STORIES FROM THE CENTER OF THE WORLD | A Busboys and Poets Presentation

“This volume is loaded with two dozen stories of exile, love, and magical realism. . . . What is impressive about this collection is how culturally informed and varied it is.”

—Zein El-Amine, author of Is This How You Eat a Watermelon?

STORIES FROM THE CENTER OF THE WORLD gathers new writing from the greater Middle East or SWANA — a vast region that stretches from Southwest Asia, through the Middle East and Turkey, and across Northern Africa. The 25 authors included here come from a wide range of cultures and countries, including Palestine, Syria, Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, and Morocco, to name a few. In “Asha and Haaji,” Hanif Kureishi takes up the cause of outsiders who become uprooted when war or disaster strikes and they flee for safe haven. In Nektaria Anastasiadou’s “The Location of the Soul According to Benyamin Alhadeff,” two students in Istanbul from different classes—and religions that have often been at odds with one another—believe they can overcome all obstacles. MK Harb’s story, “Counter Strike,” is about queer love among Beiruti adolescents, and Salar Abdoh’s “The Long Walk of the Martyrs” invites us into the world of former militants, fighters who fought ISIS or Daesh in Iraq and Syria, and are having a hard time readjusting to civilian life. In “Eleazar,” Karim Kattan tells an unexpected Palestinian story in which the usual antagonists—Israeli occupation forces—are mostly absent, while another malevolent force seems to overtake an unsuspecting family. Omar El Akkad’s “The Icarist” is a coming-of-age story about the underworld in which illegal immigrants are forced to live, and what happens when one dares to break away.

Joining us on the Busboys stage is editor Jordan Elgrably and local author Natashya Tynes in conversation with each other about this landmark collection of short stories from the greater Middle East. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Elgrably will be signing following the program.

This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of STORIES FROM THE CENTER OF THE WORLD will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will be livestreamed. 

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Jordan Elgrably is a Franco-American and Moroccan writer and translator, whose stories and creative nonfiction have appeared in numerous anthologies and reviews, including Apulée, Salmagundi and the Paris Review. The cofounder and former director of the Levantine Cultural Center/The Markaz (2001-2020), he was producer of the stand-up comedy series The Sultans of Satire (2005-2017), and the producer of hundreds of other public programs, including the play Sarah’s War. He is the editor-in-chief and founder of The Markaz Review, and the co-editor (with Malu Halasa) of the forthcoming anthology Sumūd: a New Palestinian Reader (Seven Stories Press, October 2024). He divides his time between California and Montpellier, France.

Natasha Tynes is a Jordanian American author in Rockville, Maryland, and a regular contributor to the Washington Post, Nature Magazine, Elle and Esquire, among others. Her short stories have appeared in Geometry, The Timberline Review, and Fjords. Her short story “Ustaz Ali” was a prize winner at the prestigious annual F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival.  She was born in Amman, Jordan. She is the author of the speculative literary novel They Called Me Wyatt.

Host or Publisher Busboys and Poets