The Markaz Review

12/11/2025

📝 [TMR 56 • NOIR]

In “An Unwritten Poem,” new fiction by Omar Khalifah, translated from Arabic by Barbara Romaine, an aspiring Palestinian poet in New York City tries to solve an unsolvable mystery—how to write the one poem that might change everything while moving through a city thick with memory, exile, and desire.​

🔗 Read the centerpiece story: https://bit.ly/an-unwritten-poem-new-fiction-by-omar-khalifah

12/10/2025

🌒 [TMR 56 • NOIR]

In the opening editorial, “Escaping the ‘Cockroach’—On Melancholy and Noir,” Jordan Elgrably and Mohammad Rabie trace how noir has seeped into our everyday lives: from corrupt states and endless wars to the quiet melancholy of scrolling through one crisis after another. They ask what it means to keep our humanity—and our imagination—alive in a world that feels permanently shadowed.

🔗 Read the editorial: https://bit.ly/escaping-the-cockroach-on-melancholy-and-noir

12/10/2025

GREAT « CABO NEGRO » REVIEW in DIACRITIK BY JEAN-PHILIPPE CAZIER. Merci très fort fort fort à l’écrivain et critique Jean-Philippe Cazier pour cette incroyable critique de mon film CABO NEGRO, publiée ce matin à DIACRITIK. Merci et Choukran pour cette longue, très profonde et très juste analyse. C’est un honneur pour nous tou.te.s, l’équipe du film et moi.Vous pouvez la lire ici: https://diacritik.com/2025/12/09/abdellah-taia-ce-que-les-corps-ne-disent-pas-cabo-negro/ -111918 Allez voir CABO NEGRO, sorti dans les salles françaises la semaine dernière… Amour tendre et Besos tendres à vous tou.te.s…Abdellah Taia

12/10/2025

Ah, the epistolary novel...

This is part of an interview with the Lebanese author Hoda Barakat that took place on September 30 2025. It has been translated from French and edited for clarity and length. You can also listen to…

12/05/2025

📣 TMR 56 • NOIR is live!

The world feels sharper, stranger, more shadowed than fiction. This issue dives into luminous darkness—stories of war and surveillance, cities and crime, desire and dread—through essays, fiction, poetry, and art from across the SWANA region and its diasporas.

🌟 Featuring work by: Jordan Elgrably, Mohammad Rabie, Omar Khalifah, Barbara Romaine, Arie Amaya-Akkermans, Ala Younis, Abdollah Nazari, Salar Abdoh, Stephen Rohde, Rana Asfour, Alex Demyanenko, Mirna Al-Mahdi, Saïd Khaitibi, Alexander E. Elinson, Melis Aker, Majd Aburrub, Rebecca Ruth Gould, Mohab Aref, Lina Mounzer, Bejan Matur, and Robert Bociaga.

🔗 Read the new issue now: https://bit.ly/tmr-56-noir

12/05/2025

In parts of Iraq, booksellers leave stacks of books outdoors overnight without security, operating under the belief that individuals who value reading will not steal them.

This practice has been observed in historic literary districts where vendors rely on community trust and cultural reverence for knowledge. Books are displayed along sidewalks and alleys, forming open libraries accessible at all hours.

The tradition reflects long-standing attitudes toward education and literature in the region, where books have played an important role in public life, religious study, and scholarly history.

Vendors report that theft remains rare despite the lack of supervision, suggesting a shared cultural understanding of books as objects of learning rather than commodity goods.

Observers view this as an example of how collective values can influence behavior, preserving systems built on trust even without formal enforcement.

12/04/2025

🌒 [TMR 56 • NOIR]

Egyptian novelist and TMR Arabic Editor, Mohammad Rabie, reflects on how noir has slipped off the page and screen into our daily lives—where wars, weapons, and headlines arrive in real time, in full color. Noir is no longer just a mystery genre, but a way of living through prolonged darkness.

December’s issue of The Markaz Review is dedicated to NOIR, with essays, stories, and excerpts that trace this mood in our world today.

👉 TMR 56 • NOIR drops tomorrow. Stay tuned.

12/04/2025

📣 We’re Hiring: Literary Editor (Part-Time/Remote)

Join The Markaz Review and help define SWANA literature on the global stage.

The Markaz Review is seeking a talented, connected Literary Editor to help curate, edit, and champion original writing from across the SWANA region and its global the diasporas. We publish fiction, essays, poetry, cultural commentary, and translation.

We are looking for an editor who is passionate about amplifying diverse voices, nurturing writers, and contributing to a vibrant literary community.

Responsibilities:
• Solicit, review, and edit submissions (fiction, essays, translations)
• Work closely with writers and translators to develop strong, polished pieces
• Participate in issue planning and contribute to editorial vision
• Collaborate with our international editorial team
• Uphold TMR’s mission to publish high-quality, inclusive, and representative SWANA content

Ideal Candidate:
• Strong editing experience (literary magazines, journals, or similar)
• Knowledge of SWANA cultures, history, literature, and/or diasporic narratives
• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Passion for independent publishing and cultural storytelling
• Ability to work remotely and meet deadlines
• Arabic or another regional language is a plus, but not required

If you’re committed to supporting literary voices from the region, we’d love to hear from you. Send your CV to [email protected].

12/04/2025

📚 [AN EVENING OF POETRY & PROSE]

Last week at Gazette Café in Montpellier, Sholeh Wolpé brought Attar’s “The Invisible Sun” to life, while editor in chief Jordan Elgrably presented “The Best of The Markaz Review: 2020–2025” to a full house. Together they shared poetry, stories of love and exile, and reflections on why SWANA literature matters now more than ever.

Swipe through for moments from the night, and keep an eye out for future TMR events.

✨ Get the digital edition of “The Best of The Markaz Review: 2020–2025” here: https://bit.ly/the-best-of-the-markaz-review-2020-2025

12/04/2025

Congrats to our writer friend and Markaz Review contributor on this achievement: