But for me, the ways in which poems allow a reader to access feeling, I think those are also the ways in which poems are really useful political tools. Because a poem does not allow politics to be disentangled from the material reality of feeling.

If I could, Dear martyr, I would not leave you here In a poem, but in my arms

Translation is exile. I have nothing left to say but I’ll say it.

May 4, 2024 Read our follow-up statement from May 8, 2024 below. We condemn Kansas City Art Institute’s (KCAI) unilateral … Continue reading "On Kansas City Art Institute’s Cancellation of Mizna’s “Writers for Palestine”"

Don’t tell them I’m Armenian.  A colleague told me she recommended a book about the genocide to her student. She was called into the headmaster’s office the next day. Turn the movie back on. 

Here we are: gathering our dusty, disheveled hair to weave a gray painting that surpasses the work of the greatest artists. It’s not yellow or blue, but entirely gray—blood gleaming in the center

Guest editor b. al-ismCo-editor Aram Kavoossi Deadline extended: Submissions are open now through June 30, 2024 SUBMIT YOUR WORK HERE … Continue reading "Call for Submissions: The Futurities Issue"

As Mizna is marking its twenty-fifth anniversary year, our small team is reflecting on our history of presenting, connecting, and … Continue reading "Mizna: 25 Years"

Upon arriving in the US for the Palestine Writes Conference in September 2023, Gazan poet Yahya Ashour could have never … Continue reading "A Gaza of Siege & Genocide"