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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 8h

Berlin-based writer @ckliu.com reads from 'The Xiezhi', a surreal short story that interrogates class, published in our latest Solidarities issue. To read the full story, get a copy of Wasafiri 127: Solidarities here: buff.ly/bwPCKol

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Founder of the experimental Kurdish literature publisher @henarpress.bsky.social, Aryan Omar Hassan, and researcher Hannah Fox are taking on the monumental task of building a database of Kurdish literature in English. Read about their journey here: buff.ly/Y8PIdFL

Painting of pomegranates scattered on a table around an orange vase. Underneath in red text it says: On Censorship, Resistance, and the Limits of Archiving Kurdish Literature by Hannah Fox and Aryan Omar Hassan.

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

We're thrilled to announce the shortlist for the 2026 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize! 🎇 Judged by Santanu Bhattacharya, @jencalleja.bsky.social, @monakareem.bsky.social, and @epw66.bsky.social, the prize celebrates the most exciting new voices from around the world. buff.ly/TfOxNbW

Orange background. Black header reads: Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize. Subheader in cream says: Chaired by Ellah Wakatama. In the bottom right corner in black it says: shortlist announcement.

Orange background. Header in top left reads: Fiction. Underneath is says: Judged by Santanu Bhattacharya. Underneath in the centre is text in black and cream that reads:
Iman ādam
‘Yellowing’
Con Houghton
‘The Canary’
Lavan Jeyarupalingam
‘Beach Day’
Kathryn Sharpe
‘So, what you sayin’?’
Shamima Yasmine
‘Dispatches Investigates’

Orange background. Header in top left reads: Life Writing. Underneath is says: Judged by Jen Calleja. Underneath in the centre is text in black and cream that reads:
Khazna Y. Chami
‘Thinking Positively’
Kate Coffey
‘There is a Hotel’
Tarun Gidwani
‘Ocean of Milk’
Jacquie Palmer
‘Lost Children’
Catherine Xinxin Yu
trans. ‘無理之數’ by Yan Shu-xia
‘Irrational Numbers’

Orange background. Header in top left reads: Poetry. Underneath is says: Judged by Mona Kareem. Underneath in the centre is text in black and cream that reads:
Naro Alonzo
‘Disconnection Notice’
Emmanuel Chukwu
‘Oral Tradition’
Elia Issac
‘the ground underneath us holds so much it is terrifying’
Nicole W Lee
‘宫 / Gong ghazitsu’
Alison Clara Tan
‘Cauterise’

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Award-winning writer and academic – and our associate editor – Thomas Glave, is speaking about his new book, EN POINTE, OFF KILTER, at Birmingham Literature Festival this Sunday. The book offers us a series of meditative reflections on race, Jamaican queer identity, and more. buff.ly/Vm0bVbk

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https://www.ticketsource.com/bhamlitfest/en-pointe-off-kilter-with-thomas-glave/e-olxqzr

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

In these poems by @tracyfuad.bsky.social, the overall feeling is one of entrapment: talk of borders, bodies encased within mirrors, rooms the size of a person. Told colloquially, these two poems and a triptych are striking in the way they juxtapose banality with evil. buff.ly/Z17zKEe

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Two Poems and a Triptych by Tracy Fuad

These new poems by Berlin-based writer Tracy Fuad evoke an overall feeling of entrapment:

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Our Deputy Editor Vamika Sinha introduces the Art piece in our Solidarities issue: an interview with Arab painter Massoud Hayoun, whose work appears on the issue’s cover. Read here: buff.ly/5nDCxvm Buy the Solidarities issue: buff.ly/bwPCKol buff.ly/8ovkp5A

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Art and Solidarity: Our interview with painter Massoud Hayoun

Our Deputy Editor Vamika Sinha introduces the Art piece in our Solidarities issue, where she interviews the Arab painter Massoud Hayoun, whose work appears on the issue’s cover. Titled ‘The Nation…

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

We're thrilled to be participating in the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival this year from 21-25 October in Bali, Indonesia! Wasafiri team members @sanagoyal.bsky.social, Vamika Sinha, and Cassie Lawrence will variously moderate panels, and deliver a publishing masterclass. buff.ly/IX4lLxC

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

But if you prefer that warm feeling of a print copy in your hands, read it in our new Solidarities issue: buff.ly/bwPCKol

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Wasafiri 127: Solidarities

What shapes do solidarities take in these strange times we are living in?

