We Are More: Istanbul
“Don’t ask her what happened,” Abu Mali says. We do anyways, in Arabic so he can’t understand, but she ignores us.
We Are More
23 posts
We Are More is an inclusive space for SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) and SWANA diaspora writers to tell our stories, our way. Curated by Michelle Zamanian, this column seeks to disrupt the media’s negative and stereotypical narratives by creating a consistent platform to be heard, outside of and beyond the waxing and waning interest of the news cycle. We publish creative nonfiction, graphic essays, fiction, poetry, and interviews by SWANA writers on a wide variety of subject matter. All prose submissions should be between 1500-5000 words. Poetry submissions should include 4-8 poems for consideration (up to 12 pages). Please inquire for interview guidelines.
We Are More: Two Poems by Nur Turkmani
Some afternoons are soft / this way. We miss them as they are happening. / How did we begin to cry?
We Are More: Three Poems by Marlin M. Jenkins
Because sometimes the gravity / of care is too strong for you to walk.
We Are More: Wanting to Want: Romance and Sports Anime
I think I understand the gap between obsession and devotion, then.
We Are More: jagadakir, as in fate
i cannot get myself to stay / for the moonrise of anything’s day.
We Are More: I Can’t Tell
It’s February 1991, and I can’t tell you where the Middle East is on a map, or why it’s called the Middle East. But my family eats Syrian bread with every meal (I can’t tell you the difference between Syrian bread and pita, but I know they’re not the same).
We Are More: The Bad Ones
"My father says he's sorry about the noise, but he wants you to know that we wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for 1953 and the American overthrow of Iran's democracy."
From the Archive: We Are More: New Country, Old Bones
What did you hope to build in the / New country?
We Are More: Tehranto
I can’t recall a single time that my father has told me about his journey through the mountains . . . It was just something that I picked up, some truth that I have always carried.