Poet Zeina Hashem Beck: Not Choosing Between Arabic and English
The acclaimed Lebanese poet moves easily between modes and languages. She writes for the page but also performs, and she juxtaposes English and Arabic in ways that make both feel new.
Online for Free: A Summer Reading List
Publishers and literary websites are making it easy to find good reading material from or about the Arab world, with many free offerings to choose from.
A Guide to Top Platforms for Online Courses
Al-Fanar Media explores some of the major Arabic and non-Arabic online learning platforms that offer university-level courses at low cost or free.
Umm Kulthum: A Tribute to a Legendary Voice of Egypt
The life of a singer much loved across the Arab world is told in a Western-style musical in London. Can such an adaption succeed?
The Latest in Language Confusion: Morocco Switches Back from Arabic to French
Morocco, which switched instruction in schools from French to Arabic in the 1980’s, is now reversing course, to the dismay of some educators. The change is intended in part to improve the performance of university students.
Artificial Intelligence Speeds Efforts to Enhance Online Arabic Content
The Arabic language is seriously underrepresented online. Computer science researchers in Qatar are developing tools to change that,
Despite a Blue Chip Education, Unemployed and Desperate in Palestine
After earning a bachelor’s degree at an American college campus in Jerusalem and then a master’s degree in London, a young Palestinian returns home to discover her degrees aren’t valued.
A Podcast Takes Listeners on Tours of Arabic Music
Dom Tak, a pioneering podcast about Arabic popular music and history, is embarking on its second season.
Recommended Reading, 2019: Books From and About the Arab World
A sampling of works published, translated or honored in the past year illustrates the diversity of writing by Arab authors.
Why the Split Between Classical and Everyday Arabic Endures
If Arabs want a true lingua franca, they must ease the rigid boundaries they’ve set up between the local dialects and the formal language.