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

@intifadabatata.bsky.social spoke with queer Arab writers Tareq Baconi and Saleem Haddad on their latest books – FIRE IN EVERY DIRECTION and FLOODLINES – in this interview from our latest issue, Wasafiri 127: Solidarities. Read the full interview for free throughout October: buff.ly/BKYlzyp

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

What does it mean to write an Arab prison memoir in English? Join @elgendy95.bsky.social and Hazem Jamjoum at @mosaicrooms.bsky.social on 3 Nov for a conversation on ElGendy's new book, HUNA: A MEMOIR OF REVOLUTION, PRISON, AND BECOMING. Free tickets: buff.ly/OGMLbvN

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Read a tender sonnet sequence by Palestinian American poet and @miznaarabart.bsky.social editor, @intifadabatata.bsky.social, now on our website. buff.ly/Hv2K4vM

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Today is the LAST day to read our interview with one of the world's greatest cartoonists & journalists, Joe Sacco, for free on Taylor & Francis! 📖 If you would prefer to read the interview in print, then you can grab yourself a copy of Wasafiri 127: Solidarities via our website. buff.ly/vmcnGns

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Sand Under the Foundation: A Conversation with Joe Sacco

In this incisive interview, Zena Agha speaks to one of the world's greatest cartoonists and journalists, Joe Sacco.

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Read an extract from the forthcoming feminist gothic novel, NIGHT OF A THOUSAND HELLS, by Intan Paramaditha. Translated by Stephen Epstein and @tiffanytsao.bsky.social, the book blends Indonesian folklore, Islamic mysticism, horror, and political reckoning. buff.ly/bzoppj9

Dark blue background. Header in white and yellow reads: Online Exclusive: Book Extract. Underneath to the left is the book cover. It is bright red and has an illustration of a tiger's face in the centre. To the right is a photo of the author. She has black, shoulder-length, curly hair and wears a red top and red lipstick.

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

What will it feel like on the day Palestine is liberated? @monakareem.bsky.social imagines the ecstatic, utopian feeling of experiencing Palestine's liberation at last in this speculative story. With an illustration by Simone Khanyi Hadebe. Read: buff.ly/cIRw6E7

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Reflecting on the insufficiencies of public and media attention on what has been termed 'the forgotten war' in her home country Sudan, our International Writer in Residence Safia Elhillo examines how a poet can make themselves genuinely useful to a cause. buff.ly/ZWBEbQr

Drawing by Francisco Goya of a man wielding an axe above a crowd of bodies on the floor. It is in black and white. Underneath is the title: A Poetics of the Unbearable by Safia Elhillo.

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Bonnie Greer, the prominent British American writer and cultural commentator. In remembrance, we have made an interview with Greer in our archives – conducted by Deirdre Osborne – free to access until the end of October. buff.ly/d8k3YDm

White background. Black and orange header reads: Remembering Bonnie Greer. Subheading: 1948 - 2026. Underneath to the left is black text: Bonnie Greer OBE was an acclaimed novelist, playwright, critic, and cultural commentator whose work explored race, identity, history, and the Black experience. The author of several novels and plays, she also appeared regularly on British television. To the right of this is a black and white photo of Bonnie. She is a Black woman with a short afro and headband. She wears a dark v-neck top and dangly earrings.

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

To celebrate the official launch of our Solidarities issue today, we're offering a curated bundle of four issues that explore the idea of writing, literature, and art as forms of expressing and practising solidarity. Can storytelling play a role in liberation? buff.ly/YbeORbL

Four magazine covers are displayed. Above it says 'Solidarities'. Below it says '£30'.

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This piece is commissioned in tandem with our latest print issue, Wasafiri 127: Solidarities buff.ly/oLItku7

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Wasafiri 127: Solidarities

What shapes do solidarities take in these strange times we are living in?

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Upon the release of his seventh collection, EXHIBIT G, Palestinian American poet and translator Fady Joudah speaks to Egyptian writer @elgendy95.bsky.social – both longlisted for the National Book Award this year – in this rich, extensive interview. Read: buff.ly/ILrVC9c

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

In December 2025, British writer and artist Jay Bernard spoke to the British Caribbean experimental vocalist, composer, and movement artist Elaine Mitchener at the University of Cambridge, following a performance by Mitchener. Read a condensed version of their conversation: buff.ly/WG7Qyoi

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

London-based photographer Zeashan Ashraf has been documenting the solidarity movement for Palestine since October 2023. In this photo essay, Ashraf shares images he has taken of various protest sites, encampments, and acts of solidarity across the country. buff.ly/YcQvO75

Photo of people marching in a street carrying Palestinian flags. Underneath text reads: A Time Like This: Photographing Solidarity Movements for Palestine in the UK by Zeashan Ashraf.

