Embedded Files
an e-book published by Mizna, 2024
written & illustrated by: Yahya Ashour
All proceeds go towards helping Yahya's family survive the genocide in Gaza and flee to safety.
Bio
Bio
Yahya Ashour | يحيى عاشور is an exiled Gazan poet and an award-winning author. Born on April 22, 1998, he is currently based in California. He is an honorary fellow in writing at the University of Iowa and the author of the e-book A Gaza of Siege & Genocide, published by Mizna in 2024. Ashour's portfolio also includes three books for children and young adults in Arabic, and contributions to global anthologies and journals, including Michigan Quarterly Review and Arrowsmith Journal. His poetry manuscript-in-progress received an honorable mention from the Emerging Writer Fellowship. He has read poetry at over 50 U.S. organizations and universities, including Harvard and Stanford. His poetry has been translated into more than 10 languages, including Spanish and Bengali. He was the 2025 author-in-residence at UCLA and currently teaches at Pitzer College of the Claremont Colleges.
Other Books for Young People in Arabic by Yahya Ashour:
Ways to help Gazans:
Text Yahya on WhatsApp to find more about how you can help in these areas.
Ways to help Gaza:
Learn \ Read \ Watch \ Listen
Share \ Post \ Interact \ Block
Educate \ Organize
Support \ Donate \ Fundraise
Boycott \ Review
Demand \ Vote \ Call \ Email
Protest \ Strike \ Disrupt \ Wear
How to help Yahya
How to help Yahya
Connect Yahya with college professors to organize poetry readings or class visits.
Connect Yahya with poetry or children's book publishers.
Connect Yahya with visual or performing artists to collaborate.
Recommend Yahya's work to journals or anthologies editors.
Recommend Yahya's work to translators of other languages.
Share with Yahya opportunities like writing residencies or MFA programs.
Learn more about Yahya:
Anthologies
Anthologies
2025, You Must Live, poetry anthology, Copper Canyon, Washington, English
2025, Letter from Gaza, Penguin, English
2025, Heaven Looks Like Us, poetry anthology, Haymarket, Chicago, English
2025, Poppies for Palestine
Italian
French
Arabic
Bengali
2024, Ask the Night For A Song, poetry anthology, Palestine Writes Press, Philadelphia, English
2024, Que ma mort apporte l’espoir, poetry anthology, Paris, French
2024, Antología de Poesía de la Resistencia Palestina, poetry anthology, Descontexto, Chile, Spanish
2022, أنطولوجيا الشعر الفلسطيني الراهن, poetry anthology, Almutawassit Books, Milano, Arabic
2022, La Poésie Palestinienne D'aujourd'hui, poetry anthology, Editions Points, Paris, French
2021, Coronaphone كورنافون article collection, 28 Magazine & Qattan Foundation, Ramallah, Arabic & English
2020, Novell Gaza no. III, story collection, Novell Gaza, Stockholm, English
2013, كتابي الأول 2012, story collection, Tamer Institute, Ramallah, Arabic
2011, لذة البرتقال, text collection, Tamer Institute, Ramallah, Arabic
Journals
Journals
The US | أمريكا
Iowa Literaria
Arrowsmith Journal
The International Writing Program
The UK | بريطانيا
فلسطين | Palestine
Lebanon | لبنان
المكسيك | Mexico
Chile | تشيلي
Germany | ألمانيا
Italy | إيطاليا
Finland | فنلندا
Japan | اليابان
Bangladesh | بنغلادش
India | الهند
Media
Media
Disclaimer: Yahya doesn't necessarily agree with the language used in these articles unless they're direct quotes from him.
