The PalFest Podcast

Alaa Abd el-Fattah in conversation with Farah Barqawi

In this episode of the PalFest Podcast we have the writer and political theorist, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, in his first extended conversation since being released from prison in Egypt, with the poet and performer, Farah Barqawi. 
In this wide-ranging conversation the two friends discuss shared memories of Gaza, where Farah’s family is from and where Alaa visited with PalFest in 2012, distance and alienation, personal crises and more. It’s a heartfelt, personal talk between two people who have not seen each other for many years and whose lives are among the millions upended by the ongoing colonial assault on the region.
This episode was recorded between London and New York on March 2nd, 2026.
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Lina Mounzer and Jehan Bseiso on Writing through Crisis

Episode 11 of the PalFest Podcast: Lina Mounzer, writer, translator and Senior Editor at The Markaz Review in conversation with Jehan Bseiso, poet, translator, aid worker and member of the PalFest organising committee.
In this conversation the two writers discuss the unspeakable versus the unsaid, the emptiness of the word 'ceasefire' and pathways out of cynicism as well as sharing readings of their work and a new Agony Aunt for the Third World column.
This episode was recorded between Beirut and Cairo on February 23rd, 2026.
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Send your questions to Lina's advice column at dearsouseh@themarkaz.org
Palestine and the Unspeakable & A Year Without End from The Markaz Review
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Mahmoud al-Shaer in conversation with Beesan Ramadan & Mirza Waheed

Episode 10 of the PalFest Podcast: in conversation with Mahmoud al-Shaer, editor, curator and poet. 
Mahmoud has long been a key figure in the literary scene in Gaza - a scene that Israel has all but destroyed. He founded a cultural centre in Rafah and the online literary magazine, Magazine 28. He was PalFest's co-producer in Gaza in 2023. 
During the genocide many thousands of people got to know Mahmoud through his writings, the painful chronicle of his family's separation, the brutal ordeal of survival under genocidal siege.
Much of those writings have now been collected into A Year on the Abyss of Genocide (Arp Books).
Mahmoud was finally able to get evacuated from Gaza to Spain, where our hosts Beesan and Waheed talked to him.
 
This episode was recorded between Madrid, Ramallah and London on February 17th, 2026.
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Watch the PalFest poetry event curated and introduced by Mahmoud in 2023 here.
Purchase A Year on the Abyss of Genocide as part of the October/November Bookshelf Bundle here.
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Credit to Meqdad.J on Soundcloud for the use of مراجيح | بصوت الشهيدة فاطمة حسونة (Swings - Sung by the Martyr Fatima Hassouna)

Hala Alyan and Mai Serhan on Memoirs of Home

In our first episode of 2026, The PalFest Podcast brings you a discussion between two authors on their writing processes, identities and personal experiences. The conversation delves into the complexities of love, trauma, and survival in the face of conflict and displacement.
Hala Alyan's I'll Tell You When I'm Home was published in June 2025 by Simon & Schuster.
Mai Serhan's I Can Imagine It for Us was published in October 2025 by The American University in Cairo press and is the PalFest Bookshelf pick for February & March 2026.
This episode was recorded between New York and Cairo on February 2nd, 2026.
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Yasmin Zaher and Saleem Haddad on Debut Novels

In a wide-ranging discussion the two writers compare notes on their experiences of publishing debut novels in English, how their work was packaged, presented and received - and the ways in which that diverged from their intentions when writing.
Saleem Haddad's GUAPA was published in 2016 by Europa Editions to great acclaim. His new novel, FLOODLINES, is about to come out. 
Yasmin Zaher's THE COIN was published in 2025 and won the Dylan Thomas Prize - one of the most prestigious awards for young writers. 
This episode was recorded between Paris and Lisbon on November 24th, 2025.
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Nasser Abourahme in conversation with Edwin Nasr

“Israel is a defeated project.” So begins Nasser Abourahme’s monumental essay in PALESTINE IS EVERYWHERE.
Join us for the latest episode of the PalFest Podcast for a deep, structural analysis of Israel’s current strengths and weaknesses, the geopolitical shifts happening all around it and much, much more. It’s a fascinating conversation between Nasser and the book’s senior editor Edwin Nasr - and we’re thrilled to bring it to you for our 7th Episode.
Nasser is a writer and teacher, and currently assistant professor at Bowdoin College. He’s the author of The Time Beneath the Concrete: Palestine between Camp and Colony (Duke University Press, 2025).
Edwin is a writer and curator living in Berlin, his first short novel, Fears Eats Ali (Wendy's Subway and Wirklichkeit Books), is forthcoming.
This episode was recorded between New York and Berlin on November 12th, 2025.
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Isabella Hammad & Mirza Waheed on Palestine and Kashmir

In this live recording from The Southbank Centre, Isabella Hammad and Mirza Waheed hold a unique discussion about Palestine, Kashmir and the parallels and divergences in their modern struggles with colonialism.
They discuss art and consciousness around the dual ruptures of 1948, reportage and narration of historical insurgency and their own roles as artists working from within the imperial core.
Date of recording: November 1st, 2025.
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Randa Abdel-Fattah in conversation with Sara Yasin about "Discipline"

For episode 5 of The PalFest Podcast, we are thrilled to bring you the award-winning author, lawyer, human rights activist and community volunteer, Randa Abdel-Fattah in conversation with PalFest's own Sara Yasin, a Palestinian-American journalist who was managing editor at the LA Times and Buzzfeed News. They discuss, among other things, Fattah's new book, Discipline, which is the PalFest Bookshelf pick for December & January 25.
This episode was recorded between Palestine and Australia on November 17th, 2025.
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Tareq Baconi in conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates about "Fire in Every Direction"

In this special live recording of The PalFest Podcast, direct from Middle Church NYC we bring you the launch of Fire in Every Direction: A Memoir, Tareq Baconi’s singular coming-of-age story about queer and political awakening from within the Palestinian diaspora. Baconi was joined by Ta-Nehisi Coates in a conversation about personal and political memoir.
Date of recording: October 26th, 2025.
Get the book here (US) or pre-order it here (UK)
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Laleh Khalili talks to Adam Hanieh, Robert Knox and Rafeef Ziadeh about "Resisting Erasure: Capital, Imperialism and Race in Palestine"

In the third instalment of The PalFest Podcast we are excited to bring you Laleh Khalili, the esteemed professor and writer in conversation with the authors of Resisting Erasure: Capital, Imperialism and Race in Palestine; Adam Hanieh, Robert Knox & Rafeef Ziadah.
Date of recording: October 13th, 2025.
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