Farah Abdessamad

Farah Abdessamad

Abdessamad

Farah Abdessamad is a New York City-based essayist/critic, from France and Tunisia.

Follow her on Twitter: @farahstlouis

Book Club: International Booker winner Banu Mushtaq’s 'Heart Lamp' highlights the lives of Muslim women in India, exploring love, loss, and societal pressures

09 July, 2025

Dana Awartani uses tile-making and textiles to tell stories of cultural loss in the Middle East. We spoke to her about her exhibition 'Standing by the Ruins'

03 July, 2025

Book Club: ​The Book of Sana’a features a collection of historical and fantastical stories by Yemeni writers that revolve around war, violence, and fate

14 May, 2025

Book Club: 'If I Must Die' compiles poems, excerpts of blogs, lectures and interviews as a celebration of Refaat Alareer’s legacy and Palestinian steadfastness

13 November, 2024

Book Club: Bothayna Al-Essa's claustrophobic satire summons the spirits of Orwell, Carroll, and Kafka, serving as a sharp reminder to cherish free speech.

10 April, 2024

Book Club: Hisham Matar's My Friends is a story of three friends living in political exile, their encounters and how community provides emotional nourishment.

06 March, 2024

The New Arab sat down with Yemeni documentary photographer and storyteller Thana Faroq to discuss intentional photography, craft, and nurturing intimate narratives of displacement and resilience.

23 November, 2023

British-Lebanese calligraphy artist Joumana Medlej creates intensely lyrical and meditative prints based on Arabic calligraphy, such as the Kufic script. We explore her connection with the land as well as the spiritual dimension her work embraces.

13 July, 2023

The Middle East and North Africa region is facing acute environmental degradation. A River Flows Downstream captures the lingering angst of ecological collapse through the lens of eight photographers from the region.

29 June, 2023

Watching the recent Arab League summit, which saw the region's authoritarian leaders welcome back Syria's Assad with open arms, Farah Abdessamad reflects on the legacy of revolution and the road ahead.

24 May, 2023