Best Sireen Podcasts (2024)

1
The Story of One Palestinian Family Under Occupation | Sami Hermez & Sireen Sawalha 52:49

4M ago52:49

52:49

Sami Hermez is an anthropologist who teaches at Northwestern University in Qatar. He is the author of "War Is Coming: Between Past and Future Violence in Lebanon" published in 2017. His work in and out of the classroom reflects a strong commitment to freedom, justice, and equality, as his own family's history of migration spans the Levant, with roo…

1
Eyeliner: A Cultural History | Zahra Hankir 55:19

5M ago55:19

55:19

This episode was recorded on March 27th, 2024. Zahra Hankir is a Lebanese-British journalist, editor and author. She was awarded a Jack R. Howard Fellowship to attend the Columbia Journalism School and holds degrees in politics and Middle Eastern studies. Her first book "Our Women on the Ground" was a bestseller and won the Susan Koppelman award fo…

1
Coming of Age in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn | Aisha Abdel Gawad 53:19

1y ago53:19

53:19

Writing Between Two Moons: An Arab-American coming of age story set in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn during the “War on Terror”. Author Aisha Abdel Gawad sheds light on her experience writing the novel while balancing her work as a high-school teacher, capturing Bay Ridge’s unique community in her book, and her creative process. Together, Mikey and Aisha ref…

1
Belonging, Divorce & Summer in Egypt | Malaka Gharib 1:01:42

1+ y ago1:01:42

1:01:42

In this episode of Book Club, Malika Gharib joins us to share her musings on what it means to be an artist, the symbiotic relationship between journalism and comics, as well as what the 'American Dream' truly means. She reflects on growing up as a first-generation Filipino Egyptian, her changing relationship with her heritage, and how she uses her …

1
Finding the Caliph's House | Tahir Shah 59:57

1+ y ago59:57

59:57

Tahir Shah talks about his experiences in the Arab region. He talks about The Caliph's House, a book he has written that is inspired by his trips to Morocco in his childhood; from Marrakesh to the Sahara. Tahir Shah is a best-selling author and filmmaker known for his work in both fiction and non-fiction. He has produced over forty works, including…

1
Kuwait & "An Unlasting Home" | Mai Al-Nakib 1:00:46

1+ y ago1:00:46

1:00:46

Mai Al-Nakib talks about her novel "An Unlasting Home" which traces Kuwait's rise from a pearl-diving backwater to its reign as a thriving cosmopolitan city to the aftermath of the Iraqi invasion. Mai Al-Nakib is a Kuwaiti writer and academic. She was born in Kuwait and spent her early years living in London, Edinburgh, and St. Louis, Missouri. She…

1
A Century of Armenian Life & Family | Joumana Haddad 59:51

1+ y ago59:51

59:51

Welcome to this episode of the Afikra Book Club with the engaging Joumana Haddad who takes us on a journey through her past and upbringing in Bourj Hammoud to uncover family sorrows and share the stories of those left scathed by the Armenian genocide. Joumana Haddad is an award-winning Lebanese writer, journalist, university professor and human rig…

1
Collective Failure to Improve the Arab World | Amal Ghandour 59:31

1+ y ago59:31

59:31

Amal Ghandour talked about her book 'This Arab Life,' where she explores common cultural and societal issues that most generations in the Arab world face. Amal Ghandour is a Lebanese-Jordanian author and blogger (Thinking Fits), with a career that spans more than three decades in the fields of research, communication, and community development. Her…

1
Suad Amiry | Mother of Strangers 1:00:35

2y ago1:00:35

1:00:35

Suad Amiry talked about her book, "Mother of Strangers: A Novel," which is a story of young love set in Jaffa in between 1947 and 1951. Suad Amiry is a Palestinian writer and architect living in the West Bank town of Ramallah. She studied architecture at the American University of Beirut, the University of Michigan, and the University of Edinburgh,…

1
Sahar Mustafah | Reversing Stereotypes Through Literature 49:20

2y ago49:20

49:20

Sahar Mustafah talked about her book "The Beauty of Your Face." The novel is about a Palestinian American woman wrestles with faith, loss, and identity before coming face-to-face with a school shooter, it navigates a country growing ever more divided. The daughter of immigrants, Sahar Mustafah explores her Palestinian heritage in her writing. She e…

1
Instrumental Coasts and Waterways to British Control in the Middle East | Sabrina Mahfouz 45:56

2y ago45:56

45:56

In this Book Club, we talked to Sabrina Mahfouz about her book "These Bodies of Water." The novel is about imperialism, and the history of the Middle Eastern coastlines and waterways that were vital to the British Empire's hold. Sabrina Mahfouz is a British-Egyptian writer, performer and educator. Her first short play, That Boy, was performed at th…

1
The Divas of Cairo's Roaring 20s | Raphael Cormack 58:16

2y ago58:16

58:16

Raphael Cormack discussed his new book Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring 20's. Midnight in Cairo tells the thrilling story of Egypt’s interwar nightlife and entertainment industry through the lives of its pioneering women. Introducing an eccentric cast of characters, it brings to life a world of revolutionary ideas and provocative art…

1
The Turtle of Oman & Michigan | Naomi Shihab Nye 57:42

2y ago57:42

57:42

Naomi Shihab Nye talked about her books ‘The Turtle of Oman’ and ‘The Turtle of Michigan. The books are about Aref as he travels from Muscat, Oman, to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Naomi Shihab Nye was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father was a Palestinian refugee and her mother an American of German and Swiss descent, and Nye spent her adolescence in bo…

1
Arab Queer Literature & NYC's Little Syria | Zeyn Joukhadar 27:27

2y ago27:27

27:27

Zeyn Joukhadar talked about his book ‘The Thirty Names of Night: A Novel’. Zeyn Joukhadar is the author of the novels The Map of Salt and Stars, 2018, and The Thirty Names of Night, 2020 and a member of the Radius of Arab American Writers (RAWI). His work has appeared in KINK: Stories(eds. RO Kwon & Garth Greenwell), Salon, The Paris Review,Shondal…

1
Kareem Abu-Zeid | Arab Poetry & Translations 28:06

2y ago28:06

28:06

Kareem James Abu-Zeid talked about his translations of ‘Exhausted on the Cross”by Najwan Darwish and “Confessions” by Rabee Jaber. Kareem James Abu-Zeid is a translator, editor, writer, teacher, and scholar who works across multiple languages. As an acclaimed translator of Arabic literature, he works with prominent English-language publishing house…

1
James Barr | A Line in the Sand: Britain, France, and the Struggle that Shaped the Middle East 27:53

2y ago27:53

27:53

James Barr talked about his book ‘A Line in the Sand: Britain, France and the Struggle that shaped the Middle East’. A Line in the Sand vividly tells the story of the short but crucial era when Britain and France ruled the Middle East. James is a leading historian of the modern Middle East and author of the widely-acclaimed A Line In The Sand and L…

1
Home Is Not a Country | Safia Elhillo 24:21

2y ago24:21

24:21

In this Book Club, we talked to Safia Elhillo about her book "Home is not a country." The novel is about family, identity, and finding yourself in the most unexpected places. Created & hosted by Mikey Muhanna, afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Book Club: Book Club is an intervi…