Institute For Palestine Studies
Readings (Universities)
Readings (Universities)
Princeton University, (read twice, also gave a lecture) Fall 2023
Harvard University, Spring 2025
Stanford University, Spring 2024
University of Pennsylvania, Fall 2023, Spring 2025
Northwestern University, (also gave a lecture) Spring 2024
Columbia University, Spring 2024, Fall 2024
Cornell University, Spring 2024
University of Chicago, Spring 2024
University of California - Berkeley, (read twice) Spring 2024
University of California - Los Angeles, Spring 2024, Spring 2025
Vanderbilt University, Spring 2023
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, (read three times) Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024
Georgetown University, Spring 2025
University of California - Irvine, (read twice) Spring 2025, Spring 2025
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Spring 2024
University of Wisconsin - Madison, Spring 2024
Tufts University, (also gave a workshop) Spring 2024
Ohio State University, Spring 2024
Wake Forest University, (also gave 3 lectures) Fall 2023
University of Minnesota, (read twice, also gave one lecture) Spring 2023, Fall 2024
Michigan State University, (read twice, also gave a lecture) Fall 2022, Fall 2023
George Washington University, Spring 2024
Syracuse University, Spring 2024
University of Pittsburgh, Spring 2024
Indiana University - Bloomington, Spring 2024
University of Illinois - Chicago, Spring 2024
Fordham University, Spring 2024
University of Iowa, (read 5 times, also gave 2 lectures) Fall 2022, Spring 2024
University of Oregon, (also gave a lecture) Spring 2024
American University, Spring 2024
University of Arizona, Spring 2024
San Francisco State University, Spring 2024
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Spring 2024
University of Michigan - Dearborn, (also gave a lecture & a workshop) Spring 2024
John Carroll University, Fall 2022
Tiffin University, Fall 2022
Washington & Lee University, Fall 2024
Pitzer College, (read twice, also gave a lecture) Fall 2024, Spring 2025
Claremont McKenna College, Spring 2025
Harvey Mudd College, Spring 2025
Occidental College, Spring 2025
Readings (Organizations)
Readings (Organizations)
AWP in Los Angeles
Mizna in Minnesota,
Haymarket House in Chicago
WAWOG in Los Angeles
Arab American National Museum in Dearborn
Palestine Writes Festival in Philadelphia,
La La Lil Jidar in Philadelphia
Battery Dance in New York City,
Interlochen Center for the Arts, Michigan
Liberation Collective in Florida,
Palestine Youth Movement in Dearborn,
Project Peace,
Islamic Center of East Lansing,
Elmahba Center
IAIA in New York
Rawi
Matwaala
LAC DMH
East High School in Wisconsin,
Fostoria High School in Ohio,
Blake High School in Minnesota.
Fellowships
Fellowships
He's an honorary fellow at the University of Iowa, USA, and a 2022 fall resident of the International Writing Program held there.
He was selected in 2023 for a residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France.
He was a resident in 2024 at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, MI.
He has a fellowship in 2024 with Mizna, an American journal based in St. Paul, MN.
He won a fellowship in 2024 with Art Matters, an American organization based in New York, NY.
He was a resident in 2024 with the Hawthornden Foundation based in New York City, USA.
K.L. Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program - USA
English Access Scholarship - Gaza
Awards
Awards
• His manuscript
• His children's book won the Arab Children's Books Publishers Forum award in 2022.
The book was also shortlisted by the iBBY chapter in Palestine for the iBBY International Honor List 2022-2024.
iBBY Disabilities
- He also won several local writing contests like Novell Gaza and My First Book.
Life
Life
His grandparents were refugees who were forced out of Bier Al-Sabaa in 1948 and ended up in Gaza.
He lost his father Mahmoud Darwish Ashour to cancer on July 20th, 2019.
He survived 6 zionist israeli military aggressions on Gaza, in 2009, 2012, 2014, 2021, 2022, and May of 2023, and lived through 17 years of siege on Gaza.
During the zionist israeli genocidal war on Gaza, both his family’s house of 5 floors and his family’s business were destroyed, and he lost 3 cousins and 12 friends.
His family of 20 (his mother, his 5 siblings, and their spouses and their 10 children) was forced to flee to the south of Gaza and has been surviving under severe circumstances since the beginning of the genocide.
Education
Education
He earned a BA in Sociology/Psychology in 2020 from Al-Azhar University - Gaza.
He was also an exchange student at Fostoria High School in Ohio, USA in 2014-15, during his junior year, sponsored by the KL-YES program & Youth For Understanding USA.
He attended UNRWA schools until 9th grade, and he earned his high school diploma from a public school.
Work
Work
Adjunct Assistant Professor
at Pitzer College - California
Adjunct Assistant Professor
at UCLA - California
Senior Animator
at Nawa Association - Middle Area
Creative Writing Mentor
at Qattan Foundation - Gaza
Field Coordinator & Mobilizer
at REFORM Association - Gaza
Hub Coordinator
at Theater Days Productions - Gaza
Creative Writing Mentor
at Tamer Institute - Gaza & North Gaza
News Literacy Mentor
at American Councils (USA) - Online
Testing Assistant
at AMIDEAST - Gaza
English Teacher
Courses
Courses
The Arab Culture Association - Online
poetry writing course with Najwan Darwish.
Robert McKee Story Seminar - Online
Freelance Academy
at Gaza Sky Geeks - Online
Google Professional Certificate in Project Management - Online
Translations
Translations
He's been translated into 10 languages:
English
Spanish
French
Italian
Portuguese
Japanese
Finnish
Norwegian
Bengali
Malayalam
(See the Journals and Anthologies section)
He also translated from English to Arabic:
٢. كاتب من العالم: مع فيفك نارايانان
٣. كاتب من العالم: مع أليش شتيغر
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