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 Drag My Sorrow by 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.
Support the Series
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. Your support will help sustain:
10 Arab women poets over the life of the series
10+ literary translators earning equitable pay for their craft
40+ creative professionals (editors, copyeditors, designers, artists)
20,000–50,000 readers who will encounter these transformative works
A sustainable model for future translation series centered on introducing vital voices to the English language
Donors can be acknowledged in the colophon of some—or all—of the books in the series, as well as on our site, or remain completely anonymous if they prefer. Please email Janaka at janaka@blackocean.org with any questions to discuss further.