bhealach ‘na bhaile é sular leagadh iad
‘Sé pictiúr bainise dubh agus bán mo sheanthuismitheoirí é sular scriosadh na ballaí
‘Sé ruga urnaí m’uncail é, ina ndeachaigh na scórtha cuileog a luí oícheanta geimhridh, sular
goideadh agus cuireadh i músaem é
‘Sé an t-oigheann é a d’úsáideadh mo mhathair le harán a bhácáil agus sicín a róstadh, sular
rinne buama fothrach luaithreach dár teach
‘Sé an caifé é ina mbínn ag breathnú ar chluichí peile ‘s ag súgradh –
Stopann mó pháiste mé: an féidir le focal cúig-litreach iad seo uilig a choinneáil?
*
Basque by Beñat Sarasola Santamaría
Zer da etxea?
Zera da etxea:
Nire eskola-bideko zuhaitzen itzala, beren zuztarretik
atera aurretik
Nire aitona-amonen zuri-beltzezko ezkonargazkia harresiak
eraitsi aurretik
Nire osabaren otoitz-tapiza, non dozenaka txindurrik egiten zuten lo
negu-gauetan, ebatsi eta museo batean jarri aurretik
Nire amak ogia egiteko eta oilaskoa erretzeko erabiltzen zuen labea
bonba batek gure etxea erraustu aurretik
Kafetegi hura, non futbol partidak ikusten nituen, eta jokoan aritzen…
Nire haurrak gerarazi nau: Gorde al dezake hori guztia bost hizkiko hitz batek?
*
Catalan by Pichi Demestres Larín
Que es casa?
És l’ombra dels arbels abans l’haver estat desarralts
És la foto en blanc i negre del casament del meu avi abans de que parets
s’esmicolessin
És la catifa de pregària del meu oncle on dotzenes de formigues dormien les nit
d’hivern abans d’esser saquejada i portada a un meseu
És la forn on la mare deia pa i rostia el pollastre abans de que una bomba va reduir la
nostra casa a cendres
És la cafetería on mirava el fútbol i jugaba
El meu nen m’autura: poden quatre paraules aguantar això
*
Russian by Kirill Medvedev
Что такое дом?
Что такое дом:
Это тень деревьев по дороге в школу, пока их не выдрало с корнем.
Это черно-белое свадебное фото бабушки с дедушкой, пока стены не
рассыпались.
Это дядькин молитвенный коврик, на котором холодными ночами спали
кучками муравьи, пока его не стащили и не сдали в музей.
Это печь, в котором мама пекла хлеб и жарила цыплят, пока бомба не
превратила наш дом в золу.
Это кафе, в котором я смотрел футбольные матчи и играл в…
Мой ребенок прерывает меня: Разве может слово из трех букв вместить все это?
*
Spanish by Sarah Rubbins-Breen and Georgia Phillips-Amos
¿Que es un hogar?
Hogar:
Es la sombra de los árboles en el camino hacia la escuela antes de que fueron
desarraigados.
Es la foto en blanco y negro de la boda de mis abuelos antes de que las paredes se
derrumbaran.
Es la alfombra de oración de mi tío, en la que dormían docenas de hormigas durante
noches invernales, antes de que fuera saqueada y metida en un museo.
Es el horno en el que mi madre hacía el pan y asaba el pollo antes de que una bomba
redujera nuestra casa a cenizas.
Es el café en el que veía partidos de fútbol y jugaba—
Mi niño me para: ¿Una palabra de cinco letras puede sostener todo eso?
*
Chinese by Yao Xiao
家是什么？
家是什么：
家是我上学路上的树荫，
直到那些树被连根拔起。
是祖父母的黑白结婚照挂在墙上，
直到墙壁灰飞烟灭。
是我叔叔的祈祷地毯，一到冬天的晚上睡满了蚂蚁，
直到它被抢走，放在博物馆里。
是我家的烤箱，妈妈总在里面做好了面包和烤鸡
直到一颗炸弹
把我们的房子夷为平地。
是那家咖啡馆，我总在那儿看球赛，玩—
我的孩子叫住我：四个字母能放下这么多东西？
*
Italian by Ayana Fabris
Cosa è casa?
Casa è
L’ombra degli alberi sulla via per la scuola prima che fossero sradicati.
La foto in bianco e nero del matrimonio dei dei miei nonni prima che i muri crollassero.
Il tappetino da preghiera di mio zio, dove hanno dormito dozzine di formiche nelle notti invernali,
prima che fosse saccheggiato e messo in un museo.
