by Zeina Azzam

Using the Arabic words bayna bayna as a nod to her Palestinian Arab heritage, Zeina Azzam’s poetry reflects on the feeling of being in-between home and exile, childhood and adulthood, wholeness and loss, and living and dying.  Her poems express a bicultural and bilingual view of the world which is at once enriching, bewildering, and beautiful.

ENJOY A VIDEO OF ZEINA READING FROM THE BOOK:

Zeina Azzam — A Featured Poet on The Poetry Box LIVE (May2021)

About the Author

Zeina Azzam is a Palestinian American poet, writer, editor, and community activist.  She volunteers for organizations that promote Palestinian human rights and the civil rights of vulnerable communities in Alexandria, Virginia, where she lives.

Zeina currently works as publications editor for the think tank, Arab Center Washington DC. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Passager Journal, Pleiades Magazine, Cordite Poetry Review, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Mizna, Sukoon Magazine, Split This Rock, Heartwood Literary Magazine, Lunch Ticket, Barzakh: A Literary Magazine, The Fourth River, Infinite Rust, and the edited volumes Tales from Six Feet Apart, Bettering American Poetry, Making Mirrors: Writing/Righting by and for Refugees, Write Like You’re Alive, The Poeming Pigeon: Love Poems, The Poeming Pigeon: Pop Culture, Gaza Unsilenced, and Yellow as Turmeric, Fragrant as Cloves. With the poet Sharif Elmusa, Zeina co-translated 14 poems by Arab poets for the Fall 2019 issue of Loch Raven Review. She holds an M.A. in Arabic literature from Georgetown University and an M.A. in sociology from George Mason University.

Twitter: @zeina3azzam  •  Instagram: @zeina.azzam1

Early Praise for Bayna Bayna:

To be an immigrant is to come with a box of memories and expectations, tiny possessions, all that one can carry. If that person is a poet and lifts the lid, she gives us the ability to be with her as she paves her road. Zeina Azzam, through her stories, and through the integrity of language, creates a world of beauty and patience, even when ideals are shattered. Because this poet knows who she is and is secure in that, the poems are true. Each page encounters a moment where the facts are prevalent; and where passion and technique lift an unforgettable story.

—Grace Cavalieri, Maryland Poet Laureate

On this earth Zeina Azzam reminds us that we are all Palestinians. We are all people of the blue-green watery globe. The evening news unfortunately continues to describe only amnesia. We suffocate when oppression places a hood over our memories. Zeina Azzam writes about being the history book and the poem. She writes between mind and heart. Bayna Bayna is a “chapbook suitcase” filled with longings and desire. Included are poems of love and a gentle rain for all our mornings.

—E. Ethelbert Miller, literary activist and host of On the Margin (WPFW)

The post Bayna Bayna: In-Between appeared first on The Poetry Box.

by Michael B. Carroll Jr.

These poems speak to struggle stemming from both the internal and the external—a collection deeply rooted in the human experience, life philosophies, identity politics, faith, shame, pride, trials, and triumph. The common thread throughout is identity and asks: Who are we? Why are we made to sometimes feel “sub-human?” How does this feeling impact our overall wellness from a physical, emotional, social, and spiritual point-of-view? And most importantly, how do we strive to see the light in people and in ourselves, despite such turmoil—this dichotomy between light and dark.

About the Author

Michael B. Carroll Jr. is a graduate of West Chester University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Professional Studies (Health Science / Psychology dual minor). He is a native of Philadelphia, PA and has published creative work in The Esthetic Apostle Literary Magazine. Michael’s work has also been featured in the inaugural issue of Cathexis Northwest Press.

He refers to his greatest aspirations in life as M&M Dreams, which represent his immutable love for both music and the practice of medicine. Music continues to inspire him to live, love, and create, passionately—while his desire to someday practice medicine keeps him emotionally connected to his humanity. When not writing poetry, songs or studying medicine, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends and pretending he’s a sommelier.

Michael can be found on Instagram: @sirdukeofwagadu.

What They’re Saying…

Arranged as if a program for a symphony, the music in this collection jumps right off the page. I know that it is too often said of poems that the rhythm leaves the page, but I dare you to read “Toe Tappin’” and not find yourself doing as the title suggests. Never before have I been so taken by onomatopoeia—do yourself a favor and not simply read this collection, but listen.

— C. M. Tollefson, Cathexis Northwest Press; High Shelf Press

Michael Carroll has an ear for poetry. As if Coltrane and Marcus Aurelius shared their secrets, Carroll’s meditations express free and bold cathartic verse. Whether he is hearing a new calling from “Behind the Georgian Marble Walls” or embracing who he is in “The Unveiling of the Cloak,” Carroll unmistakably delivers rhythm and truth.

— Samuel Griffin, founder, The Esthetic Apostle

The Dichotomy Between Light & Dark is an attempt to fill the distance between people while “living in the endless chorus of prayer” that makes up so much of our modern world—prayers for the living, prayers for the dead, prayers for the oppressed, prayers for the everyday. This marvelous collection navigates the desires of humanity with rhythm, repetition, and grace, demonstrating an ambitious orchestration of form on the page.

— J. David, poetry editor, Flypaper Magazine

Book Launch Readings

The post The Dichotomy Between Light & Dark appeared first on The Poetry Box.