Latest news with #SafiaElhillo

Cosmopolitan ME

On a scroll: MENA poets you can't ignore

The Middle East has always been a cradle of literary tradition, where poetry once spilled from café tables as freely as the coffee itself. While the scent of ink and old books may have faded from the air of tea houses and street-side bookstores, the spirit of the Arab poet is far from silent. Instead, it's found a new home: on Instagram grids, X threads, in online zines, and digital open mics. A new generation of poets from across the MENA region is reimagining what it means to write, publish, and be read. From Sudan to Palestine, Lebanon to Iraq, these voices are crafting verse rooted in heritage while transcending borders. We've put together a short list of unmissable MENA poetry talent that's sure to transport you, from the vast plains of Sudan to the jagged mountains of Lebanon, and everywhere in between. Born in Maryland to Sudanese immigrant parents, Safia Elhillo has carved out a poetic space online that's both intimate and expansive. Her Instagram is a curated homage to her heritage, featuring snapshots of her draped in vibrant thobes, long, flowing garments symbolic of her Sudanese roots, interspersed with verses that sting, soothe, and endure. Safia's poems speak to the ache of diaspora, to dreams of returning to a homeland untouched by war, and to the sacredness of friendships that stretch across oceans. Sharp yet tender, her work captures what it means to belong to many places at once. A tailor, a pharmacist, and a writer, Omar Hamad is proof that poetry runs deep in Palestinian soil. Based in Gaza, Omar writes with clarity and purpose, his words as sharp as they are sincere. Like the many Palestinian poets before him, he wields his pen (and in this case, keyboard) as a sword of both resistance and refuge. His verses bear witness to daily life under occupation while dreaming, always, of love, stability, and beauty. His work, often shared on X and Instagram, is a testament to survival and imagination in impossible conditions. Hissa Hilal Via Instagram @muslimwomenyoushouldknow In 2010, Hissa Hilal became the first woman to reach the finals of Million's Poet, a wildly popular Emirati reality poetry competition. Veiled from head to toe, save for a narrow slit for her eyes, Hilal shattered stereotypes with each verse, defying the Western media's lazy narratives about Arab women. Born to a conservative Bedouin family in Saudi Arabia, she began writing poetry at 11 and went on to publish in newspapers across the region. Her work, written in the traditional Nabati style, provocatively critiques religious extremism and calls for freedom of thought. While she remains offline in terms of social media, her poems continue to echo across the Arab world, and beyond. You can read her work here. If you are a regular reader of The New York Times or The Atlantic, you may have already encountered Zeina Hashem Beck. The Lebanese poet writes from the heart of the diaspora, wrapping her readers in verses about language, longing, ginger tea, and the small, sacred rituals that tether us to home. Deeply inspired by the tradition of the ghazal, a poetic form rooted in the traditions of Middle East and India, known for its rhythmic repetition and lyrical beauty, Zeina's work bridges Beirut and the West, grief, and celebration. Her poetry is bold yet, like the cup of ginger tea — familiar, healing and necessary. Exiled from Baghdad after facing censorship and harassment for her journalistic work, Dunya Mikhail has spent decades weaving exile into verse. Now based in the U.S., her poetry explores themes of loss, memory, and belonging, drawing from ancient Sumerian imagery to piece together a vision of Iraq (both mythical and modern). Fables and lyricism come together in Dunya's work to create a homeland stitched together by words, one that exists as much in imagination as it does in history. Her poetry reminds us that even in absence, there is presence. While the platforms may have changed, the Arab world's love affair with poetry remains as passionate as ever. These writers are not only preserving an ancient tradition, they're reinventing it for the digital age, one post at a time. Read more on poetry here.