The Poetry of Arab Women: A Contemporary Anthology Book

An anthology that includes poets of a rare demographic, Arab women. It seems like our narrative is constantly written for us, edited and handed over, all bound and glossy...we're expected to smile and swallow it without any sugar to help it go down easy. I'm glad that Handal was able to put together this collection, it might be especially helpful for those who might not understand the brown female experience. For writers like me who fit the description, I was surprised at how similar my own work was to these women..not in skill (I have a long way to go) but in the way we spin our tales, our observations.

The only criticism I have, and I'm not sure if it could have been helped, but I wish there were more writings from countries that don't have the most celebrated literary scenes. I loved the Syrian & Iraqi poets but where were the Sudani, Libyan, or Saudi poets? I understand that this requires a bit more research and labor but I believe it would have been worth it, maybe in time. Nonetheless, a beautiful read.