Il forno di mia madre ne quale soleva fare il pane e arrostire il pollo , prima che una bomba
riducesse casa nostra in polvere.
Il bar dove guardavo le partite di football e giocavo –
Mio figlio mi ferma: Può davvero una parola di quattro lettere racchiudere tutto ciò?
*
Portuguese by Eric M. B. Becker and Marília Garcia
O que é uma casa:
é a sombra das árvores no caminho da escola antes de serem arrancadas pela raiz.
É a foto em preto e branco do casamento dos meus avós antes de as paredes
desmoronarem.
É a esteira de rezar do meu tio, onde dezenas de formigas dormiam nas noites de inverno,
antes de ela ser saqueada e colocada num museu.
É o forno que minha mãe usava para assar pão e frango antes de uma bomba reduzir nossa
moradia a cinzas.
É o café onde eu assistia jogos de futebol e brincava —
Meu filho me interrompe: Quatro letras podem abarcar tudo isso?
*
German by Alex Piasente Szymański
Was ist heimat?
Was ist heimat:
Es ist der Schatten der Bäume auf meinem Schulweg,
bevor man sie entwurzelte.
Es ist das Hochzeitsfoto meiner Großeltern in schwarz-weiß,
bevor die Wände zerbröckelten.
Es ist der Gebetsteppich meines Onkels, auf dem hunderte Ameisen in Winternächten zur Ruhe
kamen,
bevor man diesen raubte und in ein Museum hängte.
Es ist der Ofen meiner Mutter, in dem sie Brot und Brathähnchen bakte,
bevor eine Bombe unser Haus zu Asche verwandelte.
Es ist das Café, in welchem ich Fußball schaute und spielte—
Mein Kind hält mich an: Kann ein Wort aus 6 Buchstaben all das tragen?
*
Dutch by Evelien Klijweg
Wat is thuis:
Het is de schaduw van de bomen op mijn weg naar school voordat ze ontworteld werden.
Het is de zwart-witte trouwfoto van mijn grootouders voordat de muren afbrokkelden.
Het is het gebedskleed van mijn oom, waarop tijdens winterse nachten tientallen mieren
sliepen, voordat het geplunderd werd en in een museum terecht kwam.
Het is de oven die mijn moeder gebruikte om brood te bakken en kip te braden voordat een bom
ons huis tot as reduceerde.
Het is het café waar ik naar voetbal wedstrijden keek en speelde—
Mijn kind onderbreekt me: kan een woord met vijf letters dit allemaal omvatten?
*
Afrikaans by Zalia Frösler
Wat is n Tuiste
Dit is die skaduwees van bome op my pad na die skool voor dit verwyder was.
Dit is my grootouers se swart en wit troufoto voor die mure van die huis
verkrummel het.
Dit is my oom se gebedsmat, waar dosyne mier op ongure nagte opgeslaap
het, voor dit gesteel en in n museum geplaas was.
Dit is my ma se oond waar sy brood gebak het en hoender gebraai het voor die
bom ons huis in n ashoop verander het.
Dit is die kafee waar ek voetbal wedstryde gekyk het en speel—
My kind verhoed my: Kan dit alles in a ses letter woord gehou word?
*
Georgian by Ekaterine Gejadze
რა არის სახლი?
სახლი არის:
იმ ხეების ჩრდილი, რომელიც მაცილებდა სკოლის გზაზე, სანამ ფესვებიანად
არ ამოძირკვავდნენ.
კედელზე დაკიდებული ბებია-ბაბუის შავ-თეთრი საქორწილო ფოტო, სანამ კედელები
არ დასკდებოდა.
ბიძაჩემის ის სალოცავი ფარდაგი, სადაც ათობით ჭიანჭველა იზამთრებდა, სანამ
მოიპარავდნენ და მუზეუმის ექსპონანტად აქცევდნენ.
ის ღუმელი, რომლითაც დედაჩემი აცხობდა პურს და წვავდა წიწილას, სანამ სახლს
ბომბი არ დაეცემოდა.
ის კაფე, სადაც ფეხბურთს ვუყურებდი და ვლაღონდი.
ჩემი ბავშვი მაჩერებს: შეუძლია კი ამ ერთ სიტყვას ამდენი რამის დატევა?
