 Subscribe from £29Introducing Batool Abu Akleen as our 2024 Poet in Residence A contributor to our Dissent issue, Akleen is a poet and translator from Gaza, Palestine. She started writing at the age of ten, and at the age of fifteen, she won the Barjeel Poetry Prize for her poem ‘It Wasn’t Me Who Stole the Cloud’, which was published in the Beirut-based magazine Rusted Radishes and later included in the Italian anthology Of Water and Time. She participated in an online workshop with the Khalil Al Sakakine Cultural Center in Ramallah, which resulted in a critical art article published in Rumman, an online magazine. Her poetry has been translated into several languages, including English and Italian, and featured in numerous international publications. Her recent work includes three poems in the latest issue of the MPT magazine, Salam To Gaza. Currently studying English literature at the Islamic University of Gaza, Batool aspires to become a literary translator. She is passionate about bridging the gap between Arabic and English literature, fostering mutual understanding between Arabic and English-speaking audiences. Her goal is to facilitate a richer exchange of literary traditions and bring the depth of Palestinian and Arabic poetry to a broader global audience. Despite the challenging conditions in Gaza, where she continues to witness the ongoing genocide, Akleen remains committed to her work as a teacher, writer, and translator. Her dedication to her craft and her resilience in the face of adversity sustain her efforts to spread her voice and support emerging writers. In her own words: In a stifling refugee camp from under a plastic shelter A giant ogre is created out of the sobbing With every missile, he grows He moves his barefoot I am nearly smashed But, as always, I survive I run away To my shelter To my phone To my thumbs I write I translate I read poems out loud I gather them all from the throat of my heart Then I turn the poems into flowers And spread them on my beloveds’ graves Their scent pervades May it strike your soul. Read article in full  Subscribe from £29 Join and support our diverse and creative community of readers, writers and translators. As a subscriber, you’ll get three print issues in the post each year – plus immediate access to our online archive, so you can read back issues online, for no further cost. Subscribe today |
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