Queer Arab literature has a rich history, from early references and homoerotic themes in pre-Islamic and classical poetry, to contemporary voices who openly explore queer identities. Modern and contemporary movements have seen a resurgence of queer themes, despite ongoing censorship; whilst anthologies and digital platforms have amplified marginalised voices, offering new spaces for expression and community-building.
This event centres three contemporary works, two anthologies, We Wrote in Symbols: Love and Lust by Arab Women Writers by Selma Dabbagh, This Arab is Queer, an anthology of Arab queer voices compiled by Elias Jahshan and The Arab Queer Glossary by Marwan Kaabour, a survey of the linguistic landscape surrounding queerness in the Arab world.
This event will be chaired by Elizabeth Briggs, the Editorial Director of Saqi Books.
Selma Dabbagh is a British Palestinian writer of fiction. Born in Scotland, she has lived in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, France, Egypt and the West Bank. Her fictive work includes the novel, ‘Out of It,’ (Bloomsbury) which is set between Gaza, London and the Gulf. She is also the editor of ‘We Wrote In Symbols; Love and Lust by Arab Women Writers,’ (Saqi, 2021). Her short stories are published in numerous anthologies. She has also written radio plays and for stage and screen. Her non-fiction includes a recent series of blogs for the London Review of Books on Gaza. She is also a lawyer who has worked in the field of human rights and international criminal law with organisations in Jerusalem, Cairo and London. She holds a PhD from Goldsmiths University.
Elias Jahshan (he/him) is a Palestinian-Lebanese journalist and writer. He is the editor of groundbreaking This Arab is Queer: An Anthology by LGBTQ+ Arab Writers (Saqi Books; 2022), which was a finalist in the 2023 Lambda Literary Awards in the USA, and shortlisted for the 2023 Bread & Roses Award in the UK. He is a former editor of Star Observer, Australia’s longest-running LGBTQ+ media outlet, and his short memoir ‘Coming Out Palestinian’ was anthologised in Arab, Australian, Other: Stories on Race and Identity (Picador, 2019). He has also written freelance for outlets including The Guardian, Gay Times, Raseef22, Shado Mag, and My Kali. Born and raised in Sydney, he now lives in London.
Marwan Kaabour is a graphic designer, artist, writer, and the founder of Takweer – an online archive of queer narratives in Arab history and popular culture. He is the editor of The Queer Arab Glossary (Saqi Books; 2024). His interdisciplinary practice builds pathways between communication and publication design, curation, pedagogy and political activism. Alongside his independent projects, Kaabour works with non-profit institutions, companies and individuals in the art and culture sector, such as the V&A, Art Basel, National Gallery, Serpentine Galleries, Hayward Gallery and Banksy. He designed the much-celebrated Rihanna book, a Time magazine Best Photo Book of 2019. Kaabour was born in Beirut and currently lives and works in London.
Elizabeth Briggs is Editorial Director at Saqi Books. Her work in the publishing industry over the past decade spans agenting and the non-for-profit literary sector alongside seven cherished years at Saqi. She has collaborated with some of the industry’s most prominent voices and spoken at festivals including Hay-on-Wye, the London Book Fair and Essex Book Festival. She has recently participated in roundtables at the House of Lords and LSE regarding culture and artists in Palestine. Elizabeth has a degree in Classics from Durham University. You can find her on Twitter @litfactivist.
Community Guidelines
We convene here together from diverse backgrounds, cultures, traditions, and political experiences with the shared objective of advancing the struggle for Palestine. We ask all participants help us to create and maintain the space for a respectful discussion, exchange, and collaboration, by keeping the following principles in mind:
- Prepare yourself before attending. Have you slept and eaten well? Do you have someone to talk to afterwards?
- Please do your best to arrive on time for sessions, and be fully present.
- Please let our team know if you are attending alone and would like to be introduced to others,
- Assume the best intent and stay open-minded in any conversation, keeping in mind the diversity of experience and opinions of the participants.
- Respect the religious and cultural obligations of any participant, and if you are unsure of any cultural or religious boundaries that some adhere to, ask. A dedicated space is available for those observing prayer.
- If you feel overwhelmed at any point during an event our library is available as a quiet breakout space. Please let a member of our team know whether you would like to be accompanied or need additional support.
- We do not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, islamophobia, antisemitism, or any other form of discrimination.
- To make everyone feel comfortable, including the speakers we ask not to film during the event. Photographs are allowed with permission.