*
Japanese by Yusuke Okada
ふるさと」、
それは
根こそぎにされた
通学路の木陰
それは
崩れ落ちた壁にかかっていた
おじいちゃんとおばあちゃんの
白黒の結婚写真
それは
奪われて展示品にされた
寒い夜に蟻がよく寝床にしていた
叔父さんのお祈り用の敷物
それは
爆弾でぼろぼろにされた
わたしたちの家の
お母さんがパンや鶏肉を
焼く時に使っていたオーブン
わたしたちが
サッカーの試合を
観に行っていたカフェだって―――
そこで わたしの子が呟く
ふるさと
四文字ぽっちじゃ
ぜんぶ伝えきれないね
*
Vietnamese by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
NHÀ LÀ GÌ?
Nhà là gì:
Là bóng cây trên đường tôi đến trường trước khi chúng bị bứng gốc
Là tấm ảnh cưới đen trắng của ông bà tôi trước khi những bức tường đổ sụp
Là tấm thảm cầu nguyện của chú tôi, nơi những đàn kiến ngủ say trong những đêm lạnh
giá trước khi tấm thảm đó bị cướp đi rồi bị đưa vào bảo tàng
Là chiếc lò nơi mẹ tôi nướng bánh mì, nướng gà trước khi một quả bom biến tổ ấm của
tôi thành tro bụi
Là tiệm cà phê nơi tôi xem bóng đá và chơi…
Con tôi ngắt lời tôi: cha ơi, làm sao một từ ba chữ cái có thể bao hàm được tất cả những
điều trên?
*
Punjabi by Taranpreet Takhar
ਘਰ ਕੀ ਹ?
ਘਰ ਕੀ ਹੈ:
ਘਰ ਹੈ ਰੁੱਖਾਂ ਦੀ ਛਾਂ ਮੇਰੇ ਸਕੂਲ ਦੇ ਰਸਤੇ ਤੇ ਰੁੱਖਾਂ ਦੇ ਪੁੱਟੇ ਜਾਣ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ।
ਘਰ ਹੈ ਮੇਰੇ ਦਾਦਾ ਦਾਦੀ ਦੀ ਵਿਆਹ ਦੀ ਕਾਲੀ ਚਿੱਟੀ ਤਸਵੀਰ ਕੰਧਾਂ ਢਾਹੀਆਂ ਜਾਣ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ।
ਘਰ ਹੈ ਮੇਰੇ ਚਾਚੇ ਦਾ ਮਸੱਲਾ ਜਿਥੇ ਸਰਦੀਆਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਰਾਤਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਦਰਜਨਾਂ ਕੀੜੀਆਂ ਸੌਂਦੀਆਂ ਸਨ, ਦੇ ਲੁੱਟੇ ਜਾ ਕੇ ਅਜਾਇਬ ਘਰ ਵਿਚ
ਸਜਾਏ ਜਾਣ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ।
ਘਰ ਹੈ ਉਹ ਚੁੱਲ੍ਹਾ ਜਿਥੇ ਮੇਰੀ ਮਾਂ ਰੋਟੀ ਅਤੇ ਮੁਰਗਾ ਪਕਾਉਂਦੀ ਸੀ ਬੰਬ ਨਾਲ ਸਾਡੇ ਘਰ ਨੂੰ ਸੁਆਹ ਕਰਨ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ।
ਘਰ ਹੈ ਉਹ ਚਾਹ ਦਾ ਢਾਬਾ ਜਿਸ ਕੋਲ ਮੈਂ ਫ਼ੁਟਬਾਲ ਦੇ ਮੁਕਾਬਲੇ ਦੇਖੇ ਅਤੇ ਖੇਡੇ –
ਮੇਰੇ ਬਚੇ ਨੇ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਰੋਕਿਆ: ਕੀ ਇਹ ਸਾਰਾ ਕੁਜ ਦੋ ਅੱਖਰਾਂ ਦੇ ਲਫ਼ਜ਼ ਵਿਚ ਸਮਾਂ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ?
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The poets and translators:
Mosab Abu Toha is a Palestinian poet, scholar, and librarian from Gaza. He is founder of the Edward Said Library, Gaza’s first English-language library. From 2019–20, he was a visiting poet and librarian-in-residence at Harvard University, and in 2023 he received his MFA from Syracuse University. Abu Toha’s debut poetry collection Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear was published by City Lights in 2022 and is winner of the American Book Award, the Palestinian Book Award, and the Derek Walcott Poetry Prize, and a finalist of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. @mosab_abutoha
Jana Ghalayini is a Palestinian-Canadian visual artist based in Tkaronto (Toronto), Canada. She received a BFA in Printmaking from OCAD University in 2017. janaghalayini.com
Abdellah Taïa is a world renowned novelist and filmmaker who writes in French and has published eight books, including Le jour de roi (Le Seuil, 2010), which was awarded the French Prix de Flore. An adaptation of his novel L’Armée du salut (Le Seuil, 2006), was released as a feature film in 2014. Taia has lived in Paris since 1998 and was born in Rabat, Morocco, in 1973.
