Songs for Fairuz: New Arab Women’s Poetry

Jennifer Jean, Series Editor

Songs for Fairuz brings groundbreaking English translations of contemporary female poets and translators from the Middle East, North Africa, and their diasporas. Emerging from landscapes of conflict, renewal, and resilience, these voices challenge dominant narratives about the lives and art of MENA communities. By amplifying perspectives too often marginalized or misunderstood, the series will create vital pathways for cultural exchange and solidarity across borders, where translation becomes an act of witness, connection, and shared imagination. The first title in this series will be Hanaa Ahmad Jabr's I Draw My Sorrow from His Collar, translated by Jennifer Jean. Forthcoming Fall 2026.

Published in collaboration with the Her Story Is collective, the Songs for Fairuz series will launch with a $20,000 donation from the Merrill Family Charitable Foundation in Fall 2026. These funds will be provided to Black Ocean as restricted support dedicated exclusively to the series, covering translator and artist fees, as well as editorial and publication expenses. If you would like to support the series, you can also make a restricted donation through our giving page here by designating the series as a recipient during checkout.