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Our International Writer in Residence, Safia Elhillo, has written the lead feature for our new Solidarities-themed issue. Titled 'Psychogeography', this gorgeous poem maps a family spread across borders, objects, memories, rituals, and scenes —emotionally entwined even when physically separated.

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Read an excerpt from @bureaucat.bsky.social's forthcoming book TRAUMATIZED: THE NEW POLITICS OF PUBLIC SUFFERING ( @versobooks.bsky.social, 2026), where she explores and challenges how trauma has become a weapon in the culture wars amid the collapse of liberal politics. buff.ly/VI7GqAe

wasafiri.org

Extract — Traumatized: The New Politics of Public Suffering by Catherine Liu

Read an excerpt from Catherine Liu's forthcoming book Traumatized:

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Mario Espinoza Pino @elmoreno.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Se ha publicado en la revista @wasafirimag.bsky.social mi texto «Yuyay | Memory», un trabajo a caballo entre el ensayo y el life-writing sobre el racismo en España y la memoria mestiza. Espero que os resulte interesante. marioespinozapino.com/2026/07/12/y...

marioespinozapino.com

Yuyay | Memory – Reflexiones & Sediciones

Se ha publicado en la revista @wasafirimag mi texto "Yuyay | Memory", un trabajo a caballo entre el ensayo y el life-writing que pretende contribuir a la mem…

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samuel @quilombo.eurosky.social · 13/09/2026

Yuyay | Memory, by @elmoreno.bsky.social Translated from Spanish by @ameriqo.bsky.social for @wasafirimag.bsky.social. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

This piece is commissioned in tandem with Wasafiri 127: Solidarities – our latest issue, available to order here: buff.ly/LGoHB55

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Wasafiri 127: Solidarities

What shapes do solidarities take in these strange times we are living in?

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

In this essay, Shatha Abd El Latif examines four works of Palestinian life writing to argue for a 'uniquely Palesinian border theory' that specifically analyses the role of the checkpoint. Read here: buff.ly/4lXUJDC

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Read an exclusive extract from Laleh Khadivi's new novel FEMALE LIFE ON PLANET EARTH, @oneworldbooks.bsky.social. In this chapter, Heti is a silent companion to her cousin Mina's monologue about marriage, immigrant identity, and the comfort of large discount supermarkets. buff.ly/oE7lVnI

Pale purple background. Header in white and yellow reads: Online Exclusive, Book Extract. Underneath to the left is the book cover. It is bright yellow and shows a woman coloured neon pink. She is shown from behind and she looks down to the right. It is called 'Female Life on Planet Earth'. To the right is a photo of the author. She has long brown hair and wears a dark green shirt.

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Join us online this Tuesday, 15 September, for a celebration of our Spain issue! Contributors from the issue will participate in a wide-ranging discussion drawing out key themes, including national memory, nationality, and identity in the context of Spain. buff.ly/zciUFwC

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

There is a visceral quality to these three new poems by writer and 2026 Guggenheim Fellow, Suji Kwock Kim. They can each be read separately but, together, the images build: dirt, loss, abandonment, poverty, parenting. buff.ly/uPlXgWd

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Weaving in conversations with Vietnamese author Nguyen Binh Phương and Kim Tràn of @majorbooks.bsky.social, @lauraapostrophe.bsky.social dives into Phương's novel NHỮNG ĐỨA TRẺ CHẾT GIÀ, which has recently been released in English as THE YOUNG DIE OLD, trans. by Khai Q Nguyễn. buff.ly/aq1S2DK

wasafiri.org

Vietnamese Literature and Translating for the Anglosphere: Nguyen Binh Phương’s 'The Young Die Old'

Weaving in conversations with Vietnamese author Nguyen Binh Phương and publisher Kim Tràn of Major Books…

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Join us as we celebrate the 17th edition of the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize as part of the Southbank Centre's London Literature Festival! The event will open with a discussion on activism within the publishing industry, followed by readings and a prize-giving ceremony. buff.ly/eH860Gi

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Wasafiri: New Writing Prize 2026 | Southbank Centre

The UK's largest arts centre & the heart of London's cultural life.