Norah Alkharashi is an academic, literary translator and cultural practitioner. @norahmodi
Moriel Rothman-Zecher is a Jerusalem-born novelist and poet. He lives in Philadelphia. Thanks to Rob Adler Peckerar and Uri Agnon for assistance with the Yiddish and Hebrew translations, respectively.
Ghazaleh Avarzamani is an artist from Tehran, Iran who currently lives and works between Toronto and Margate, UK. She works primarily in sculpture and installation. She is interested in how institutional structures and educational methodologies shape psycho-social constructions of knowledge and uses her practice as a way to question dominant power structures.
Randy Morin is a Cree language keeper and a traditional Indigenous Knowledge keeper. Randy works with Universities, teaching Indigenous Studies and Indigenous language revitalization.
Liam Lonergan is a musician and Irish language speaker from Dublin.
Beñat Sarasola Santamaría is a writer in Basque. He has published two poetry books and a novel. He also translated Philip Roth’s Nemesis into Basque and was the editor of Munduko Poesia Kaierak’s poetry collection (Anthologies of World Poetry).
Pichi Demestres Larín holds a degree in information sciences and has worked in communications across various platforms and in different countries. She currently lives in Barcelona where she works for a media publishing company.
Georgia Phillips-Amos is a writer, editor, and PhD Candidate at Concordia University in Montreal. She was raised between Spain and New York. She has previously translated Regina José Galindo and Joshua Okon from Spanish. She currently lives in Guelph, Ontario.
Sarah Rubbins-Breen is an educator, community organizer, and translator based in New Orleans.
Yao Xiao is a writer and artist based in New York City. She is the author of graphic novel Everything Is Beautiful, And I’m Not Afraid (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2020), a Lambda Literary Award Finalist. Her work has been published in The New Yorker, Los Angeles Times, Catapult, Lit Hub, and Autostraddle. She is working on a book of essays about becoming an artist as a first-generation immigrant from China.
Ayana Fabris holds a MSc in Children’s Rights and International Development, she is an educator and a former researcher at Istituto degli Innocenti and UNICEF.
Eric M. B. Becker is the translator of numerous works of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction from the Portuguese. A co-founder of the Pessoa Festival, he also works as digital director and senior editor at Words Without Borders. In 2021, he was a finalist for the PEN Translation Prize, and his work has also received support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Fulbright, and the PEN/Heim Translation Fund.
Marília Garcia is a Brazilian poet and translator, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1979. The author of several books, in 2018 she won the Oceanos Prize, an award for global Portuguese-language literature, for her collection Câmera lenta.
Alex Piasente Szymański is a Berlin-based artist, dramaturge, translator and audio-describer. Their work and research revolve around matters of body politics, their management and manipulation through economies of health and how these concerns fit into a wider world-historical frame. Through performance, choreography, sound and text they try to map the political potentials of “crippled”, ill and debilitated bodies as sites of resistance against dominant neoliberal modes of living and working. They’ve worked with different people and in different places.
Evelien Klijweg holds a Masters in Conflict Studies. She is from the Netherlands and is currently based in Belgium.
Zalia Frösler is co-director of ZAG in Cape Town, South Africa. She is an opponent of apartheid in all its forms.
Ekaterine Gejadze is a gender studies researcher, grant-writer, and activist from Georgia. She advocates for feminist movement building and fights for freedom and justice.
Yusuke Okada is an artist from Tokyo, Japan, who currently lives and works in Queens, New York.
Kirill Medvedev is a poet, musician and political activist from Moscow, Russia. His books of poetry have been published in Serbia, Estonia, the US, England, and more. His essays have appeared in publications including The Guardian, Jacobin, New Left Review.
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai was born and raised in Việt Nam. She is author of the best-selling novels The Mountains Sing and Dust Child, Winner of the BookBrowse Best Debut Award, the International Book Awards, the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award, the Nota Bene Prize, the Rhegium Julii Award, the Lannan Literary Award Fellowship for Fiction, as well as Runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. She has published twelve books of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction in Vietnamese and English and has received some of the top literary prizes in Việt Nam. Her writing has been translated into more than twenty languages.
Taranpreet Takhar is an emerging artist-writer. She is completing a BFA at York University.
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“What is Home?” from Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear. Copyright © 2022 by Mosab Abu Toha. Reprinted with the permission of City Lights Books.
