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Air/Light is honored to feature a selection of work by participants in We Are We Are Not Numbers (WANN), a youth-led Palestinian nonprofit project in the Gaza Strip. WANN tells the stories behind the numbers of Palestinians in the news and advocates for their human rights, pairing young aspiring writers with experienced writers for mentorship and editorial support. WANN provides the world with direct access to Palestinian narratives without restrictions or foreign intermediaries speaking on behalf of Palestinians.

We worked with Sarah Jacobus, a Southern California-based WANN mentor, to help us curate a selection of work by nine writers, created both before and after October 7. We’ll publish new pieces from this project every week for the next 5 weeks.

“Let Gaza Live” Image Credit: Wendy Elisheva Somerson

 

Editor’s Introduction: “A Humanitarian Crisis” by David L. Ulin

Gaza Diaries Week 1

“Messages of Concern: An Introduction” by Sarah Jacobus

“Entangled” by Roaa Aladdin Missmeh

Gaza Diaries Week 2

“I Wish I Were Born a Mermaid” by Ola AlAsi

“Amani and Riham” Palestinian Women Take Charge” by Lubna Abdelwahab Abuhashem

Gaza Diaries Week 3

“It’s a Rainy Day in My Normal Life” by Habiba Masoud

“Provisions, Pots, and Firewood: Feeding Our Neighbors in Gaza” by Mustafa D. Batnain

Gaza Diaries Week 4

“Surviving Beneath Gaza’s Tempest Skies” by Haya Abu Nasser

“O Lord, Guide Me Through Darkness” by Haya Abu Nasser

Gaza Diaries Week 5

“Pasha Palace: A Beauty of the Old City” by Rawan Jawad Ouda