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Learn more about the framing of our Solidarities issue – edited by our Editor and Publishing Director, Sana Goyal – in its Editorial, titled 'Awaiting the Next Time'. Read the full text here: buff.ly/c3dHllm Wasafiri 127: Solidarities can be ordered via our website Wasafiri.org

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

📢 Advertise with us! We're offering 20% off all paid advertisements booked by 10 Oct, applying to all print, website, and newsletter ads. Reach over 30,000 culturally engaged, creative, and critical readers from around the world. For more info, contact Cassie at wasafiripublicity@gmail.com

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

How can we find and forge solidarity across different kinds of borders today? The book reviews in our latest issue, Wasafiri 127: Solidarities, cover titles including diverse short fiction from Yemen, an anti-caste sci-fi collection, climate narratives, and more. buff.ly/gZM2EPA

Red background. Light blue heading reads: Wasafiri 127. Subheading reads: Books Reviewed. Underneath are two bookshelves with 5 covers on each, facing outwards.

Red background. Light blue heading reads: Review Essay. Subheading reads: Together We Win by Isabelle Baafi. Underneath are three book covers in a row. Underneath that is white text: ‘... different but complementary approaches for critiquing solidarity, each of which should be carefully considered given the worldwide erosion of human rights and freedoms, and the (intentional) splintering of societies ...’

Red background. At the top are two book covers with their titles and authors written underneath. Beneath that is a quote from the review, which reads: ‘Like The Book of Sana’a, place writing is central to Floodlines ... Nizar marks his exile using boarding passes as bookmarks, a grandson of Iraq and also a child born of displacement, exile, and war.’

Red background. At the top is a book cover with the title and author written underneath. Beneath that is a quote from the review, which reads: ‘... to have a collection devoted entirely to romantic love amongst the populace of Kashmir makes this book a significant breakthrough in the canon of Indian writing in English.’

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

In this sincere, vulnerable poem, Wasafiri's current International Writer in Residence Safia Elhillo describes a visit to Medellin, Colombia. She notes the feel of a mattress and the sound of a familiar Arabic, amid reflections on the different languages she carries. buff.ly/qDAlzTJ

wasafiri.org

ANTIOQUIA by Safia Elhillo

In this sincere, vulnerable poem, Wasafiri's current International Writer in Residence Safia Elhillo describes a visit to Medellin, Colombia.

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

In this incisive interview, Zena Agha speaks to one of the world's greatest cartoonists and journalists, Joe Sacco. Speaking openly about his positionality and experiences as a frequent outsider to regions he covers, Sacco opens up about the brutality he has witnessed firsthand. buff.ly/9AfEFRe

wasafiri.org

Sand Under the Foundation: A Conversation with Joe Sacco

In this incisive interview, Zena Agha speaks to one of the world's greatest cartoonists and journalists, Joe Sacco.

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Today is the final day to read an interview from our Spain issue between academic Dr Paula Teixeira Moláns and interdisciplinary artist Sol Mussa! Both from Galicia, 'a non-state nation known for its waves of migration', the pair speak about Mussa's artistic practice and more. buff.ly/oSs3d86

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Race, Fantasy, and Anti-Cinema: An Interview with Sol Mussa by Paula Teixeira Moláns

In this interview, academic Dr Paula Teixeira Moláns speaks to interdisciplinary artist Sol Mussa – both are from Galicia…

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

In three poems, Safa Khatib plays with imagery as she moves through different dark and troubling atmospheres. 'End of the Line' intersperses train announcements with an overheard conversation as breathless polyphony; 'Tresspass' and 'Al-Fatihah' broach gulfs of meaning. buff.ly/OZTv0A1

Photo of a transit train at a platform. Underneath in blue and black text it reads: Three poems by Safa Khatib.

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Can acts of solidarity – including protest and political organising – shape, influence, and alter our understanding and definition of literature itself? Join Wasafiri and @englishpen.bsky.social at @ibraaz.bsky.social on 23 September for the launch of our latest issue. buff.ly/NZ7gy8v

Dark red background. Headline in light blue reads: The Page as Frontline. Underneath are four headshots of the four panelists, with their names underneath. Under that is light blue text which reads: 6-8pm BST
Wednesday, 23 September

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