Samiha Olwan

Gaza Writes Back is a compelling collection of short stories written in English by young writers in Gaza in the period soon after Israel's 2008-09 offensive against Gaza known as "Operation Cast Lead." The stories, collected by English-literature professor Dr. Refaat Alareer, take us into the homes and hearts of ordinary Gaza Palestinians trying to live lives of dignity and meaning in a community that, even then, was one of the world's most embattled. In early December 2023, the Israeli military assassinated Prof. Alareer sending shockwaves of horror among all who loved and respected him around the world. This new edition of the collection is produced in loving memory of his life and work. It contains a new Foreword by Ali Abunimah of Electronic Intifada. And in the backmatter, where the story contributors had a chance to introduce themselves in their own words in the first edition, now we include updated self-descriptions from all those whom we could contact, whereas the fate of many of those other talented young people remains unknown.

Palestinian Threads and Stitches celebrates the living diversity of Palestinian identity within the Western Australian community. Handmade, traditional tatreez embroidery pieces are stitched together into a single cloth, just as the stories of the women who made them are stitched together with the common threads of identity.

Palestinian Threads and Stitches features the work of Doua Abdullah, Randa Abu Hejleh, Rusaila Bazlamit, Abeer Daour, Hiba El-Farra, Samya Jabbour, Sabrina Odeh, Samiha Olwan, Batool Nairat, Abla Ruhayel, Rana Sallaj and Masa Tufaha.

The conference responds to the recent return of phenomenological perspectives in literary and cultural criticism, and in the field of spatiality in particular. We will explore the relationships between individual (sensory, embodied, lived) responses to space and cultural or socio-political horizons, with a special focus on perspectives that discuss the experience of space as shifting, unstable and multilayered.

56 speakers from all over the world will talk on issues as diverse as refugee spaces, liminal experiences in the Antarctic, the poetics and politics of water, the experience of digital spaces, or the negotiations of public space by street food vendors in Zurich and Malaysia. There will also be a special artists' panel on "City Art and the Politics of Space," which will take place at the Viadukt in Zürich West (Sat 26 Nov, 7 pm).

Gaza Writes Back is a collection of short stories from fifteen young writers in Gaza, members of a generation that has suffered immensely under Israel's siege and blockade. Their experiences, especially during and following Israel's 2008-2009 offensive known as "Operation Cast Lead", have fundamentally impacted their lives and their writing. Indeed, many of these writers saw the war as a catalyst for their writing, as they sought an outlet and a voice in its aftermath. They view the book as a means of preserving Palestinian memories and presenting their narratives to the world without filters. Their words take us into the homes and hearts of moms, dads, students, children, and elders striving to live lives of dignity, compassion, and meaning in one of the world's most embattled communities. These stories are acts of resistance and defiance, proclaiming the endurance of Palestinians and the continuing resilience and creativity of their culture in the face of ongoing obstacles and attempts to silence them. Whether tackling the tragedy that surrounds missile strikes and home raids, or the everyday indignities encountered by Palestinian refugees, Gaza Writes Back brings to life the real issues that the people of Gaza face. One prominent theme in many of the stories is the wisdom of parents and grandparents. A sense of longing pervades the book, as the characters in the stories reveal desires ranging from the mundane to the complex--including, in several of the stories, a strong yearning to return to the characters' family homes and properties after many decades in exile. Social differences within Gaza are also sensitively explored. Readers will be moved by the struggles big and small that emerge from the well-crafted writing, and by the hope and courage that radiates from the authors' biographies. Five years after Operation Cast Lead, these stories remind us that the pain lingers on and the people of Gaza will be forever scarred by the attack. Yet, the call for justice remains forceful and persistent, and these young Gazan writers refuse to let the world forget about them--their land, their people, and their story.